PrezElect Trump's BackAssward Infrastructure Idea

Teeth Grinding Disappointment

Oh, I'm steamed. (Putting "Ass" in a title is the clue.)

As ye faithful readers know, Olde SeniorJunior is a fervent advocate of Fixing/Improving our tattered infrastructure.

I ranted on the subject here, here, here, here & here. All fine rants, if I do say so myself.

So when our aspiring God-Emperor Leto Trump said he plans a Trillion Dollar Infrastructure Project, Trust Me...

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...I actually had a moment of optimism.  Foolish fool, you were fooled again. Briefly.

Now it's all coming clear. Trump's "plan" is actually a huge giveaway to his corporate buddies, that will most likely NOT fix what needs fixing, open new projects, create new jobs, or pretty much anything else except let the rich get richer. All the rest of us will be paying Trump's buddies in tolls, higher fees for water and sewage treatment, more expensive Internet, more and bigger pipelines...and all the other benefits of "privatization." Completely regressive. Trust me. Sad.

If "facts" have any value to thee and thine, check out these actual, investigative, real-journalism sources:

Ronald A. Klain
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..."

Brad Delong

"Trump doesn’t really have a plan.... All Trump has right now is an idiosyncratic proposal for Congress to offer some $137 billion in tax breaks to private investors who want to finance toll roads, toll bridges, or other projects that generate their own revenue streams."

MELANIE ZANONA

"Critics of Trump’s private financing plan, however, say that private investors would only fund projects that have tolls or user fees that can recoup investment costs.

Therefore, critical infrastructure needs like repairing aging pipes, deepening ports or fixing existing roads and bridges without tolls may go neglected under Trump’s plan."

Paul Krugman

"For example, imagine a private consortium building a toll road for $1 billion. Under the Trump plan, the consortium might borrow $800 million while putting up $200 million in equity — but it would get a tax credit of 82 percent of that sum, so that its actual outlays would only be $36 million. And any future revenue from tolls would go to the people who put up that $36 million."

Tom Toles

“With Democrats wondering whether they can or should get excited about Donald Trump’s 

$1,000,000,000,000 infrastructure plan, I will counsel they build themselves a large 

pipeline of cold water to pour on themselves.

We will leave aside for today the rather flagrant hypocrisy of Republicans proposing unfunded government spending after eight years of lecturing President Obama about the intolerable, dangerous irresponsibility of doing any such thing. Republicans live in an irony- and hypocrisy-immune safe space."

Sen. Bernie Sanders

Unlike Trump’s plan, which creates new tax loopholes and is a corporate giveaway, my Rebuild America Act would be paid for by eliminating tax loopholes that allow hugely profitable multinational corporations to stash their profits in offshore tax havens around the world.

• Linette Lopez

"If soon-to-be White House strategic advisor Steve Bannon is right, then Donald Trump's infrastructure plan is going to be a total disaster for the American economy."

Hang in there, folks.

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