Cisco
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Posts: 4196
Registered: 12-30-2010
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Nation with Crumbling Bridges and Roads Excited to Build Giant Wall
WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—As America’s bridges, roads, and other infrastructure dangerously deteriorate from decades of neglect, there is a
mounting sense of urgency that it is time to build a giant wall.
Across the U.S., whose rail system is a rickety antique plagued by deadly accidents, Americans are increasingly recognizing that building a wall with
Mexico, and possibly another one with Canada, should be the country’s top priority.
Harland Dorrinson, the executive director of a Washington-based think tank called the Center for Responsible Immigration, believes that most Americans
favor the building of border walls over extravagant pet projects like structurally sound freeway overpasses.
“The estimated cost of a border wall with Mexico is five billion dollars,” he said. “We could easily blow the same amount of money on infrastructure
repairs and have nothing to show for it but functioning highways.”
Congress has dragged its feet on infrastructure spending in recent years, but Dorrinson senses growing support in Washington for building a giant
border wall. “Even if for some reason we don’t get the Mexicans to pay for it, five billion is a steal,” he said.
While some think that America’s declining infrastructure is a national-security threat, Dorrinson strongly disagrees. “If immigrants somehow get over
the wall, the condition of our bridges and roads will keep them from getting very far,” he said.
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wessongroup
Platinum Nomad
Posts: 21152
Registered: 8-9-2009
Location: Mission Viejo
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Mood: Suicide Hot line ... please hold
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The "infrastructure" would be a great way to create "JOBS" for many and improve out Country at the same time in a number of ways ... and something I
am more than willing to pay taxes for ....
The "electrical inter-tie" was completed back in the "mid sixty's" ... would venture it is in dire need of an upgrade ... along with many other
"systems" which we depend on for our "standard" of living ..
Asking for more education and health care ... is in fact a function of our ability to "provide" those services .. based on our "infrastructure" ...
Which is in rather bad shape
Hey, to help fund ... Let's do away with all pay raises Congress and the rest have gotten since 2007 ... just saying
Know my raises from the Federal Government in cost of living increases are a long way from those who are retired from the Fed .... by a long ways ...
Not to mention their own Medical Coverage and a few more bennies they get ... which are obscene IMO
[Edited on 2-21-2016 by wessongroup]
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Barry A.
Select Nomad
Posts: 10007
Registered: 11-30-2003
Location: Redding, Northern CA
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Mood: optimistic
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Quote: Originally posted by wessongroup  | The "infrastructure" would be a great way to create "JOBS" for many and improve out Country at the same time in a number of ways ... and something I
am more than willing to pay taxes for ....
The "electrical inter-tie" was completed back in the "mid sixty's" ... would venture it is in dire need of an upgrade ... along with many other
"systems" which we depend on for our "standard" of living ..
Asking for more education and health care ... is in fact a function of our ability to "provide" those services .. based on our "infrastructure" ...
Which is in rather bad shape
Hey, to help fund ... Let's do away with all pay raises Congress and the rest have gotten since 2007 ... just saying
Know my raises from the Federal Government in cost of living increases are a long way from those who are retired from the Fed .... by a long ways ...
Not to mention their own Medical Coverage and a few more bennies they get ... which are obscene IMO
[Edited on 2-21-2016 by wessongroup] |
I am a retired Fed. Law Enforcement employee. I just checked my retirement annuity. When I retired in Jan of 1996 my net takehome pay was $1,273
per month. Today my net takehome pay after 20 years is $1,670 per month. My Fed. Health Care Insurance (BC/BS) costs me $501 per month cash out of
my pocket (not withheld from my annuity), and I pay the regular monthly fee for Medicare Parts A and B out of pocket of $122 Per month cash (not
withheld from my annuity). That does not leave much to live on ($1,050 per month). We retired Fed employees are really feeding at the trough of
the American Tax payer, aren't we?!?!?!?!?! And this was all a contractual agreement of our job before we ever started.
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wessongroup
Platinum Nomad
Posts: 21152
Registered: 8-9-2009
Location: Mission Viejo
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Mood: Suicide Hot line ... please hold
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Referring to Congress, Executive Branch and Judicial
Not to the rank and file ... who actually work for a living
Their "retirement" package is very much different than yours Barry ... plus they don't have to do a 30 gig to get it
And I pay the same out of pocket for Medicare drug coverage .. such that it is ... And like you ... We have supplemental medical insurance .. which we
pay through the nose for ... but, happy to have FULL coverage .. including long stays toward the end, while drooling and incoherent 
[Edited on 2-21-2016 by wessongroup]
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TMW
Select Nomad
Posts: 10659
Registered: 9-1-2003
Location: Bakersfield, CA
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The Feds recently passed a highway bill to provide money to fix the highways and bridges etc. I think it was a 5 year bill. I think the reason the
infrastructure of the highways is so bad is that the states don't do their part. They get fed money plus tax on gas but they spend it elsewhere. How
can CA have bad roads when the gas tax is like 30+ cents per gal.
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bajaguy
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9247
Registered: 9-16-2003
Location: Carson City, NV/Ensenada - Baja Country Club
Member Is Offline
Mood: must be 5 O'clock somewhere in Baja
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Gas Tax chart
http://www.api.org/~/media/Files/Statistics/StateMotorFuel-O...
