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    https://v.redd.it/r6pzgjw6qhuf1

    Posted by wakeup2019

    25 Comments

    1. Capitalism. In the US, people serve the economy (the rich). And in China, the economy serves the people. It just doesn’t make financial sense. While it does make sense as a service to the people and environment.

    2. Successful-Spot-6567 on

      The Chinese economy is structured so that building infrastructure like this isn’t expensive but the purchasing power of the individual is suppressed.

    3. An inordinate amount of power in the hands of senators from rural states who represent a fraction of the US population.

    4. Equivalent-Excuse-80 on

      Democracy.

      China can expand on infrastructure much faster and for far less expenses. China doesn’t have democrat processes of local politicians fighting against infrastructure or negotiating the purview and scope of the project.

      And finally labor. The Chinese can just conscript its laborers, no unions and they can pay what they want.

      A dictatorship is the most *efficient* form of governance, but is rarely benevolent and while infrastructure projects can be completed without the hassles of liberal democracy, there are far more drawbacks.

    5. thehourglasses on

      Car companies have lobbied for ages against public transportation infrastructure. By granting their wish, we’ve created a system whereby a car is almost a requirement just to participate in the economy. What’s worse, municipalities have sacrificed a ton of what would otherwise be tax-productive land for the benefit of drivers. Parking lots don’t generate tax revenue, and are often overbuilt to handle spikes in demand. It’s a massive waste because they aren’t always being used at full capacity.

    6. Oil companies and their tremendous greedy desire to profit, resulting in them lobbying the government to prevent other solutions from being developed….

    7. Did you see the video of the man who stabbed the woman in the neck with a pocket knife on the light rail in Charlotte, NC? We can’t have nice things here.

    8. HOLDstrongtoPLUTO on

      Land Value Tax fixes this. Instead of landlords pocketing 100% of the economic rent from land speculation amd rent seeking a lot of that profit would go into public infrastructure since the community built that value, not the landlord.

    9. Fluffy_Carpenter1377 on

      We don’t like each other enough to share the same means of transportation. That divide is exactly what politicians and oligarchs exploit to preserve the status quo. The same tactic is used to undermine or eliminate social benefits by keeping people separated and manageable.

    10. Puzzleheaded-Bat6344 on

      It’s “citizens veto” nimbyism — anyone in the US can stop project by suing over iffy environmental issues

    11. FinerGamerBros on

      These aren’t immediately profitable or sometimes never profitable so even if long term it creates localized growth America won’t do it because everyone, republicans and democrats will never fund it.

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