Do you think that America can actually afford to pay for all of the repairs, etc to our infrastructure and?

Question

still maintain its War against Terror in Iraq and Afghanistan by providing all of the freebies that the people there are getting? - Like free health care and free college educations?

Answer 1

The pork barrel spending our wonderful politicians like to use to regain power in re-elections would go a long way to fixing the infrastructure.

Answer 2

Who will pay for your "free" healthcare? It isnt free, and the working people will have to shoulder a much higher tax rate to support it. Canadians are paying 40% + of their gross for a health system that often takes months for them to see a doctor and get tests done.
Free college? I think costs could be reduced, but it still costs money to run a college that would also be shouldered by the tax payer.

Infrastructure......that is a state responsibility. Most states run budget surpluses and have plenty of tax money to use if they need to, and that money isnt spent on the war.
State infrastructure isnt a function of the Federal Government, although states can get federal project money for certain projects....it seems whether the states use the money for the intended purpose is in question.

New Orleans, for example. There was a lot of money over the years for levee repairs that never seemed to get used for that purpose.

Blaming the crumbling infrastructure on the Feds is a cop out, and it seems to me just another opportunity to somehow drag GWB into the picture.

Answer 3

If stupid politicians would stop spending TRILLIONS of taxpayer dollars on insane, unconstitutional, immoral 'wars' against other sovereign nations that in no way threatened, provoked or attacked the United States, all of that money could go toward restructuring our crumbling infrastructures; helping those in this country who are poor, disadvantaged, underprivileged, unemployed, disabled, sick, elderly, homeless or hungry; providing a national health care program for every individual who cannot afford to buy his own medical insurance; and investing more in the environment by attending to the delicate ecological balance between all men, plants and animals so necessary for our very survival. -RKO- 08/04/07

Answer 4

There is no war on terror. There is just an incursion on a sovereign nation. If we go away and let them be, we have enough money for roads, schools, hunger and all of our other national ills that have been ignored by the Bush administration.

Answer 5

We could pay for repairing our infrastructure if we'd just stop Halliburton from overcharging us so much for repairing Iraqi infrastructure. How rich does Dick Cheney need to be?

Answer 6

Nope...I think that's ONE reason why we're in so much trouble now. Because we keep electing idiots who can't stand not to meddle in the affairs and problems of every other country on the planet...and we seem to think we can "fix" eveything by throwing money at it...being big, rich brother to the world has only brought us resentment and contributed to other cultures calling us "the great Satan"...and of course, our politicians aren't spending THEIR money, they're spending our tax dollars...so everything at home is starting to fall down...K ;o)

Answer 7

You're exactly right... Americans "We the People" pay for all of this. The 'government' does not have any money... it only has what "We the People" give it.