Trumps Infrastructure plan: Privatize Interstate Highways, bridges, tunnels

[MyNameIsKhan]

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/11/trump-infrastructure-plan-washington-reality-231649

But by Wednesday morning, Steven Mnuchin, a leading contender for Treasury secretary, told reporters the transition team was “looking at the creation of an infrastructure bank,” a pot of money that would use federal money to attract state and private dollars to fund projects. It’s hardly a new idea in transportation circles — but Trump’s presidential campaign had blasted Clinton for proposing the same idea, saying such a bank would be “controlled by politicians and bureaucrats in Washington D.C."

President Barack Obama has also repeatedly proposed an infrastructure bank, though that idea went nowhere in Congress.

Trump’s campaign also called for setting up “public-private partnerships,” another means of encouraging private investors to put their money into infrastructure. In one version, the investors would get tax credits to build a project and could recoup their money by charging fees for its use, such as tolls. But as New York Times columnist Paul Krugman wrote Saturday, that would be problematic for types of infrastructure that don't generate revenue streams: "Toll roads are not the main thing we need right now; what about sewage systems, making up for deferred maintenance, and so on?"

[pbmus]

1. So , traveling anywhere in the USA by road is gonna cost ya...lol

Infrastructure my ass...all a don boggle. Takeover of our public roads

[MyNameIsKhan]

4. Well thats the plan... so before a tunnel crossover, pay toll then going on interstate to goto

work pay toll... other cities have tolled roads to discourage congestion or we have tolled bridges those were built with public bonds but highways is unheard off...

[Auggie]

2. They'll privatize all they can. It's their way of expanding business.

Bleed municipalities dry then buy their public services. Cut salaries and employee benefits and raise fees. Classic Shock Doctrine.

[SharonAnn]

6. His infrastructure plan is a trap. Don't believe it. Read this article.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/trumps-big-infrastructure-plan-its-a-trap/2016/11/18/5b1d109c-adae-11e6-8b45-f8e493f06fcd_story.html

I’ve got a simple message for Democrats who are embracing President-elect Donald Trump’s infrastructure plan: Don’t do it. It’s a trap. Backing Trump’s plan is a mistake in policy and political judgment they will regret, as did their Democratic predecessors who voted for Ronald Reagan’s tax cuts in 1981 and George W. Bush’s cuts in 2001.

First, Trump’s plan is not really an infrastructure plan. It’s a tax-cut plan for utility-industry and construction-sector investors, and a massive corporate welfare plan for contractors. The Trump plan doesn’t directly fund new roads, bridges, water systems or airports, as did Hillary Clinton’s 2016 infrastructure proposal. Instead, Trump’s plan provides tax breaks to private-sector investors who back profitable construction projects. These projects (such as electrical grid modernization or energy pipeline expansion) might already be planned or even underway. There’s no requirement that the tax breaks be used for incremental or otherwise expanded construction efforts; they could all go just to fatten the pockets of investors in previously planned projects.

Moreover, as others have noted, desperately needed infrastructure projects that are not attractive to private investors — municipal water-system overhauls, repairs of existing roads, replacement of bridges that do not charge tolls — get no help from Trump’s plan. And contractors? Well, they get a “10 percent pretax profit margin,” according to the plan. Combined with Trump’s sweeping business tax break, this would represent a stunning $85 billion after-tax profit for contractors — underwritten by the taxpayers.

Second, as a result of the above, Trump’s plan isn’t really a jobs plan, either. Because the plan subsidizes investors, not projects; because it funds tax breaks, not bridges; because there’s no requirement that the projects be otherwise unfunded, there is simply no guarantee that the plan will produce any net new hiring. Investors may simply shift capital from unsubsidized projects to subsidized ones and pocket the tax breaks on projects they would have funded anyway. Contractors have no obligation to hire new workers, or expand workers’ hours, to collect their $85 billion. To their credit, the plan’s authors don’t call it a jobs plan; ironically, it is Democrats looking to align with Trump who have given it that name. They should not fool themselves.

[Auggie]

7. I'm not. n/t

[liberal N proud]

3. His partner Pence did it in Indiana

The Indiana Turnpike sucks.

[MyNameIsKhan]

5. Who owns the toll road in Indiana?

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — An Australian company has reached a $5.73 million agreement to buy the bankrupt business that holds the lease to the Indiana Toll Road. IFM Investors purchased ITR Concession Co., which holds the lease on the 157-mile highway across northern Indiana for another 66 years.
Australian company buys bankrupt Indiana Toll Road vendo
www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/2015/03/11/...indiana-toll-road.../70161160/

[avebury]

8. What you may not realize is that consultant prepared

plans are often probelmatic because they rely upon state employees to review them and send them back with corrections. I would be hesitent to rely upon totally privately built roads and bridges.

[randr]

9. Selling public property to cover his sorry ass

[Historic NY]

10. Your papers and your money !!!

Public Roads and bridges already paid for ten times over by taxpayers will be turned over to those that will gouge the public, they didn't build this.

[AmericanMan1958]

11. Check out Indiana

The road construction under Pence is unbelievable.
No new Businesses, most people can't figure what they are doing.
Massive land buys around intersection. There are round-abouts out in the middle of the country, with nothing but corn fields as far as the eye can see.
The political kick backs must be great. Indiana property taxes have doubled in many area.
I will admit their roads are wonderful, but there is some crazy waste.

There is a nursery by mom's that had great access right off state highway, been there since I was a kid.
Well he must of pissed someone off, the new hwy design all but land locked him.
Nearest exit for him is 2 miles up the hwy and the country road you take to get to his business now dead ends at his parking lot.
Needless to say, he has lost his business and is now closed.