...our country would look like Kemp, Texas. The town of Kemp recently had its water turned back on after residents experienced several days without running water. Apparently the town turned to prayer rather than raising taxes to pay for new pipes. As John Thorpe put it in the second link
Aah yes, prayer — the last refuge of the truly desperate. Perhaps these Texans could try something the rest of the civilized world does, and raise tax revenues to pay for infrastructure improvements. Why? Their infrastructure dates back to the 1930s. Most of the water system's 30 miles of pipes haven't been updated in decades.
I'm wondering why they didn't turn to the job creators, captains of industry, or wealthy fellow Texans to help them out. I have been assured by the right that some sort of invisible hand will always be there to help out.
What makes this story even more interesting is that Kemp is located in US Congressional Representative Jeb Hensarling's district. Hensaring is a Tea Party darling who firmly believes in less government spending. I guess we can see now the result of less government spending. NO FUCKING WATER.
Oh, and Mr. Hensaring has just been named to the 12 person Super Congress charged with tackling the debt.
Super. Not.
25 comments:
Your Tea Party ignorance notwithstanding, this is another good example of government failing - specifically elected leadership fail. This problem isn't unknown or new and yet they didn't plan, apparently for a long time.
My old condo in Los Angeles had a HOA that did the same thing. The past leadership there didn't set up any reserve or fund to address a number of problems that tend to crop up in a 40 year old structure including plumbing and roof replacement. The monthly fees were already the highest in the area (taxes) to pay water and maintenance and they kept rising to pay for this (new taxes). Then they got hit by a problem with the parking garage overlooking a hill starting to fail which were going to require special assessments of 8K per unit in a 200 plus unit complex. Serious leadership fail and we bolted.
Apparently, your ignorance extends even farther with your wailing about invisible hand failure. This Kemp water issue is pure government failure at its worst, failing at one of their primary tasks no less for a very long period of time, pre-existing the Tea Party's existence.
Hmm, linking to Fox News. I didn't read the part about where they refused to pay taxes for upgrades.
As for the prayer part... don't you pray too?
Kaufman County neighbors are trying to keep up their spirits. They've organized a "Pray for Rain" gathering at the city park tonight at 7 p.m.
Oh, they aren't praying for new water infrastructure after all, are they?
I suppose you believe the federal govt should supply that infrastructure? Since god doesn't seem to be in that line of business.
Ignorance, 6Kings? I'm going to try to communicate something to you and see if you can comprehend. By saying "this is another good example of government failing" you demonstrate how fucking brainwashed you are and how easily you can be misled. This is exactly what you are supposed to think. Government is a failure-time to hand the keys to the private sector where all is wonderful. Look at how inept government is, corporations do things much better. It is a lie and the fact that you believe it is the exact reason why our country is so fucked up right now. Thanks for being part of the problem, asshole.
Yes, very curious. Mark's relating of the facts doesn't really match the facts. He relies largely upon the opinion statements of the one piece, and doesn't even get that completely right except for the nasty bigoted tone. Surprise, surprise.
Tsk tsk, Thrilla. No real comprehension on your part so you resort to tantrum. Typical.
Try this - gov't is responsible for infrastructure. They failed via poor leadership. I did not advocate privatizing this government function. I pointed out leadership failure in GOVT over a long time period.
Try again dim bulb.
"this is another good example of government failing" you demonstrate how fucking brainwashed you are and how easily you can be misled
Well ST, what do we find in the 2nd link M gave us?
"It's sad to say, but it's poor planning," said Kile, who was elected mayor recently. "When they put that water treatment plant in, they should have implemented something then... it just wasn't ever done."
I guess that doesn't sound like a failure of govt to you. It does to me (and the mayor), but I must just be brainwashed to read the English language and not some bizarro Progressivista and get the plain meaning of what was written.
Thanks for being part of the problem, asshole.
Projection, it sure is a bitch.
So let's see... Kemp, TX:
http://www.city-data.com/city/Kemp-Texas.html
A town of 1,361 people, most of 2 hours from the nearest large city (Dallas). Judging by the map, it looks like a lot of it is lakefront community.
It's a safe bet that a larger than usual proportion of the residents have their own water wells, it's common in that area.
As noted in your own links, the water system dates to the 1930s, and apparently in all that time either the city government has failed to budget for maintenance and upgrading, or budgeted for it and then spent the money elsewhere.
Until along comes the worst single year drought since the 1950s, coupled with the worst heat wave since Texas started keeping records in 1895, and suddenly now, they want to raise taxes to have the money to do the maintenance they declined to do for... how many decades now?
And you're dismissing them as idiots for coming to the conclusion that this would be just throwing good money after bad?
Actually, prayer sounds like a good option in this instance. The results of your efforts are just as good as paying the politicians (as shown by the results of the previous 80 years or so), and yet it doesn't cost anything except a little humility.
You get your brakes done, it costs $100, they are worse after than they were before. You take it back, the guy says it needs additional work, it costs $750... and the brakes are worse than before.
You take it back, he finds something else that needs to be done, it's going to cost $2000 this time... is this a good investment? Or would you be better served by doing it yourself this time?
Apparently if the guy ripping you off on your brake job is a government worker, you think you should pay the $2000. It's only a ripoff if he works in the private sector.
I'm wondering why they didn't turn to the job creators, captains of industry, or wealthy fellow Texans to help them out.
On a guess, I'd say they likely indeed turned to "their fellow Texans"... as I said, probably a third to a half of their neighbors have water wells, and hoses are cheap. Cheaper than paying politicians hundreds of thousands of bucks to go party and/or campaign with the money they swore, really they would, use to take care of business with.
