Chinese companies picked to build bridges in America over American owned companies

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Infohawk

Lifer
Jan 12, 2002
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Which why we need fair trade. If you don't want tariffs levied on your goods and services, you should be a democracy with similar worker rights and environmental conditions.
 
peonyu

peonyu

Platinum Member
Mar 12, 2003
2,038
23
81
Theres nothing new with this story, its greed for $$$ but its not a surprise. Why do you think illegal aliens are catered to ? Its for $$$. Foreign labor - illegal aliens and in this case contracting out to China is done for $$$. This country has allowed illegal aliens a free hand for decades now since it provides cheap labor so considering that why is this a shock to anyone..
 
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woolfe9999

Diamond Member
Mar 28, 2005
7,153
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OutHouse said:
the fucktard with the cali dept of trans should be fired.

talk about shitting all over your state and the country.

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/us-...513?tab=9482930?ion=1206853&playlist=14594944
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You seriously expect a state government to not award a contract to the low bidder, when the state has a huge deficit that people are crying about? We can't have it both ways - ask for a balanced budget and then rage over the state saving tax payer money on infrastructure. What you're really asking for here is the state to use tax payer money as stimulus to create jobs. But state governments cannot afford to engage in much stimulus. They can't borrow money like the federal government can. Their job is to get the infrastructure built with the least possible impact on the bottom line.

BTW this story was the subject of a thread several months ago.

- wolf
 
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K1052

K1052

Elite Member
Aug 21, 2003
51,154
43,262
136
woolfe9999 said:
You seriously expect a state government to not award a contract to the low bidder, when the state has a huge deficit that people are crying about? We can't have it both ways - ask for a balanced budget and then rage over the state saving tax payer money on infrastructure. What you're really asking for here is the state to use tax payer money as stimulus to create jobs. But state governments cannot afford to engage in much stimulus. They can't borrow money like the federal government can. Their job is to get the infrastructure built with the least possible impact on the bottom line.

BTW this story was the subject of a thread several months ago.

- wolf
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This is pretty much it. No state is voluntarily going to increase their expenditure on a project when not required (receiving no federal funds).

Given the ever increasing chasm in federal transportation and infrastructure funding I'd expect to see much more of this as states/cities try to get the most for the lowest cost if they can't count on any federal dollars.
 
pauldun170

pauldun170

Diamond Member
Sep 26, 2011
9,260
5,300
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Darn those Chinese!!!
(thread originally viewed on chinese made Apple iTouch but then posted from Chinese made laptop hooked up to chinese made monitor, chinese made keyboard and chinese made mouse.
Checks time on chinese made phone)

We really should be using American subsidiaries of European owned companies where the chinese only maintain 49% ownership.

Wouldn't want to use American companies since they are likely to be union.
Unions are bad or something...maybe they are chinese.
Chinese made unions who use Mexican illegals.
 
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woolfe9999

Diamond Member
Mar 28, 2005
7,153
0
0
K1052 said:
This is pretty much it. No state is voluntarily going to increase their expenditure on a project when not required (receiving no federal funds).

Given the ever increasing chasm in federal transportation and infrastructure funding I'd expect to see much more of this as states/cities try to get the most for the lowest cost if they can't count on any federal dollars.
Click to expand...

An interesting aspect of the California situation is that the state actually turned away federal stimulus dollars for the project because federal law attaches "no foreign workers" as a string to receive the money. Since they chose to turn away the federal money, we can only assume that the federal money was less than the difference in the contract price between the Chinese and the next closest domestic competitor. Which in and of itself is pretty sad.
 
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Ninjahedge

Diamond Member
Mar 2, 2005
4,149
1
91
CrackRabbit said:
This is what you get when the contract is awarded to the lowest bidder.
I saw it all the time when I worked in a different industry, people only care about the bottom line.
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The same in my profession. I believe many municipalities did similar until they realized that the lowest bid was usually a sheister or just made a mistake.

You do not pay for cheapest. You pay for cheap-ER amongst the qualified professionals. Cheaper, 9/10 times, usually ends up costing more time and money than the others.
 
D

Darwin333

Lifer
Dec 11, 2006
19,946
2,329
126
K1052 said:
This is pretty much it. No state is voluntarily going to increase their expenditure on a project when not required (receiving no federal funds).

Given the ever increasing chasm in federal transportation and infrastructure funding I'd expect to see much more of this as states/cities try to get the most for the lowest cost if they can't count on any federal dollars.
Click to expand...

So..... basically we can expect just about every job in the US to eventually be outsourced or insourced to state owned Chinese companies since they will always have some sort of advantage over US workers/companies.
 
waggy

waggy

No Lifer
Dec 14, 2000
68,143
10
81
great. are we going to have to replace the damn bridge in 5 years? or is it full of lead? ugh

I would rather pay more in taxes getting people working on US projects (wich in the long term would lower taxes). more people working, buying US supplies and such is better then paying less for China to do it.
 
