You see the development of a high-speed rail system that is unrivaled anywhere on earth. You see the actualization of plan to connect all parts of the country with modern-day infrastructure that reduces shipping costs, improves mobility and increases profitability. You see a vision of the 21st century in which state-directed capital links rural populations with urban centers lifting standards of living across the board. You see an expression of a new economic model that has lifted 800 million people out of poverty while paving the way for global economic integration. You see an industrial juggernaut expanding in all directions while laying the groundwork for a new century of economic integration, accelerated development and shared prosperity.
In 12 years, China did this. During this time frame, the US did nothing thanks to adhering to an inept Middle Eastern foreign policy that cost this nation 8 trillion dollars with no return save for shattered countries, death in the thousands and enmity to the max while China, in 2023, begins to move in and pick up the pieces without firing a shot.
Simply unreal applies as it's all about infrastructure, something our so called political leaders in America seem to not understand in any way, shape or fashion.
Is there a high-speed rail system in the United States that is comparable to what we see in China today?
No, there isn’t. So far, less than 50 miles of high-speed rail has been built in the United States. (“Amtrak’s Acela, which reaches 150 mph over 49.9 miles of track, is the US’s only high-speed rail service.”) As everyone knows, America’s transportation grid is obsolete and in a shambles.
But, why? Why is the United States so far behind China in the development of critical infrastructure?
It’s because China’s state-led model is vastly superior to America’s “carpetbagger” model. In China, the government is directly involved in the operation of the economy, which means that it subsidizes those industries that enhance growth and spur development. In contrast, American capitalism is a savage free-for-all in which private owners are able to divert great sums of money into unproductive stock buybacks and other scams that do nothing to create jobs or strengthen the economy. Since 2009 US corporations have spent more than $7 trillion on stock buybacks which is an activity that boosts payouts to rich shareholders but fails to produce anything of material value. Had that capital been invested in critical infrastructure, every city in America would be linked to a gigantic webbing of high-speed rail extending from “sea to shining sea”. But that hasn’t happened, because the western model incentivizes the extraction of capital for personal enrichment rather than the development of projects that serve the common good. In China, we see how fast transformative changes can take place when a nation’s wealth is used to eradicate poverty, raise standards of living, construct state-of-the-art infrastructure, and lay the groundwork for a new century.
Capitalism run amok doesn't work, nor does us against them politics, both of which are killing this once great nation as we speak. Addendum: The wild card in this rosy scenario centers on the specter of GW and what it means to the fate of the world as man moves further into the 21st century.
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