When a Problem and a Solution Match Up Nicely

[one...two...tree 2,762]

It's one of those situations that's so blindingly obvious, it can be frustrating to even talk about. On the one hand, we have crumbling American infrastructure, with a very strong need for major road, rail, and airport improvements. On the other, we have massive unemployment in the construction industry. Hey, one might think, why don't we hire workers in need of a job to do infrastructure work, which in turn would improve the economy, boost public safety, help the environment, and improve American competitiveness?

With this in mind, after meeting with members of his cabinet, a bipartisan group of former secretaries of Transportation, mayors, and governors, President Obama spoke this morning on the need for infrastructure investment. First, on the seriousness of the problem...

"For years, we have deferred tough decisions, and today, our aging system of highways and byways, air routes and rail lines hinder our economic growth. Today, the average American household is forced to spend more on transportation each year than food. Our roads, clogged with traffic, cost us $80 billion a year in lost productivity and wasted fuel. Our airports, choked with passengers, cost nearly $10 billion a year in productivity losses from flight delays. And in some cases, our crumbling infrastructure costs American lives. It should not take another collapsing bridge or failing levee to shock us into action.

"So we're already paying for our failure to act. And what's more, the longer our infrastructure erodes, the deeper our competitive edge erodes. Other nations know this. They are going all-in. Today, as a percentage of GDP, we invest less than half what Russia does in their infrastructure, less than one-third what Western Europe does. Right now, China's building hundreds of thousands of miles of new roads. Over the next 10 years, it plans to build dozens of new airports. Over the next 20, it could build as many as 170 new mass transit systems. Everywhere else they are thinking big. They are creating jobs today but they are also playing to win tomorrow. So the bottom line is our long shortsightedness has come due. And we can no longer afford to sit still."

...and then on the sensible solution.

"By investing in these projects, we've already created hundreds of thousands of jobs. But the fact remains that nearly one in five construction workers is still unemployed and needs a job. And that makes absolutely no sense at a time when there is so much of America that needs rebuilding.

"That's why, last month, I announced a new plan for upgrading America's roads, rails and runways for the long-term. Over the next six years, we will rebuild 150,000 miles of our roads - enough to circle the world six times. We will lay and maintain 4,000 miles of our railways - enough to stretch coast-to-coast. And we will restore 150 miles of runways and advance a next generation air-traffic control system that reduces delays for the American people.

"This plan will be fully paid for, and will not add to our deficit over time -- we are going to work with Congress to see to that. We are going to establish an Infrastructure Bank to leverage federal dollars and focus on the smartest investments. We want to cut waste and bureaucracy by consolidating and collapsing more than 100 different, often duplicative programs. And it will change the way Washington works by reforming the federal government's patchwork approach to funding and maintaining our infrastructure. We've got to focus less on wasteful earmarks and outdated formulas, we've got to focus more on competition and innovation. Less on shortsighted political priorities -- and more on national economic ones."

It's only fair to note that the president's proposal should probably go even further -- his infrastructure plan has real merit, but it's also fairly modest given what's possible and what's needed.

Still, Obama's vision is solid, and his willingness to focus attention on this is heartening. We have an obvious problem -- weak economy, crumbling infrastructure, unemployed construction workers -- with an equally obvious solution.

Remember, the price of raw materials is incredibly low right now. Bang for our buck, there hasn't been an opportunity like this one -- stretching our infrastructure dollars very far -- in a long time. We can do an enormous amount of good on the cheap.

So what's the problem? Congress is broken, "spending" is somehow perceived as "bad," and desperately needed infrastructure investments probably won't happen because Republicans won't let it.

link

[Obama 2012 1,714]

whoever wrote this article is a moron and a hack. Well, more the earlier than the latter.

They don't need "extra" money for these projects. It's already there. Of course we have forgotten about the "stimulus" funds and we have forgotten about normal budget funds. Which the stimulus acted as smoke and mirrors over already budgeted projects. So it begs the question, where is the money Mr. piece of trash President?

[lostinblue 1,989]

How broke can we go under obama?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_upshot/20100917/bs_yblog_upshot/report-los-angeles-spent-70-million-in-stimulus-funds-to-create-7-76-jobs

Report: Los Angeles spent $70 million in stimulus funds to create 7.76 jobs

A new piece of evidence has emerged in the debate over the effectiveness of President Obama's 2009 stimulus package, and it's not good for Democrats. According to two newly released audits performed by the Los Angeles controller, L.A. spent enormous portions of the $594 million in stimulus funds it received on projects that created or saved just a handful of jobs. All told, the audits — available here and here [pdf] — examined $111 million in stimulus spending by the city's Department of Transportation and Department of Public Works, and found that the money went to projects that created or retained just 54 jobs. That works out to roughly $2 million per job.

