What are the key issues of US Election 2024?

[Gene2memE]

$260,000,000 is more than the entire budget for some Arizona Counties, if I am not missing a few zeros here. I believe the budget in this county is around $250,000,000.
That county budget pays for all county personnel and services for an entire year.
Do I think $260 million for a concrete apron in Sky Harbor is a bit excessive? What do you think?

No.

Not when it needs to be able to simultaneously handle multiple 350 tonne aircraft

PHX gets year round, direct trans-Atlantic service with A350s and 777s, plus seasonal trans -Pacific service.

Then there's the cargo traffic - FedEx and UPS both operate a mix of big jets (some with a near 200 tonne MTOW) into PHX.

 

[QvQ]

What are you getting on about?

I don't have an allegiance to a political party, individual politicians or any particular theory of government. I do have allegiance to the Constitution, and the Republic that was created according to the principles set forth in that document.
Now Issues. Make a list of all the issues.
Then say whether those issues can or are likely to be fixed by any agent of government, be it Congress or a particular presidential candidate.
Yes or no
Issue: Economy The Federal Deficit needs to be reduced. Is that likely to happen no matter who is elected?
Answer No
And the list goes on...

Anecdotes, maybe not evidence but I would certainly trust a OTR Truck Drivers "anecdotes" as expert witness accounts.

 

[QvQ]

Not when it needs to be able to simultaneously handle multiple 350 tonne aircraft

Then the cost of the taxi way is based on the tonnage of the aircraft?
I always thought any construction project was based on the cost of labor and material.
A Federal Interstate is $7 to $11 million per mile. It would be interesting to find out how much tonnage the Santa Monica Freeway handles, how many tons per area over what time period.

 

[Larniavc]

Old people being in charge. America needs younger more adaptable politicians who aren't doddering duffers.

 

[wing2000]

The key issue in 2024, as it was in 2020, is stamping out authoritarism that is Anti-American at it's core. Apparently, the MAGA base is perfectly fine with supporting a man that spews hatred and division.

At a speech this past Saturday:

He [Trump] went on to align himself with Orban, the Hungarian prime minister who has amassed functionally autocratic power through controlling the media and changing the country’s constitution. Orban has presented his leadership as a model of an “illiberal” state and has opposed immigration for leading to “mixed race” Europeans. Democratic world leaders have sought to isolate Orban for eroding civil liberties and bolstering ties with Putin.
But Trump called him “highly respected” and welcomed his praise as “the man who can save the Western world.”

In the speech, Trump also repeated his own inflammatory language against undocumented immigrants, by accusing them of “poisoning the blood of our country” — a phrase that immigrant groups and civil rights advocates have condemned as reminiscent as Hitler in his book “Mein Kampf,” in which he told Germans to “care for the purity of their own blood” by eliminating Jews.

The crowd of thousands in a college arena cheered Trump’s recitation of an anti-immigrant poem called “The Snake” that he has repeated on the campaign trail and popularized since the 2016 campaign.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/elections/2023/12/16/trump-authoritarians-putin-orban-poisoning-blood/

 

[QvQ]

There you go. Trains are literal infrastructure.

I love Trains! And Arizona is not getting a train. I miswrote.
There are many miles of abandoned track in this country.
Meanwhile BART in San Francisco has a $800 million dollar deficit.
And Amtrak has never been profitable.
Don't know what the future of private automobiles is in this country, EV or otherwise so whether trains will ever be more than another government deficit, who knows?

 

[wing2000]

I love Trains! And Arizona is not getting a train. I miswrote.
There are many miles of abandoned track in this country.
Meanwhile BART in San Francisco has a 800 million dollar deficit.
And Amtrak has never been profitable.
Don't know what the future of private automobiles is in this country, EV or otherwise so whether trains will ever be more than another government deficit, who knows?

How many highways are profitable in America?

 

[QvQ]

How many highways are profitable in America?

The Federal Highway Trust Fund:
A Federal excise tax on gasoline and diesel,
A tax on the sale of certain new heavy-duty trucks;
A fee assessed annually on heavy vehicles that operate on public highways
A tax on certain heavy truck tires.
And fees for violation of motor safety regulations

All these pay for the highways.

It is not profitable but it is not government deficit. The Infrastructure Bill has many projects, high speed internet, airport taxi ways, foot bridges Only a portion is going to highways, mainly bridge repair and EV charging stations, as far as I know

 

[Merrill]

The main issues going forward are going to be:

Illegal immigration: now that the borders are basically open, and we have record numbers of people coming across (and being released even if they are caught), this has become a big political issue. It is a massive crisis in places like Chicago, where migrants are sleeping in police stations, school gyms, and are now being put into tent cities in Chicago neighborhoods. There was a 72% increase in individuals arrested after crossing the border who are on terrorist watch lists in 2023. Drugs are pouring over the border. People are upset over all of this, and refuse to be gaslit by Democrats who say there isn't any problem, or that they aren't engaging in demographic replacement efforts, or importing voters (when Democrats literally say among their own people that they are doing this--that replacing white people is good).