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Darwin333

Lifer
Dec 11, 2006
19,946
2,329
126
cybrsage said:
The choices are higher taxes of Chinese companies. Pick your poison.
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I am curious if that is actually true in the long run. If the contract would have been awarded to a Cali contractor than a large portion of the money would remain and be spent in Cali which would provide more revenue than sending a large portion of the money to China.


The story didn't mention exactly how far apart the bids were, anyone have that info?
 
K1052

K1052

Elite Member
Aug 21, 2003
51,154
43,262
136
woolfe9999 said:
An interesting aspect of the California situation is that the state actually turned away federal stimulus dollars for the project because federal law attaches "no foreign workers" as a string to receive the money. Since they chose to turn away the federal money, we can only assume that the federal money was less than the difference in the contract price between the Chinese and the next closest domestic competitor. Which in and of itself is pretty sad.
Click to expand...

The entire Eastern Span replacement project has been a monumental clusterfuck for a multitude of reasons. IIRC, the math Caltrans ran was that to accept any federal funding that made the project subject to "Buy American" requirements would have added hundreds of millions if not a billion dollars to the already out of control costs, overruns that the state would also have to absorb.
 
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Ninjahedge

Diamond Member
Mar 2, 2005
4,149
1
91
Kadarin said:
Those bridges will be lucky to last 5 years.
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Actually, that is not necessarily the case.

We just will not be paying anyone in-state, so most of that money will be GONE if we do not get material from within the country.

What may happen is major problems with organization and cooperation with DOT and other agencies = $$$$
 
K1052

K1052

Elite Member
Aug 21, 2003
51,154
43,262
136
Darwin333 said:
So..... basically we can expect just about every job in the US to eventually be outsourced or insourced to state owned Chinese companies since they will always have some sort of advantage over US workers/companies.
Click to expand...

In this kind of construction I think it's quite likely on a state/local level. Chinese firms have government backing and far lower costs in just about every area compared to western companies so they can reliably underbid.
 
M

Moonbeam

Elite Member
Nov 24, 1999
74,036
6,598
126
If we had a department of vital infrastructure we could hire millions of unemployed to rebuild the country at moderate wages divide the cost between taxes and tolls and eliminate welfare for those who get such jobs. It would maybe hurt the Chinese economy but wouldn't hurt ours since we are underbid on those jobs anyway. And all the savings and stimulus to the economy would mean you could actually pay more and still save.
 
waggy

waggy

No Lifer
Dec 14, 2000
68,143
10
81
Moonbeam said:
If we had a department of vital infrastructure we could hire millions of unemployed to rebuild the country at moderate wages divide the cost between taxes and tolls and eliminate welfare for those who get such jobs. It would maybe hurt the Chinese economy but wouldn't hurt ours since we are underbid on those jobs anyway. And all the savings and stimulus to the economy would mean you could actually pay more and still save.
Click to expand...

fuck i have had to hit my head. i agreed with alky last night and now you. god damn.


only problem i will point out is there are a LOT On welfare that won't work such jobs. I blame a lot on culture and education. many think such jobs are beneath them and refuse to do it..yet sit on welfare..

Not everyone should or want to go to college. i know a few that have made a good life with work such as this.
 
M

Moonbeam

Elite Member
Nov 24, 1999
74,036
6,598
126
waggy said:
fuck i have had to hit my head. i agreed with alky last night and now you. god damn.


only problem i will point out is there are a LOT On welfare that won't work such jobs. I blame a lot on culture and education. many think such jobs are beneath them and refuse to do it..yet sit on welfare..

Not everyone should or want to go to college. i know a few that have made a good life with work such as this.
Click to expand...

Mostly I was referring to unemployment benefits and others benefits to the unemployed, folk, it seems to me, who want to work but can't find jobs. As to the chronically lazy, such folk have the poorest levels of self esteem and that is difficult to cure, but if, as a condition of help, folk have to give something, work, or self education, the simplest of tasks, they will get a sense that they are earning the help they are given. This helps to reverse the feeling they they are totally worthless and can set the stage for emotional progress. Even an idiot could put some cement in a pot hole. I know I could.
 
Throckmorton

Throckmorton

Lifer
Aug 23, 2007
16,829
3
0
waggy said:
fuck i have had to hit my head. i agreed with alky last night and now you. god damn.


only problem i will point out is there are a LOT On welfare that won't work such jobs. I blame a lot on culture and education. many think such jobs are beneath them and refuse to do it..yet sit on welfare..

Not everyone should or want to go to college. i know a few that have made a good life with work such as this.
Click to expand...

I don't know anybody who won't do construction jobs. They won't do them for less than a living wage maybe.
 
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