The $71 million that went to the Department of Public Works, which funded 15 road-surfacing and similar projects, was projected to save or create 238 jobs. But according to the audit, the money created just 7.76 jobs — or slightly more than $10 million per new job — and saved 37.7 (the fractions are a result of calculating the number of jobs by hours worked). The Department of Transportation's $40 million created or retained just nine jobs, the audit found.

In a press release accompanying the audits [pdf], L.A. Controller Wendy Greuel said the job numbers were underwhelming. "I'm disappointed that we've only created or retained 55 jobs after receiving $111 million in [stimulus] funds," Greuel said. "With our local unemployment rate over 12 percent, we need to do a better job cutting the red tape and putting Angelenos back to work."

The audit didn't find any misspent funds or waste. But the breakdown of how some of the money was spent seems to indicate efficiency was not exactly the order of the day for project managers. The Department of Transportation, for instance, spent $9 million to install new LED lightbulbs in traffic lights at 1,800 intersections. Less the $228,000 in labor costs associated with the project, that's nearly $5,000 per location to change lightbulbs. Another project spent $4 million to install 65 new left-turn arrows, averaging more than $61,500 per arrow.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

How broke can we go under obama?

yawn......the deficit was never a concern by RWN's like yourself under 8 years of Bush.

[lostinblue 1,989]

yawn......the deficit was never a concern by RWN's like yourself under 8 years of Bush.

You liberals will soon see how tough things will get in this country.I will survive I doubt you can.

[Obama 2012 1,714]

yawn......the deficit was never a concern by RWN's like yourself under 8 years of Bush.

*6 you mean.

Democrats have had 4 years to clean things up. Lied out their butts in '06 to get elected and have failed miserably since.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

*6 you mean.

Democrats have had 4 years to clean things up. Lied out their butts in '06 to get elected and have failed miserably since.

How many Democrats in the Senate does it take to override a presidential veto? This will be same thing the Republicans will be facing after November. It's very difficult to get anything done in Washington, which plays to the favor of obstructionists and those who want government to be ineffective to begin with.

[Heracles 417]

yawn......the deficit was never a concern by RWN's like yourself under 8 years of Bush.

Deficit and borrowing from China goes out the window when you consider the two unfunded wars, at a cost of a few trillion. Lets not even mention the annual $1+ trillion borrowed and spent on the Military. To some, these are sound investments that deliver many returns for years to come.

Whereas, infrastructure.... what are you, socialist or something? Big Government bla bla bla

[one...two...tree 2,762]

You liberals will soon see how tough things will get in this country.I will survive I doubt you can.

You'll be singing a different tune when you are out of work, or when your employer decides to stop providing you health coverage. Standing in line at a soup kitchen would straighten you out nicely.

[Heracles 417]

How many Democrats in the Senate does it take to override a presidential veto? This will be same thing the Republicans will be facing after November. It's very difficult to get anything done in Washington, which plays to the favor of obstructionists and those who want government to be ineffective to begin with.

The exactly what is going to happen, Vetos left, right and center; with the only winners being the Liberteapartians.

It's all part of the Libertarian strategy actually and Repubs have fallen for it.

1. Create a new movement and call it the tea-party.
   
2. Hide the true cause of the financial crisis and shift the blame to the stimulus and the government.
   
3. Ignore the reality that for years the Fed was managed by a Ayn Rand fan.
   
4. Push America into the dark ages, ultimately further into third world status. Allowing the wealthier to get wealthier
   
5. Endorse scrapping of minimum wage and ethical conditions, claim it's all part of capitalism.
   
6. Ignore the ramifications of doing so, let alone the uber success of others cunningly deemed as "evil socialist".
   
7. Call for the scrapping of the Department of Education, as you don't want any American to be smart enough to catch on to this deceitful yet idiotic strategy.
   
8. Hide it all under the guise of freedom and the government apparently trying to control you, throw in gun rights.
   

Edited October 12, 2010 by Heracles

[Pooky 3,795]

We'll soon see how this President stacks up in the veto game.

Any guesses where GWB features on the vetos used scale?