Inflation: is still not under control, and prices don't come down when inflation eases. Homes, cars, and even food are still expensive. There isn't a lot the next president can do about this, but the public is fed up with out-of-control spending by both political parties, which fuels inflation. And again, voters are not going to be gaslit by Democrats who falsely claim that all the inflation is due to a few big companies price gouging --no one believes that nonsense.

Ukraine War: many voters are tired of this conflict and want it over. We have our own problems, and cannot afford to send billions to Ukraine. Likewise, voters worry about escalation.

Crime: is at record levels in many American cities. Remember when Clinton ran on getting crime under control and hiring lots of police? or the crime bill? Now Democrats run on defunding police departments, eliminating cash bail, and legalizing narcotics while allowing people to camp in the streets. Americans are fed up with the crime --this will be an issue in 2024.

Biden's age and competency: Democrats will run Biden from his basement next year, keep him from conducting press conferences or making public statements. He will continue to decline while a general chaos spreads through the country. The GOP is going to really focus on this issue.

Trump's legal woes and general personality: this will be an issue, but it is hard to say how big of one. If convictions are handed down, and Trump is arrested, or his name is pulled from ballots, or he is disqualified from running in the general election, it will be complete chaos.

Smaller issues are taxes, some of the culture war stuff, etc.

 

[Hans Blaster]

I don't have an allegiance to a political party, individual politicians or any particular theory of government. I do have allegiance to the Constitution, and the Republic that was created according to the principles set forth in that document.
Now Issues. Make a list of all the issues.
Then say whether those issues can or are likely to be fixed by any agent of government, be it Congress or a particular presidential candidate.
Yes or no

A reasonable approach.

Issue: Economy The Federal Deficit needs to be reduced. Is that likely to happen no matter who is elected?
Answer No
And the list goes on...

Defecits have gone up and down in the past and are likely to continue to do so. Increases in economic activity raises revenue, decreases the opposite. Increases in spending increase deficits, cuts (or lack of special expenditures) reduce. These things are not fully synced.

Anecdotes, maybe not evidence but I would certainly trust a OTR Truck Drivers "anecdotes" as expert witness accounts.

A clear demonstration that you don't understand the non-evidentiary nature of anecdotes since you have now conflated them with "expert witnesses."

 

[QvQ]

Defecits have gone up and down in the past and are likely to continue to do so. Increases in economic activity raises revenue, decreases the opposite. Increases in spending increase deficits, cuts (or lack of special expenditures) reduce. These things are not fully synced

That is a huge subject. And I barely understand all of it.
The fact is, government spending cannot be reduced. Economic activity is not likely to increase.

The dollar went off the gold standard without decreasing in value. The GDP/Debt ratio has been exceeded without any alarming drop in the value of the dollar. Inflation is closely tied to the cost of oil rather than debts / deficits.
What it all means, no one knows. It could lead to massive inflation but if the government just keeps sending out COLA to everyone, it isn't as if we have physical dollars to cart around for a loaf of bread. It is just zeros on a computer screen.
So no one knows what will happen with monetization and what all.
The fact remains, no matter who is elected, the government spending will not be reduced. Economic activity will not increase.
I used to hope America, prosperous, peaceful, would last my lifetime. Now I am not certain it will last another year.

BTW what you say are "anecdotes" I clearly stated are stories. I did not claim the story had any great social or political import. You don't like my stories? Hmmm...

 

[KCfromNC]

One unspoken issue is the American people's distrust of the Democrat Party.

Far right talking points like this are spoken all the time. Other posts in this very thread mention other similar false claims, such as the election being stolen or made up "facts" about the economy.

It is interesting there's a significant block of voters who fall for them. But if we're talking about things that might shift the results of the election, this seems to be a non starter given these types of low information voters aren't likely to switch parties any time soon.

 

[RocksInMyHead]

Then the cost of the taxi way is based on the tonnage of the aircraft?
I always thought any construction project was based on the cost of labor and material.

The tonnage of the aircraft plays a significant role in dictating the material and labor costs. Remember that, even if the aircraft itself is very large, its weight is carried entirely by the landing gear in 3-5 locations roughly the size of a car.

 

[QvQ]

The tonnage of the aircraft plays a significant role in dictating the material and labor costs. Remember that, even if the aircraft itself is very large, its weight is carried entirely by the landing gear in 3-5 locations roughly the size of a car.

UPDATE I talked to the truck drivers who said that engineering and structural reinforcement of that taxi way could very well explain the cost. The main argument was the tonnage, the engineering and the current cost of materials and labor
However, they thought it was a bit high but then "it costs what it costs."

