When I was in the States, visiting relatives 'just out of Chicago' (a suburb at 'only' a two hour drive from downtown Chicago), my cousin gave me a ride into town 'so you won't have to walk for an hour to the nearest bus stop and hope the buses are going today' but had to make an 'only one hour' detour to go and pay the monthly HOA fee. By check. At the 'local' bank. "You don't do internet banking?" I asked. "Not really. Our bank does have a computer but I think it's from 1984." This didn't happen like in 1994 but in 2019. As a Dutch guy I was shocked.
It may seem wise - or at least cheaper - to not invest in a new computer but spending less money than competitors won't help your bank if you go bankrupt because customers would rather use a bank-app than having to make payments by showing up in person at the bank to show their face and sign a check.
The federal government's excuses are laughable: "Yeah, but if we give free money to small businesses and local governments, they might use it to actually help people!" Is that government stating the subsidies should go to mega corporations and large projects like (close to) free healthcare and education for Israeli citizens?
Fun fact, especially for the 'no cent to foreign countries!' people: The US has given $260 billion (click. PDF) in [US taxdollars] free money to Israel between 1947 and 2021. Thanks to the 'war' with Hamas that number has gone significantly up.
Another fun fact: Israel provides free abortions for all Israeli citizens who want one, paid for by US taxpayers. For those wondering why tens of thousands US citizens already migrated to Israel. Where they could easily blend in as the country is already full with (descendants of) (European) immigrants called Greenblatt, Weiss and other family names that apparently are evidence the family originates in the Levant and not in Eastern Europe at all.
The US spends more money on sponsoring billionaires than on support for their own civilians. While small businesses and bridges literally collapse, 'Big Agro', 'Big Pharma', 'Big Tech', the war industry and foreign nations receive tens of billions a year in US taxpayer's money.
It sounds fair not to hire an external agency to review your construction plan to save a bit of money. But it eventually cost the city and the contractor millions more to be paid in damages to the families of those who died in an accident that could have easily been prevented. If they had only allowed an extra pair of eyes had to look at the construction plans.
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In the Land of the Free bridges and even simple pavements collapse
because the local counsil (and the governing bodies of the US as a whole) decided to not spend too much on maintenance. A saving in the short term but extremely expensive in the long run. And just plain stupid.
Some 40% of all roads in the US are in poor or at best mediocre condition. In more than a few states you will find more streets wíth than without potholes. Fun fact: there is no real Dutch translation of the word 'pothole'.
In this video an American living in The Netherlands asks why the USA claims proven false claims like being one of the countries with the best infrastructure in the world.
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