Is this how we can find the money to fix our bridges and roads?

Question

"A company charged the Pentagon almost $1 million to ship two 19-cent washers to Iraq"

lol

http://news.yahoo.com/s/bloomberg/20070816/pl_bloomberg/a_piz20xqxeu_1

Answer 1

Apparently we're going to sell out our nation's highways and infrastructures to the highest bidder, both foreign and domestic companies.

"On the national level, the highway trust fund is about to go broke. When President Bush took office the fund had a $23 billion surplus, but it is expected to be running a deficit by next year in part because Bush killed an increase in gas taxes two years ago."

If it's all the states' responsibility to repair roads, what is the purpose of the national highway trust fund?

"The columnist Jim Hightower recently accused the government of deliberately defunding these vital infrastructure projects in an effort to open the door to privatization."
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/08/03/1348236

Answer 2

I wonder why the media never points out that the congress sets the rules for military purchases? Don't blame the pentagon for these things, blame the greedy bastards who have learned how to game the system the people in congress who have conducted the system.
As for the bridges; we have plenty of money. It's just being spent wrong. Take this budget; Congress authorized 250 million dollars for a new bridge but is standing by to vote for 35 billion dollars in new earmarks. In MN, they could find 750 million dollars for a new sports stadium, 300 million dollars for a light rail system that no one rides, 1 million dollars for a replica Viking ship but not enough money to replace a bridge that was found wanting over ten years ago.

Answer 3

NO, but I think it's a good reason to let the government run our healthcare!! - LOL
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I don't have the link, but I read the story. Some financial lifer at the pentagon had high-priority req's set up to auto-pay when the bill came in. Lower priority purchases would go through oversight, but with the urgent ones, the computer would just cut a check. One company scammed about 20 million and another about 2 million. Most suppliers were honest and just a few others did some nickel and dime over-bills.
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Answer 4

Finding those mistakes is important. Perhaps we should put the IRS on that task instead of harrassing individuals and businesses. But to answer your question the money for fixing bridges is already found in the .18 a gallon the feds take from every single gallon of fuel used in America. That is twice what the oil companies make and the government doesn't spend a dime to get it.

Answer 5

You should read the story a little closer, it said that they somehow exploited a quirk in the system to make their product instantly payable, and then they charged what they wanted. There is the link.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/bloomberg/20070816/pl_bloomberg/a_piz20xqxeu_1

Answer 6

Of course. How do you think the Pentagon pays for all of their operations? It dwarfs what we spend on social programs, not to mention dwarfs the military budget of every other country on earth.

We need to get our priorities straight, and stop the bloated, wasteful Pentagon budget.

Answer 7

The bridges and roads are the States responsibility Not the Federal Government. You pay taxes for those things in you state. Don't like it blame your Governor.

Answer 8

Do you have a link?

Answer 9

by law they can only fix it with the road tax , if you want that to change better vote 3rd party cause the Reps and Dem's are not willing to do anything about it

Answer 10

Quit spending money alloted to fixing problems like this on entitlement and pork projects. It's a very easy fix.