Road projects don't help unemployment

[Ali G. 37]

I'm surprised you can't make an analogy of how good we still have it.

Comparing the place to Cambodia is not correct. You need to compare it to other first world countries.

[Niels Bohr 72]

What about Dubai? Same thing isn't it?

Comparing the place to Cambodia is not correct. You need to compare it to other first world countries.

[Ali G. 37]

What about Dubai? Same thing isn't it?

Dude forget about Dubai, that place is bloody kicking azz. My brother just came back from there, as his company is building some huge azz buildings, and the photos he showed me are just mind boggling.

Now, I have to say that I was extremely impressed with visiting Aus this Christmas, after so long. Those guys just get it. They have invested in their country, in their cities and built a phenomenal place to live in. Not only does such moves create thousands of jobs but it has also drastically improved the long-term livability of the country. Furthermore, these are improvements that impact the lives of all of the people there and something that everyone there can enjoy. For example, being able to stroll downtown during an evening, being able to sit at a modern cafe or restaurant overlooking the water is just awesome. Or using their city subway stations, for example, which have been renovated and have a range of stores and places to eat, something you experience in Japan or Europe.

I won't mention the airports as they are a sore spot for some. I was actually excited to go there and be able to sit down relax and shop a little with the wife, while waiting to leave. Or have a coffee with the folks in one of many restaurants. It all adds up to quality of life. Then you get to LAX and Dulles, which are about as boring (industrial in Dulles's case) as it gets.

Two Observations

Even though there is a skills shortage, there is still no issue with illegal immigrants. Therefore, middle class workers are able to earn a great wage and in-turn spend in the economy. As a result, they are not shipping it overseas or slumming it out on minimum wage. Furthermore, this increases investment in their country; something that seems to have been the case here in the 60's. Wages for blue collars workers have gone through the roof. For example, they are willing to pay people working in a new desalination plant close to $186K USD to travel and work at the new plant. Something unheard of here.

They are heavily investing in the country's infrastructure. Not only is this creating more jobs but also drastically improving their quality of life. My brother is thinking of visiting DC but I had to make up a range of excuses so I wouldn't be embarrassed. That says something does it not?

Edited January 11, 2010 by Booyah

[lostinblue 1,989]

Not as bad as Cambodia. International donors gives billions, but none of it gets to the people. The corrupted political official takes all of it leaving beggers with sick kids on the streets without any pants on.

These same officials will receive billions from the united states to tackle global warming. wonder where that money will go to

[Nina~ 431]

Dude forget about Dubai, that place is bloody kicking azz. My brother just came back from there, as his company is building some huge azz buildings, and the photos he showed me are just mind boggling.

Now, I have to say that I was extremely impressed with visiting Aus this Christmas, after so long. Those guys just get it. They have invested in their country, in their cities and built a phenomenal place to live in. Not only does such moves create thousands of jobs but it has also drastically improved the long-term livability of the country. Furthermore, these are improvements that impact the lives of all of the people there and something that everyone there can enjoy. For example, being able to stroll downtown during an evening, being able to sit at a modern cafe or restaurant overlooking the water is just awesome. Or using their city subway stations, for example, which have been renovated and have a range of stores and places to eat, something you experience in Japan or Europe.

I won't mention the airports as they are a sore spot for some. I was actually excited to go there and be able to sit down relax and shop a little with the wife, while waiting to leave. Or have a coffee with the folks in one of many restaurants. It all adds up to quality of life. Then you get to LAX and Dulles, which are about as boring (industrial in Dulles's case) as it gets.

Two Observations

Even though there is a skills shortage, there is still no issue with illegal immigrants. Therefore, middle class workers are able to earn a great wage and in-turn spend in the economy. As a result, they are not shipping it overseas or slumming it out on minimum wage. Furthermore, this increases investment in their country; something that seems to have been the case here in the 60's. Wages for blue collars workers have gone through the roof. For example, they are willing to pay people working in a new desalination plant close to $186K USD to travel and work at the new plant. Something unheard of here.

They are heavily investing in the country's infrastructure. Not only is this creating more jobs but also drastically improving their quality of life. My brother is thinking of visiting DC but I had to make up a range of excuses so I wouldn't be embarrassed. That says something does it not?

