US infrastructure reconstruction

[Darth Avlectus]

If you spend more than you take in as a local gov''t, you go broke. What towns do is just raise taxes--property taxes or county sales taxes, or find some other source of revenue. The other alternative is to cut services. They don't get to run a deficit to the degree California, Illinois, or the US do.

 

I can vouch, I'm a CA resident.

 

Yeah, lots of stuff is going to get cut and taxes are going to skyrocket now that we have to face the music, and that Ahnuld is refusing funds. I don't care what anyone says to the contrary. Every time Dems are in office in DC, we see taxes rise in CA. Of course the way we voted was to cut a ton of spending.

 

> A friend of mine works Parks and Rec for the state in my town; she will have to move and find a new job when her contract ends because they only have enough $ to pay her for this summer (contractual remainder).

 

> Road work is for $#%^ here in CA in the more rural areas. 'Round the city it's ...decent if slow. I have a theory that it sucks more money than it has to because it takes longer than it should and it (compared to NV right next door who is immaculate) sucks, quality wise. Mediocre at least. I think they intentionally do it just well enough to get by this year but will require work next year--year after year. Sure the traffic has increased despite people moving away to cheaper areas, but that is so for both CA and NV. You can drive Hwy 50 or any number of roads relatively near it and see a noticeable difference. (EDIT: At least the NV side has it together!!!)

 

One hand, I'm obviously about it, the other I see it is slowing tourist traffic enough to encourage business. Still doesn't change the fact that places are going vacant and jobs are leaving, but it does help. Weird way of doing things, CA. Still wanna bean the 5 supervisors with a bottle, standing and chatting while 2 workers are working. :¬: Your Tax Dollars, at work.

 

> Neighborhood watch around my neck of the woods is worried about its continuing presence reportedly b/c both its resources and volunteers are dwindling.

 

> SSI offices are now turning away people.

 

> Prices for infractions and violations are rising sharply in both CA and NV. (I would know b/c I just got my first one). Notably speed limits are changed in strategic locations for "trapping".

 

> The jerkish bistate committee for property and land regulations (or regional planning agency) has decided to have a conniption fit since their funding is all gone and is up with the governing officials making all sorts of noise for harsher laws and steeper fines. :¬:

 

> Funds for higher education are being cut. Bummer. Then again, only the NV side seems to have a pattern of students who move on to better things from the community colleges. However Universities all around seem to be doing fine, if now a much more out of reach prospect for everyone.

 

For lower education--they always seem to have their hands out and little to show for it.

Of course what they don't tell you when they bring up falling literacy and reading rates in english for kids is that an increasing number of children attending are learning English as a second language--if they are even learning English at all.

 

> Many of the services for cleaning and maintenance around the town are going a-bye-bye or at least into hibernation.

 

> The local bi-state committee or "regional planning agency" in the town next to me are having conniption fits b/c funding is running out and are up at the city council every time it holds a session. Raising a stink about new regulations and local laws, and increasing fines. Too bad their credibility is at an all time low...for them!

[Darth_Yuthura]

Thank-you for posting about the problems you encounter. California represents about 10% of the US population, so it's only fair to have them share their side of things.

 

I've often made an issue out of organizing cities around transportation, but there is a lot more to it than that. With a reduction of roads comes a wide variety of savings in regard to services and utilities. One professor of mine gave a projection of what he expects to see as funds dry up all over the US as they are in California. He believes that there will most likely be sparsely populated areas abandoned in favor of keeping the beating heart of inner cities operating. A pipeline serving only a thousand people will likely be cut from maintenance in favor of providing for the upkeep of a more important one. Although they likely would not wish to fall behind in maintenance, budget planners simply cannot expect to keep every road, rail, sewer, phone line, fiber optic cable, water main, and power line in top shape because there are so many providing to a comparatively few.

 

Although you may need more expensive sewers within downtown Chicago vs. areas with much lower population density, it is far easier and cheaper per capita to maintain. The Sears Tower only pays a fraction the cost for water and sewers than a city of comparable size (Sun Prairie, WI Pop. 21,000) Yes, the tower doesn't have Residents, but the demand for these utilities is fairly comparable.

 

If you ended up in a situation where you only had enough funding to provide for a third of the sewers you have, the Sears Tower would be the most logical place for such funding because they service so many more people. Compare that to investing the same funding to provide for only 1/3 of Sun Prairie's systems. (They are replacing the roads and installing new sewers at this time, so that is why I brought it up specifically)