https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.foxbusiness.com/sports/trump-daytona-500-nascar.amp
Another classic.
I try my best to not comment on political stuff anymore because I realized that I know virtually 0 about anything.
But this got me laughing a lot-
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/California-bullet-train-cost-rises-by-another-1-15051339.php?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_medium=referral&fbclid=IwAR3PUbKAANUnWz9u1mieJf7vmJlZEHW7gaMjOYJbnxvtN9WRj1fK5HAQbP8
Edit- to clarify, Iām not opposed to massive projects. Lots of massive projects that took an enormous amount of money and manpower achieved great things and led to tremendous economic growth. Heck, given the size of the U.S. massive infrastructure projects have historically been required to further grow the economy.
What got me laughing is the sheer scale of the numbers involved. At a certain point those numbers seem to lose all meaning, so of course a billion here and there doesnāt seem much of anything.
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That was my immediate thought as well. Good to see some fellow Brits.
An oldie but still makes me laugh
Edit: needs sound
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So that raises a different question: Why havenāt we gotten better at estimating the cost?
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The politicians are not engineers, and the engineers they consult with tell them what they want to hear to get the contracts underway then reveal the true costs?
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planning fallacy- apparently we needed years of academic research to determine that people are overly optimistic
My experience is one of the following:
- What you mentioned above
- They knowingly lie about cost, because once itās started they know it will have to be finished. Even under false pretenses. Further, many of the politicians who start the project will never see it completed.
- Once the project is approved, the unforeseen costs begin to arise, which drastically increase the total project cost.
Typically itās #2.
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Yup. āItās easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get permission.ā
I shudder to think some of you might be naive enough to not know the politicians who approve these expenditures are in the pockets of those who will make the most money from them.
I think they are in each otherās pockets. At least their hands are. Front pockets. In a wierd way.
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I just watched my cat convince herself that she wanted a piece of my garlic bread, try to eat it, then change her mind and back away.
I think it was the garlic that got her sniffing at it. Then I took a bite, so she did too.
Then after a few moments of trying she realized that it really isnāt anything a cat would eat.
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Wife recently returned from Jamaica and was talking about seeing wild mongoose, and they were brought into the country to deal with snakes or something.
In googling a Mongoose today, as I described it to a coworker as a squirrel ferret, I found this picture. Now I canāt unsee a Joe Biden meet n greet.
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they lose. all. meaning -
Good quote - and yes, I have been involved in two large projects, one was a project at a national lab that was to cost one billion from start to finish - ended up costing 3 billion. Then a bridge project was projected to cost 3 billion, and ended up costing 5 billion.
Either the initial estimates were wrong, or they arent even trying, I mean - thats a looooong ways off!!
Then againā¦remember the aquaducts back in ancient Rome - those must have cost a bunch too -
oh well~
Robert Moses from NYC back in the day - he figured out that you start a project, and it WILL get funded because there is no way a politician will allow it to not be build -
and people thing politics today are nuts - itās always been that way
Man I wish I had a Mongoose. My parents got me a Huffy and feelings of shame.