 

[Hans Blaster]

Certainly, however the materials, unless it is some special blend of gold and platinum is the same material used in other construction projects. More of it or special engineering still does not account for a $11,000,0000 mile of highway vs a $260,000,000 strip of airport taxi way.
Engineering costs would be significant in this case but even so...
Materials for home repairs and upgrades have skyrocketed in price
It is what it is.

Concrete construction for highways, driveways, and runways are quite different. You can't directly compare the costs.

But, as I posted a couple days ago in this thread, that project is far more complicated than paving a taxiway along the ground. It is a bridge for jumbo jets over a multi-lane highway that needs to be sunk down and all of the concurrent changes to the roadway, drainage, and utility infrastructure.

 

[QvQ]

But, as I posted a couple days ago in this thread, that project is far more complicated than paving a taxiway along the ground. It is a bridge for jumbo jets over a multi-lane highway that needs to be sunk down and all of the concurrent changes to the roadway, drainage, and utility infrastructure.

As I just posted to @RocksInMyHead, I talked to some truck drivers and they said, given the tonnage involved, the engineering the structural reinforcement plus the current cost of labor and materials, the project did not seem more than a bit overpriced to them. Maybe a bit high, but "it costs what it costs" It is an impressive undertaking, in any event
I concede the argument.

 

[Hans Blaster]

That is a huge subject. And I barely understand all of it.
The fact is, government spending cannot be reduced.

Tell that to the Speaker of the House. His plan for a "full year" budget bill based on a continuation of the previous year is a straight 1% reduction to everything. Of course spending can be reduced.

Economic activity is not likely to increase.

The economy grew this year. Years where it doesn't are called "recessions" and they tend to make the news.

The dollar went off the gold standard without decreasing in value.

Then maybe gold was irrelevant, so why talk about it.

The GDP/Debt ratio has been exceeded without any alarming drop in the value of the dollar.

You mean a GDP/Debt ratio of 1 has been exceeded, but cause any value of GDP and any (non-zero) value of the debt have a ratio.

Inflation is closely tied to the cost of oil rather than debts / deficits.
What it all means, no one knows.

Perhaps that deficits and debt aren't worth worrying about at the current levels. (At a much larger value, they might.)

It could lead to massive inflation but if the government just keeps sending out COLA to everyone, it isn't as if we have physical dollars to cart around for a loaf of bread. It is just zeros on a computer screen.

Speak for yourself. I only use physical dollars to buy bread.

So no one knows what will happen with monetization and what all.
The fact remains, no matter who is elected, the government spending will not be reduced. Economic activity will not increase.

I would agree that the "economy" is not as tied to the president as the news would have us think, but you really should read about the US economy to see that it really has expanded (in real terms, not just nominal dollars.)

I used to hope America, prosperous, peaceful, would last my lifetime. Now I am not certain it will last another year.

I'm not sure I would put any weight in your economic "analyses".

BTW what you say are "anecdotes" I clearly stated are stories. I did not claim the story had any great social or political import. You don't like my stories? Hmmm...

 

[QvQ]

Perhaps that deficits and debt aren't worth worrying about at the current levels. (At a much larger value, they might.)

That is the impression, but the interest is a real consideration. However, it is an income for domestic investors and a way to circulate dollars in foreign countries. Frankly I would rather pay the Interest on Bonds to Foreign governments than give them foreign aid.
That way there is actual trade, China produces goods to sell for dollars to buy bonds and receives interest dollars from the bonds to spend on American products.
I do like Capitalism.

I'm not sure I would put any weight in your economic "analyses".

There is the rest of the list of issues.
Also, I said, the economy collapsed in 2008, the government collapsed in 2020, now If the dollar collapses...
And yes, the government collapsed. There is chaos and it is spreading. Endless protests with looting and vandalism, unchecked illegal immigration, crime, homelessness. I mean, who is in charge around here anyway? And all the wars starting up. Ships fired on in the Red Sea, what next?
I don't think Trump can do anything about the chaos. Biden won't so that is issue #2 -abt #10.
Can't or Won't do anything about those issues
Our two choices for 2024

 

[JustOneWay]

Also, I said, the economy collapsed in 2008, the government collapsed in 2020, now If the dollar collapses...
And yes, the government collapsed. There is chaos and it is spreading. Endless protests with looting and vandalism, unchecked illegal immigration, crime, homelessness. I mean, who is in charge around here anyway? And all the wars starting up. Ships fired on in the Red Sea, what next?
I don't think Trump can do anything about the chaos. Biden won't so that is issue #2 -abt #10.
Can't or Won't do anything about those issues
Our two choices for 2024

The economy did not collapse in 2008
The government did not collapse in 2020
The dollar is strong today.

We have had vandalism, illegal immigration, crime and homelessness for decades. Why is now called chaos?

The best thing to do is to stop listening to whoever is telling you these false things.

 

[Pommer]

Issue: Economy The Federal Deficit needs to be reduced. Is that likely to happen no matter who is elected?

Historically, the Federal deficit goes down with Democratic Presidents and goes up with Republican Presidents.
It is known.