No jobs for America- this should piss you off!

[Ronin13]

ABC News has a segment called Bringing America Back, a bit about putting America to work. Well, for CA, TX, NY, and AK not so much. Several infrastructure projects (this time bridges and tunnels) that cost in the hundreds of millions, and in CA's case Billions, are not going to American companies, but instead, to Chinese (state owned) firms. The city government told ABC that the Chinese firms were able to do the jobs faster and at a lower cost. But what is the real cost? Hurting our economy by not putting that government money into American workers pockets. There is even a law that states that city and state government has to hire American firms to do infrastructure work if the price is reasonable. Several construction companies that bid on the jobs state that they could have done it just as fast and for the same amount but were still denied. WTF? This is why our economy isn't improving, and I'm willing to bet that Obeyme doesn't have the pills to step in and say this is wrong. [Rant1]
Video here (http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/us-bridges-roads-built-chinese-firms-14594513?tab=9482930?ion=1206853&playlist=14594944).

[Byte Stryke]

um, He not only approves of it, he probably planned it.

who do you think is pulling the strings of the guy pulling Obeyme's strings?

[CrufflerSteve]

It is a real problem but neither party will touch it. It is bipartisan (translate: bend over). Whenever members of one party try to fight this the rest of his party and the other one kill any proposal.

This is just rawer than most. Every attempt to keep the money in the US gets beat back. It may be a stimulus but I'm not sure just what is being stimulated.

Steve

[Rucker61]

So do you want more US jobs or smaller government expenses? Either way, someone is not going to be happy.

[Rucker61]

ABC News has a segment called Bringing America Back, a bit about putting America to work. Well, for CA, TX, NY, and AK not so much. Several infrastructure projects (this time bridges and tunnels) that cost in the hundreds of millions, and in CA's case Billions, are not going to American companies, but instead, to Chinese (state owned) firms. The city government told ABC that the Chinese firms were able to do the jobs faster and at a lower cost. But what is the real cost? Hurting our economy by not putting that government money into American workers pockets. There is even a law that states that city and state government has to hire American firms to do infrastructure work if the price is reasonable. Several construction companies that bid on the jobs state that they could have done it just as fast and for the same amount but were still denied. WTF? This is why our economy isn't improving, and I'm willing to bet that Obeyme doesn't have the pills to step in and say this is wrong. [Rant1]
Video here (http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/us-bridges-roads-built-chinese-firms-14594513?tab=9482930?ion=1206853&playlist=14594944).

Here at work, so I can't view the video. Do the US construction companies above who say that they could have met the Chinese budget and schedule explain how they were denied? Did they submit a quote that matched the winner, or is this a response after they lost the bid? I used to manage contruction projects for a large aircraft manufacturer here, and the rules were pretty straightforward - give your best bid at the time of quote, and low bid is the winner.

It's a valid question as to why the foreign firms were even on the bid list. Are they importing all of the labor or at least using US subcontractors?

[Rucker61]

Here's a link to a text based report.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/bringing_america_back/american-infrastructure-jobs-shipped-china/story?id=14592567

[Whistler]

So do you want more US jobs or smaller government expenses? Either way, someone is not going to be happy.

Are the two mutually exclusive?

[Rucker61]

Are the two mutually exclusive?


Not always, but in the cases mentioned here, it appears that way. Either spend less of the taxpayers' money by using foreign companies or use American companies and spend more of the tax money.

[Ronin13]

Not always, but in the cases mentioned here, it appears that way. Either spend less of the taxpayers' money by using foreign companies or use American companies and spend more of the tax money.

Basic economics- I'd rather them spend more tax dollars on American companies that pays American workers who spend their pay checks in America, than them hire foreign companies who employ foreign workers. Basically it's like donating that money to China- they're not going to spend it here.

[newracer]

It is not that basic. Even if the company is foreign owned they are still using products and services here, fuel, materials, rental equipment, housing, food, etc. A majority of the money still stays here.

[TFOGGER]

It is not that basic. Even if the company is foreign owned they are still using products and services here, fuel, materials, rental equipment, housing, food, etc. A majority of the money still stays here.

But a significant portion of the profit after expenses is going overseas...

[newracer]

Profit is a pretty small portion, maybe 15%. I agree I'd much rather a Us company do the work but it really isn't much to get all pissy over. There are many more things fucked up about our government.

[Pancho Villa]

GOvernment projects are not productive and are in fact a drain on the economy. The faster they are done and the less they cost the better.

Sounds like a bunch of libs in here, complaining that there aren't enough good, government jobs available.

[Pancho Villa]

Profit is a pretty small portion, maybe 15%. I agree I'd much rather a Us company do the work but it really isn't much to get all pissy over. There are many more things fucked up about our government.

15% profit would be extraordinarily high in this day and age.

Typical after-tax profit is 1-5%. If you get higher you're either a growing small business or a complete business badass.

