(Saturday PO) Trump calls for contest to create futuristic ‘Freedom Cities’

[GuideToACrazyWorld]

https://www.politico.com/news/2023/03/0 ... s-00085383

Modern cities and flying cars might sound like the makings of an episode of the 1960s cartoon The Jetsons, where a fictionalized family flew around in Orbit City.

For former President Donald Trump, however, it’s the foundation of a new set of futuristic policy proposals.

In a video set to be released on Friday, Trump will call for a “quantum leap” in the American standard of living.

Trump’s plan, shared in advance with POLITICO, calls for holding a contest to design and create up to ten new “Freedom Cities,” built from the ground up on federal land. It proposes an investment in the development of vertical-takeoff-and-landing vehicles; the creation of “hives of industry” sparked by cutting off imports from China; and a population surge sparked by “baby bonuses” to encourage would-be-parents to get on with procreation. It is all, his team says, part of a larger nationwide beautification campaign meant to inspire forward-looking visions of America’s future.
Donald Trump

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“Past generations of Americans pursued big dreams and daring projects that once seemed absolutely impossible. They pushed across an unsettled continent and built new cities in the wild frontier. They transformed American life with the interstate highway system—magnificent it was. And they launched a vast network of satellites into orbit all around the earth,” Trump said in his video.

“But today, our country has lost its boldness. Under my leadership, we will get it back in a very big way. If you look at just three years ago, what we were doing was unthinkable, how good it was, how great it was for our country. Our objective will be a quantum leap in the American standard of living,” Trump said.

Trump campaign advisers acknowledge the new set of plans are out of the ordinary. But they note he’s made other eye-popping proposals before — like purchasing Greenland from Denmark. They offered analogies to Abraham Lincoln’s campaign for the transcontinental railroad, Teddy Roosevelt’s vision for a national park service, and Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Interstate Highway System.

A former celebrity real estate developer and TV personality, Trump has a long history of outlining audacious new initiatives that are heavy on imagery and light on details. The latest offerings come with a few explanations for how they will be executed.

Trump says he would host a contest for the public to design and then build “Freedom Cities” on a small portion of federal land to “reopen the frontier, reignite American imagination, and give hundreds of thousands of young people and other people, all hardworking families, a new shot at home ownership and in fact, the American Dream.”

Trump’s call for investments in vertical-takeoff-and-landing vehicles, which he says could transform transportation and connect rural and urban America, is part of a “major initiative” focused on lowering the cost of a new car and creating new transportation methods. It comes as companies like Boeing and Honda are currently spending billions to develop and test electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles that operate like giant drones for humans.

“Just as the United States led the automotive revolution in the last century, I want to ensure that America, not China, leads this revolution in air mobility,” Trump said in the video.

As for “baby bonuses” to encourage the next baby boom and tackle America’s slowing birth rate, Trump appears to be (knowingly or not) borrowing a page from others, like Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.). During the 2020 campaign, the New Jersey Democrat proposed “baby bonds,” which would set aside funds in a savings account for every child in America.

Trump’s advisers concede that the set of proposals put out on Friday are broad brushstrokes. But they also insist that they aren’t moonshot either.
Watch: Trump unveils 2024 education plan

While in the White House, Trump proposed some similar ideas, like his executive order on “Promoting Beautiful Federal Civic Architecture,” that called for making classical architecture the standard for all federal buildings. It was panned by critics who said it discouraged modern ideas in design. It was ultimately revoked by President Joe Biden. Trump also called for a “Garden of American Heroes” in an executive order that would feature statues of major figures from American politics, art, science, and sports ranging from Harriet Tubman to Babe Ruth. Biden also revoked that order.

Trump’s “quantum leap” proposals are part of a series of policy videos he has rolled out since launching his campaign for president. Other videos have focused on issues like border security and education.

Earlier this week, Trump introduced his 2024 trade policy that would “tax China to build up America” and create a system that “rewards domestic production and taxes foreign companies and those who export American jobs.”

Trump is set to deliver a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference outside Washington, D.C. on Saturday, and he is expected to talk about some of his recent policy proposals.

[GuideToACrazyWorld]

This isn't on NPR yet, but it's to bizarre to not talk about. I'm not sure there is any other word for it.

[GuideToACrazyWorld]

[Slip Shod]

I thought it refreshing.. Trump's out of the box forethought vs Biden's wine press taxation
But I failed to see where Fonzi fitted into it

[GuideToACrazyWorld]

I thought it refreshing.. Trump's out of the box forethought vs Biden's wine press taxation
But I failed to see where Fonzi fitted into it

Out of the box thinking is great. It's out of control spending that worries me.

[Tarmaque]

Golfcart von Two-Slices is such a dip shit.

If you look at just three years ago, what we were doing was unthinkable, how good it was, how great it was for our country.

Three years ago our country was going to shit through your mishandling of the covid pandemic. The economy was trending downward. Our own citizens were fighting each other over what were verifiable facts through your insistent ignorance and incompetence. Unemployment was significantly higher. Incomes were stagnant. The national deficit soared to historic records. You had alienated nearly every other country in the world, except Russian and Saudi Arabia. Except for your favorite people, the uneducated, people hated you. You were cutting funds to dedicated scientific endeavors that you didn't or couldn't understand, because they offended your politics. Science that could have helped build your "Freedom Cities." Cities I have to assume would be deathtraps due to deregulation and lowest bidder contracts. Your administration was so bad that your chief cheerleaders, Fox News, were badmouthing you behind your back. Even Rupert Murdoch now admits it was a disaster to back you. Your own repugnant Daughter and Son-in-law want nothing more to do with you. You can't hire a decent lawyer because you never pay for their work.

Yes, things were much better three years ago.

[GuideToACrazyWorld]

Three years ago our country was going to shit through your mishandling of the covid pandemic.

I'd argue that some states mishandled covid, those decisions should have been left open to the individual states. Trump's rhetoric certainly wasn't helpful, I do think his lack of federal actions was the correct choice.

The economy was trending downward. Our own citizens were fighting each other over what were verifiable facts through your insistent ignorance and incompetence.

What was really scary about that is that both sides were wrong most of the time. For instance, you had one said saying masks did nothing while the other side way over exaggerated the efficacy. While the GOP were calling it a flue most registered Demicrats thought the death rate was above 50% (I forget the actual numbers, but it was appalling off). Since the "facts" from the opposition were so wildly wrong it made it easier for each side to dig in on their own wrong facts. We've been seeing this for a while, and in many ways still are. But Covid highlighted it in an obvious way.

I have to assume would be deathtraps due to deregulation and lowest bidder contracts.

Neither regulation nor deregulation are the demons people think they are. The key is to only pass regulations that are necessary to protect the public good and not regulate what can be handled without it. Most of Europe, including the countries using the "Nordic model" have lower regulatory burden then the US. Their buildings aren't crumpling to the ground. We have a an over blown federal government in the US. We keep trying to solve that by expanding it and wonder why it isn't working.

That being said, do I trust Trump to make the right decisions when it comes to regulations? Of course not. I wouldn't trust any one person, much less Trump.

Yes, things were much better three years ago.

I don't know if I would say that. We've swapped one set of issues for another. Lower unemployment for higher inflation. Strained relationships with out allies for being on the edge of WWIII. One could argue that Trump's actions 3-years-ago contributed to today's issue. It's just hard for me to see things as better right now.