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Hook
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9010
Registered: 3-13-2004
Location: Sonora
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Mood: Inquisitive
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| Quote: Originally posted by Barry A. | | Quote: Originally posted by wessongroup | The "infrastructure" would be a great way to create "JOBS" for many and improve out Country at the same time in a number of ways ... and something I
am more than willing to pay taxes for ....
The "electrical inter-tie" was completed back in the "mid sixty's" ... would venture it is in dire need of an upgrade ... along with many other
"systems" which we depend on for our "standard" of living ..
Asking for more education and health care ... is in fact a function of our ability to "provide" those services .. based on our "infrastructure" ...
Which is in rather bad shape
Hey, to help fund ... Let's do away with all pay raises Congress and the rest have gotten since 2007 ... just saying
Know my raises from the Federal Government in cost of living increases are a long way from those who are retired from the Fed .... by a long ways ...
Not to mention their own Medical Coverage and a few more bennies they get ... which are obscene IMO
[Edited on 2-21-2016 by wessongroup] |
I am a retired Fed. Law Enforcement employee. I just checked my retirement annuity. When I retired in Jan of 1996 my net takehome pay was $1,273
per month. Today my net takehome pay after 20 years is $1,670 per month. My Fed. Health Care Insurance (BC/BS) costs me $501 per month cash out of
my pocket (not withheld from my annuity), and I pay the regular monthly fee for Medicare Parts A and B out of pocket of $122 Per month cash (not
withheld from my annuity). That does not leave much to live on ($1,050 per month). We retired Fed employees are really feeding at the trough of
the American Tax payer, aren't we?!?!?!?!?! And this was all a contractual agreement of our job before we ever started. |
You didnt tell us how many years you worked for the Federal govt, while paying into that same retirement system.
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MrBillM
Platinum Nomad
Posts: 21656
Registered: 8-20-2003
Location: Out and About
Member Is Offline
Mood: It's a Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah Day
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Good Highways = More (Bad) People ?
Something I've said for Many, Many years is that better roads simply encourage people to use them.
Letting the roads go to S-hit means that only those REALLY determined will go................WHEREVER !
Admittedly, it's only a theory, but there is some empirical evidence.
More than a few times, I've known people to say "I wouldn't go there because the road is so lousy. "
As to the Wall, a more cost-effective answer would, of course, be some sort of anti-personnel (non-lethal, of course) mines.
Possibly, triggering a "Flash-Bang" to temporarily Blind, Deafen and alert authorities. One other suggestion was for devices spraying a Permanent Dye
which would aid in picking out the Illegals. Another was dispersing a Radioactive marker which could be tracked. Possibly, none of those would be
satisfactory, but innovation and experimentation "could" come up with a winner.
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Barry A.
Select Nomad
Posts: 10007
Registered: 11-30-2003
Location: Redding, Northern CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: optimistic
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| Quote: Originally posted by lencho |
Barry, are you sure you're actually paying for part A? I understood that runs around $500/month for those that actually have to pay it.
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My understanding is that the $122 a month I pay for Medicare is for Part B--------I don't pay anything for Part A.
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Barry A.
Select Nomad
Posts: 10007
Registered: 11-30-2003
Location: Redding, Northern CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: optimistic
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| Quote: Originally posted by Hook | | Quote: Originally posted by Barry A. | | Quote: Originally posted by wessongroup | The "infrastructure" would be a great way to create "JOBS" for many and improve out Country at the same time in a number of ways ... and something I
am more than willing to pay taxes for ....
The "electrical inter-tie" was completed back in the "mid sixty's" ... would venture it is in dire need of an upgrade ... along with many other
"systems" which we depend on for our "standard" of living ..
Asking for more education and health care ... is in fact a function of our ability to "provide" those services .. based on our "infrastructure" ...
Which is in rather bad shape
Hey, to help fund ... Let's do away with all pay raises Congress and the rest have gotten since 2007 ... just saying
Know my raises from the Federal Government in cost of living increases are a long way from those who are retired from the Fed .... by a long ways ...
Not to mention their own Medical Coverage and a few more bennies they get ... which are obscene IMO
[Edited on 2-21-2016 by wessongroup] |
I am a retired Fed. Law Enforcement employee. I just checked my retirement annuity. When I retired in Jan of 1996 my net takehome pay was $1,273
per month. Today my net takehome pay after 20 years is $1,670 per month. My Fed. Health Care Insurance (BC/BS) costs me $501 per month cash out of
my pocket (not withheld from my annuity), and I pay the regular monthly fee for Medicare Parts A and B out of pocket of $122 Per month cash (not
withheld from my annuity). That does not leave much to live on ($1,050 per month). We retired Fed employees are really feeding at the trough of
the American Tax payer, aren't we?!?!?!?!?! And this was all a contractual agreement of our job before we ever started. |
You didnt tell us how many years you worked for the Federal govt, while paying into that same retirement system. |
I was a Federal Employee for 29 years. LE personnel have to retire from LE at age 57, and our retirement is enhanced because of the hazardous
duties. To be clearer on my "take home" pay quoted above, I forgot my ex-wife does get 25% of my annuity that I never see. We get no Social
Security as retired Fed. employees.
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