[Teufelhund]

15% profit would be extraordinarily high in this day and age.

Typical after-tax profit is 1-5%. If you get higher you're either a growing small business or a complete business badass.

I recently worked for a company with an entire division dedicated to government contracts. Needless to say, we did a ton of work for them. Our GP was much higher than that on every single project.

I don't like seeing our government outsource offshore instead of creating jobs here, but it doesn't matter much because even if American companies had gotten the work, they would outsource it through India or China anyway. The profit would stay here, but the jobs would still go overseas.

[Ronin13]

GOvernment projects are not productive and are in fact a drain on the economy. The faster they are done and the less they cost the better.

Sounds like a bunch of libs in here, complaining that there aren't enough good, government jobs available.

It's GOVERNMENT CONTRACT to CIVILIAN companies. I have friends in construction and they love Government contract jobs.

And these jobs listed in the news bit are not "projects," they're infrastructure. But you sound like you want our roads to crumble and our bridges to collapse. [Shake]

[sniper7]

One more reason to vote Obama out....along with every senator, and house member who continues to drive this country into the toilet.

[Singlestack]

um, He not only approves of it, he probably planned it.

who do you think is pulling the strings of the guy pulling Obeyme's strings?

+1 Based on previous history and behavior, I don't doubt that Beeho is behind this. That said, Kalifornia is full of lots of libs-in-charge these days to make these type of wrong decisions without any help whatsoever...

Singlestack

[Danimal]

It is not that basic. Even if the company is foreign owned they are still using products and services here, fuel, materials, rental equipment, housing, food, etc. A majority of the money still stays here.

This is not necessarily accurate when dealing with Chinese. They are particularly frugal when it comes to spending disposable income. They will not spend a cent over the basic cost to survive and the rest will go to China where they can get ten times the spending power for every dollar earned. Similar to how a 80K job in Iowa buys a nice house, nice cars and a decent standard of living, but in Comiefornia you will be renting in the ghetto.

Here is a little fun fact I found out the other day. Boulder county will not be spending any more money to repair roads because they are out of money for the fiscal year. This is because they spent all of the money to build a research center for open space preservation, and studied prairie dog towns so they could better protect their fragile habitat. I almost shit my pants when I was told this.

[WETWRKS]

Being a Chinese owned company...I wonder how well the job is done. Where they are cutting corners. Look to Chinas construction and then start looking at this.

[sniper7]

I may be mistaken, but I believe E-470 has ownership roots back into China.

All I know is that it was a private road, and I am stuck paying $10 a year county TAX for it. bullshit....tear it down.

[soldier-of-the-apocalypse]

maybe this will motivate the construction workers and you wont see 14 workers standing around 1 guy

Ps0DSihggio tell me our lazy ass construction crews can do this and you sir will be a liar america better get its shit together

[soldier-of-the-apocalypse]

I may be mistaken, but I believe E-470 has ownership roots back into China.

All I know is that it was a private road, and I am stuck paying $10 a year county TAX for it. bullshit....tear it down.


I,ve heard someone in UAE owns e470

[Ronin13]

maybe this will motivate the construction workers and you wont see 14 workers standing around 1 guy

tell me our lazy ass construction crews can do this and you sir will be a liar america better get its shit together

There you go! I don't solely put the blame on the politicians who award the contracts- part of the blame goes with our "pay as you go" construction system or whatever is the cause for projects to be stretched out. I see it right now in 3 locations within a 1/2 mile of where I live. 1- The West Light Rail- they've been working there for over a year and are still doing shit in the same spot they've been doing for 14+ months! 2/3- The intersection at the end of the 6th Avenue Exit ramp at Simms/Union and just down the street at 4th and Union, they've been on that project for who knows how long and I still have no idea what they're doing. They "fixed" the turn off at 4th and Union, and now they've torn it up again. Huh? [Bang]

I would think you want to get the job done as fast as possible, get your money and move on to the next job. Or maybe I'm spoiled because I grew up with some friends who own an excavation company in Evergreen that get shit done.

[soldier-of-the-apocalypse]

and even when they get done shit is still fucked up. the new bridge at i76 and 74th ave is garbage and they spent 8 months on it, and its all farmed ou to companys that hire illeagal mexicans anyway so what is the difference?

[Ronin13]

and even when they get done shit is still fucked up. the new bridge at i76 and 74th ave is garbage and they spent 8 months on it

Oh here's one you'll love! Lakewood, water main repair for a 24 foot section under 6in of concrete and 5 feet of dirt... takes 4 months to complete and they had to go back a year later and fix it.

Evergreen. Water main replacement at 16ft, 30 foot section. Takes 3 days of actual work (road closure over the weekend- so 5 days of lane closure)... Expect to be replaced in 20-25 years.

[soldier-of-the-apocalypse]

the chinese would break the concrete with pick axe and they would dig with bare hands and carry out the old concrete on top of there heads and still be done in 3 days