Oh please!!! I have lived in Dubai for many many many years and it is not as glamorous and glitzy as they will make you to believe. And they do have a problem of illegal immigrants but the tightly controlled media will never report anything negative about the UAE. The only reason that they are willing to pay $185k for someone to work in a desalination plant over there is because not many people really want to go there... and even if they do, they get burnt out quickly and leave. I remember in the late 90's, the streets used to be in constant girdlock even at 2am... Now, Dubai is a ghost town with people leaving in droves. Check out the parking lot in Dubai International Airport, you will see a sea of abandoned cars.

P.S: Dubai's track record on human rights is atrocious.

[Ali G. 37]

Oh please!!! I have lived in Dubai for many many many years and it is not as glamorous and glitzy as they will make you to believe. And they do have a problem of illegal immigrants but the tightly controlled media will never report anything negative about the UAE. The only reason that they are willing to pay $185k for someone to work in a desalination plant over there is because not many people really want to go there... and even if they do, they get burnt out quickly and leave. I remember in the late 90's, the streets used to be in constant girdlock even at 2am... Now, Dubai is a ghost town with people leaving in droves. Check out the parking lot in Dubai International Airport, you will see a sea of abandoned cars.

P.S: Dubai's track record on human rights is atrocious.

Aesthetically it makes the US look like a third world country. People are not leaving in droves. I have friends who are working and living there. Have been doing so for years actually. The fact you are missing is that Dubai is constantly improving, while numerous cities in the US are literally falling apart. I was driving in DC this weekend and was shocked to notice just how rusted and run down everything is. This is the nation's capital, not some town in Yemen. It's the same story from city after city, from Boston to Miami, Detroit to New Orleans. Old and run down.

PS The majority of my post, including the part about the $185K salary, were based on Australian cities I visited while being there this summer, not Dubai.

Edited January 11, 2010 by Booyah

[Nina~ 431]

Aesthetically it makes the US look like a third world country. People are not leaving in droves. I have friends who are working and living there. Have been doing so for years actually. The fact you are missing is that Dubai is constantly improving, while numerous cities in the US are literally falling apart. I was driving in DC this weekend and was shocked to notice just how rusted and run down everything is. This is the nation's capital, not some town in Yemen. It's the same story from city after city, from Boston to Miami, Detroit to New Orleans. Old and run down.

PS The majority of my post, including the part about the $185K salary, were based on Australian cities I visited while being there this summer, not Dubai.

Dubai looks new & glitzy because they have endless amount of oil-money being pumped in by Abu Dhabi. The US does not have the same luxury and have to depend on the taxes to build roads and other stuff. The infrastructure in Dubai is relatively new compared to other countries... I remember back in the 90's looking out my window and seeing sand dunes. Also, the size of Dubai (and the other emirates) is minuscule compared to the US. So of course the roads are going to look "glitzy".

But Dubai is a horrible place to live in.. Corruption is rampant there, worse than most third world countries. The cost of living in sky high because almost everything is important.. A large percentage of workers there live in squalor because the cost of living is so prohibitively high. Workers rights do not exist there. Oh, and not to forget their horrendous and overpriced telecom services provided by their state telecom giant Etisalat & Du. Dubai is a white-washed hell hole, imo.

[alienlovechild 75]

Dubai looks new & glitzy because they have endless amount of oil-money being pumped in by Abu Dhabi. The US does not have the same luxury and have to depend on the taxes to build roads and other stuff. The infrastructure in Dubai is relatively new compared to other countries... I remember back in the 90's looking out my window and seeing sand dunes. Also, the size of Dubai (and the other emirates) is minuscule compared to the US. So of course the roads are going to look "glitzy".

I hoping someone would note it's relatively easy to build up a small underdeveloped nation rich with oil. How much roadway do they have in that country considering most of it is a desert?

[Ali G. 37]

I hoping someone would note it's relatively easy to build up a small underdeveloped nation rich with oil. How much roadway do they have in that country considering most of it is a desert?

Dubai is one example.

How can you not see that this total lack of investment in the US has resulted in a country that is severely lacking in various facets of life? In areas that investing money in would not only create thousands of jobs but result in long-term projects that actually directly impact and improve your life. That's a no-brainer to me. Now if a military contractor needs $50 million to conduct research on some #######, then we have no problem with that. That might make sense to some here but it certainly makes no sense to me. Contrary to Rush and talk-show hosts, countries that grew in 2009 and are growing in 2010 are doing so because of this investment. Not one country in 2009 grew because of Reaganomics style tax cuts for the wealthy. Not one. These talk-show hosts need to study the difference between recession and stagflation. To totally different scenarios, which require to totally different remedies. Regan's strategies solved stagflation, not a recession.

Edited January 11, 2010 by Booyah