Biden’s plan key to US competition with China

[iris lilies]

What huge monies have we seen from DC for infrastructure?

How did we pay for the tax cut for rich people and corporations? The hole in the budget for that was about the same as what is currently being proposed.

I remember lots of nattering about “ shovel ready” projects in Obama’s giveaway

https://apnews.com/article/f1b2c8dee...1b2d306b180429

[beckyliz]

If home healthcare aides can earn money and benefits by helping families, allowing other wage earners to earn at their capacity, I would think that helps the economy. This issue is particularly sensitive to me at this point.

[catherine]

Here is David Brooks' take on "Bidenomics". I like David Brooks.
Basically the theme is that Biden is making a huge leap of faith in the hopes/expectation that we can return to the dynamism we once had, but which is now defining what China has. It's a plan that hearkens back and pays homage to the early leaders of our country who put public resources where they could do the most good. In the case of Bidenomics, the three prongs of that strategy today are people, climate and infrastructure.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/08/o...gtype=Homepage

I asked Anita Dunn, one of President Biden’s senior advisers, to reflect on the three giant proposals: Covid relief, infrastructure and the coming “family” plan. What vision binds them together? What is this thing, Bidenomics? Interestingly, she mentioned China.

This could be the Chinese century, with their dynamism and our decay. The unexpected combination of raw capitalism, authoritarianism and state direction of the economy could make China the dominant model around the globe. President Biden, Dunn said, believes that democracy needs to remind the world that it, too, can solve big problems. Democracy needs to stand up and show that we are still the future.

....

Some people say this is like the New Deal. I’d say this is an updated, monster-size version of “the American System,” the 19th-century education and infrastructure investments inspired by Alexander Hamilton, championed by Henry Clay and then advanced by the early Republicans, like Abraham Lincoln. That was an unabashedly nationalist project, made by a youthful country, using an energetic government to secure two great goals: economic dynamism and national unity.

Bidenomics is a massive bid to promote economic dynamism. It’s not only the R&D spending and the green energy stuff; it’s also the massive investment in kids and human capital.

[Alan]

What about the unnecessary spending by trump for a wall that Mexico was supposed to pay for? Talk about a ridiculous project! ....

The vast majority of the wall put in place during the Trump admin was replacement of existing fencing which needed repair or replacement. I believe the Biden admin is continuing that ridiculous project.

[ApatheticNoMore]

Is competing with China even a helpful way to look at things? If say roads or bridges need repair isn't it enough to repair them because they need repair IF you are to have workable roads. If high speed internet is a basic feature of modern life, and it is, isn't it enough to push for it for that reason.

These things are not so airy head in the clouds as all that, about some floating castle of ideology or something ("natural greatness" "democracy" "economic dynamism and national unity"), anyone pushing that should be suspect as a carnival barker. You repair bridges because you need working bridges. Even if you are expanding social welfare, you do it because people are suffering and life would be made better if it was expanded. If people start blabbing about "democracy" and "economic dynamism" seriously suspect a hidden agenda. Plenty of countries are successful without trying to be #1 in dynamism or a superpower.