Yes, it's always government's fault. It's government's fault when they spend too much money on frivolous programs like Head Start for children, and it's government's fault when they listen to corporations and carping property owners and don't charge enough taxes to maintain necessary infrastructure like water systems, roads and bridges.
Serial Thrilla/Santa you can't be serious. Read your own words after you sober up, and find a fact. You are not helping Mark. You are kinda making fun of him, but not in the way you think.
...and it's government's fault when they listen to corporations and carping property owners and don't charge enough taxes to maintain necessary infrastructure like water systems, roads and bridges.
Possibly that's the reason. I don't claim to know, do you? What we know is that for whatever reason, money for maintenance and upgrading has not been saved against today's need, which has been predictable for easily half a century.
In short,
...either the city government has failed to budget for maintenance and upgrading, or budgeted for it and then spent the money elsewhere.
So okay, let's assume for the sake of argument that the reason they didn't get it done was
...they listen to corporations...
So... that would make the citizens of Kemp, who are now refusing to pay more to fund corporate kickbacks between government and business... basically exactly what Markadelphia claims we should be, no?
As for listening to
carping property owners
Well those are the same carping property owners that went without city water services for several days as a consequence of their decisions, right? So what exactly makes that a problem? Are you saying they should have been forced to pay money they didn't want to pay, in order to avoid consequences they are now dealing with and are apparently willing to accept?
Other peoples' freedom really sucks for you, huh?
Oh, and Mr. Hensaring has just been named to the 12 person Super Congress charged with tackling the debt.
Super. Not.
Let me guess... James Clyburn is an acceptable choice for you, right Mark?
Oh, and Mr. Hensaring has just been named to the 12 person Super Congress charged with tackling the debt.
Well, he isn't in charge of Kemp either but he is rated very well on fiscal responsibility by the National Tax Union - a non-partisan (supposedly) group rating fiscal responsibility in congress based on their Tax and Spending voting record. Fiscal Ranking of Congress
You pounce on Hensaring with a good record and not even responsible for the town of Kemp yet you miss that all 6 Democraps are ranked F?!
Democrats are Rated F!
In other words, you support and fawn over a party that is unabashedly and consistently fiscally irresponsible and denigrate people who have a record of responsibility attempting to use a tenuous-at-best association.
Good job there, Mr. "I am not the problem".
Perhaps we should just dismiss the entire story as a "lie", since the sources are from "the left wing blogosphere".
That's what you would do, isn't it Mark?
Here's an idea...
Pick any one of the 6 Democrats and tell us how why he'd be such an improvement over Jeb Hensarling as a member of a deficit commission.
So many anonymi to respond to...so confused...
On the whole, Democrats do a more effective job at...well...everything than Republicans. National security? Well, they beat the Kaiser, Hitler, Hirohito, Milosovic and bin Laden. Anyone who still thinks that Republicans are "better" at national security is ignoring simple facts.
The economy has always done better under a Democrat. Republicans fucked things up in the 20s...FDR bailed them out. Clinton was the epitome of fiscal responsibility. Bush nearly destroyed our economy and Obama and the Democrat's policies brought us back from the edge. People like Michele Bachmann bitch about government stimulus and programs but she herself reaps success and rewards from it.
Someone like Clyburn understands this and isn't a shill for corporate American like Hensarling is. No doubt, Clyburn isn't perfect but I'm curious to why you have a problem with him.
6Kings, your cries of fiscal responsibility are laughable when you consider the rich history of irresponsibility of the right. Stomping your feet and hating taxes isn't being responsible. In fact, having a right wing ideology is the worst thing that can happen to our economy. The evidence is plain as they eye can see. You just have to set aside your anger, hate and fear...the biggest part of the latter being that you are afraid to admit you're wrong.
Overall, we have one central problem here...bias. All of you have a very negative bias against the government and an overally positive bias towards the private sector. Until this changes, any sort of substantive discussion is moot.
Obama and the Democrat's policies brought us back from the edge.
thanks for the gigantic laugh. you probably actually believe that like jay carney believes unemployment benefits create jobs and help the economy.
On the whole, Democrats do a more effective job at...well...everything than Republicans.
And then you get all pissy about being called a partisan hack. LMAO
You don't even know if the current mayor of Kemp is a D, let alone the last one (the one that did NOT make improvements to the water pipes). Did you take two stupid pills today instead of just one?
thanks for the gigantic laugh
As long as your laughter is that of relief and being thankful.
http://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/national/gdp/gdp_glance.htm
http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/articles/2011/07/08/public-versus-private-sector-job-gains
Now, let's see if you can be an adult about it and thank him.
Yes, sw, a thank you is in order when you consider all the public job losses as well. Doesn't that mean less government?
Wait a minute, you're linking US News & World Report? Don't you know that's a propaganda outlet of the right wing blogosphere, and everything they say is a lie?
Democrats do a more effective job at...well...everything than Republicans.
So there's no point in discussing it with you. Any Democrat is automatically superior to any Republican, just by virtue of being a Democrat.
What you have accepted by faith, you are no longer capable of judging by evidence.
Great point anonymous. Evidence doesn't matter.
So, the fact that two Democrats beat Hitler isn't evidence? Or that a Democrat left office with a budget surplus in 2001? Quick, call my psychologist...I must be imagining things!
Jaysus, is someone spoofing you M? Are you off meds? What the hell gives - this is just so stupid that I can't believe you are doing it.
Are you claiming, Mark, that Wendell Wilkie wouldn't have (helped) beat Hitler (and Hirohito)?
And just how much do you think Truman did to beat Hitler, considering that he hadn't been president for 4 days before the Battle of Berlin began and all of 18 days when Hitler committed suicide? Seriously, Mark? Seriously?
And you proudly teach students? Just what the fuck do you teach them, you cheap, inane partisan goofball?
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