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Strategies & Market Trends : Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: mishedlo who wrote (109592)	3/15/2010 2:25:09 PM
From: Jim McMannis	Respond to of 116555

Maybe so but Eisenhower did some good stuff. In retrospect of course.

To: mishedlo who wrote (109592)	3/15/2010 2:43:41 PM
From: Hawkmoon	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 116555

The highway system failed at its intended mission And what mission are you referring to? The highway system was built for multiple purposes. Eisenhower, and many others, saw what Hitler had created with the Autobahn and recognized something similar was needed to connect the various parts of the US. Eisenhower had also been part of first motorized coast to coast expedition and recognized the importance of a national highway network: en.wikipedia.org Now.. of course there were certain parts of that highway system which were considered of strategic military importance, but that was only a minor portion of the total network: en.wikipedia.org Also, the reason that overpass heights were set at 16.5 feet is because that was the height of Atomic Annie, the first Atomic Cannon, which was ferried around by a couple of large trucks. militaryfactory.com We also have to remember that the reason Hitler and Mussolini built the Autobahn/Autostrasse was based upon the concept of the Roman roads of that empire. Gotta have good roads to control a large empire, or nation/state. Thus, I don't see any failure in accomplishing that "mission". Will be interested in seeing where your view differs. Hawk

To: mishedlo who wrote (109592)	3/15/2010 3:04:55 PM
From: Cynic 2005	18 Recommendations Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 116555

Sorry Mish, I follow your blog on-and-off. I don't always agree with what you say, but we agree more than we disagree. I rarely commented on this board. This statement, however, I couldn't pass without commenting. <<It is happenstance, not planning that anything good came out of it.>> As a practicing transportation engineer and planner, all I can say is, 'say what?' You are also a Civil Engineer, aren't you? The interstate highway system produced an economic and industrial boom, and reshaped the American landscape. There is indisputable evidence for this observation. The highways did not produce a stock-market boom mainly because back then there was no such thing as financial engineering. Furthermore, back then the economy drove the stock market. Now, it is the other way round - the cart pulls the horse. The highway trust fund gave the necessary funding for highways. It is not the general fund. It only costs the motorists 18.3 friggin cents per dollar since 1991!! Every congressmen takes a dump to even utter rising gas tax by even a penny, but the congress won't do squat if the speculators at Goldman and JPM make the oil price fluctuate by a dollar in a week. We have our priorities wrong. We want the cart to pull the horse.

To: mishedlo who wrote (109592)	3/15/2010 9:47:52 PM
From: Sweet Ol	7 Recommendations Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 116555

Mish, you are right most of the time,but you are wrong about the Interstate highways. Being older than you I remember before and after. First, one of the the prime missions was the ability to move troops rapidly in case we were attacked by Russia or China, which seemed to be a real possibility in the later 40's and early 50's. Also, they were designed to be used as emergency runways. You can't say that those missions failed. You can ask whether or not they were important missions, but not that they failed. Secondly, I have traveled all over the USA by car before and after the Interstates. Let me tell you it is so much better now! Also, industry and businesses were able to decentralize and bring prosperity to the center of the country and not just to the big cities on the two coasts. That has been a huge economic success. Can you imagine what life here would be like if all the industry stayed in the 10 largest cities and they became 5 or 10 times as large as they are now with all the urban problems. I think making our population density more homogeneous has been a very good thing. (Disclosure: I live in fly-over country!) I am a rock-ribbed fiscal conservative but I believe that the post WWII GI Bill and the Interstate Highway Act were two of the prime movers for our economy in the last half century. And that is not to say that both of them were not rife with graft and corruption! Blessings, JRH