Get ready from the "Autumn of Advancement"

[Nanker]

Obama to announce $50 billion infrastructure job plan

President Barack Obama will announce on Monday a six-year infrastructure revamp plan with an initial investment of $50 billion to jump-start job creation, a white house official said.

Splendid! This should really get things going.

[KD in CA]

Awesome, more government jobs. And let me guess, they'll all have to be union jobs.

 

Of course, if you want to bid on anything as a subcontractor, you'll first need to hire 3 people to handle all the paperwork required to be a federal government subcontractor, so I guess that'll create some jobs. Our country certainly needs more people shuffling papers and filling out government forms and surveys. That really spurs economic growth.

[IDBillzFan]

Dear Unions,

 

Here's another $50B. We'll see you all November 2nd.

 

Sincerely,

The White House.

 

P.S. We're serious. This is the last of it. No more money for you after this.

 

P.S.S. Okay, okay. There'll be more after November. It's just that...y'know...people are starting to talk.

 

P.S.S.S. Oh, baby, please don't leave me. I didn't mean it. I'll give you what you want. I don't care what people say. Please don't leave me.

[Booster4324]

I am for infrastructure. I have lost all faith in this administration though and I think they should not spend another dime.

[KD in CA]

I would also like to know how people arrive at the conclusion that "we aren't investing in infrastructure".

 

There are tens if not hundreds of thousands of people employed in highway/public works departments in every town and state in the country. Aren't those people's full time jobs to construct and maintain infrastructure? If there is not enough getting done, maybe the problem is the productivity level of the existing people who have the responsibility and not a lack of money.

 

I still remember the NY Post article from several years ago when a reporter tailed a pothole crew for an entire 8 hour shift where they filled a grand total of 4 potholes (each one takes about 10 minutes).

[Chef Jim]

Weren't these the "shovel ready" jobs they were talking about during the stimulus? And isn't there unused money from the stimulus that can be used for this? Do they really need more money?

[whateverdude]

Taking money out of the private sector and giving it to gov't to spends on "infrastructure" will not have the desired effect. This is just more failed Keynesian economics

[Jim in Anchorage]

Obama to announce $50 billion infrastructure job plan

President Barack Obama will announce on Monday a six-year infrastructure revamp plan with an initial investment of $50 billion to jump-start job creation, a white house official said.

Splendid! This should really get things going.

Oh good. I can get $50 a hour to rotate a sign from stop to slow while my union brothers are tearing up a good road to put in a new one. This is pathetic and disgusting example of government waste.

50 Billion gov't investment? Why not medical research that actually improves life? Oh thats right drug researchers are evil non union monsters that prey on the sick and poor.

I cannot wait till this joke of a "president" is dumped.

[IDBillzFan]

I would also like to know how people arrive at the conclusion that "we aren't investing in infrastructure".

 

I can't begin to tell you how many of those stupid "Your Tax Dollars At Work - Recovery Act Project" signs there are on our highways. Not to mention there is never anything going ON by these freaking signs, but I drive by at least a half dozen signs every other day.

 

But this time...THIS TIME we mean it. We're really going to do infrastructure this time. Really. We mean it. No kidding.

[RkFast]

Im not seeing where most of the jobs are "gubmint" as heavy construction companies are most private small businesses.

 

At least he's putting money into an area where its needed and not some hokey "green" stupidity.

[ExiledInIllinois]

Im not seeing where most of the jobs are "gubmint" as heavy construction companies are most private small businesses.

 

At least he's putting money into an area where its needed and not some hokey "green" stupidity.

 

Exactly... Somebody has to fix/repair/rebuild the infrastructure. How do the naysayers expect it to get done? How did it get built in the first place? Or should we just pass it off like they did with the situation in NOLA from 1969 to 2005...

[whateverdude]

Exactly... Somebody has to fix/repair/rebuild the infrastructure. How do the naysayers expect it to get done? How did it get built in the first place? Or should we just pass it off like they did with the situation in NOLA from 1969 to 2005...

Yes, and how does gov't do this?? By confiscating wealth from the private sector to mostly give to state gov't who pay state, union and local gov't employees to fix the roads. Private small business sees very little of this on a percentage bases with very little trickle down effect.

Edited September 6, 2010 by whateverdude

[OCinBuffalo]

Weren't these the "shovel ready" jobs they were talking about during the stimulus? And isn't there unused money from the stimulus that can be used for this? Do they really need more money?

Hehe....You're going to enjoy my link below

Im not seeing where most of the jobs are "gubmint" as heavy construction companies are most private small businesses.

 

At least he's putting money into an area where its needed and not some hokey "green" stupidity.

Oh no, this is a whole new kind of stupidity...read on...

Exactly... Somebody has to fix/repair/rebuild the infrastructure. How do the naysayers expect it to get done? How did it get built in the first place? Or should we just pass it off like they did with the situation in NOLA from 1969 to 2005...

Obama et al has been doing something stupid every single week for weeks on end now...this week is now covered.

 

In Obama's own words: “one of the biggest lies in government is the idea of ‘shovel-ready’ projects.” Link here, there, everywhere

 

And the point of the link is: either he's an idiot or he's extremely naive. Ok...let's assume he's neither, and he simply made an honest mistake.

 

Then why on God's green earth is he making the same mistake all over again with ANOTHER 50 billion? From my link, if he "learned" that only $20 billion of the $40 billion is actually going to do something useful...then why spend another $50 billion this time around? All things being equal, including DC douchebaggery, half($25 billion) is probably right. Although given the 50% waste factor? How about $0 billion dollars until these people get their act together and/or we remove the red tape? There goes our assumption that he made an honest mistake. Or, that he's not an idiot. Either he doesn't care about willful participation in something he defined as a lie, or he IS an idiot.

 

You can tell me how important infrastructure is until the cows come home. Until you provide solutions for the real union/bureaucracy/government employee problems that block real, cost effective, infrastructure improvement, your argument is a waste of time, and the president, supposedly, agrees with me.

 

Autumn of advancement? This is more like the Fall Back plan.

Edited September 6, 2010 by OCinBuffalo

[ExiledInIllinois]

You can tell me how important infrastructure is until the cows come home. Until you provide solutions for the real union/bureaucracy/government employee problems that block real, cost effective, infrastructure improvement, your argument is a waste of time, and the president, supposedly, agrees with me.

 

I understand... I hear you... Something has to always "give."

 

Why don't you just throw the American's with Disabilities Act in there while you are at it... Just try and build a cost effective park or public facility Then there is always the past mess you have to clean up before any work can get done. What gives? Not much anymore.

[RkFast]

OC....goverment agencies repair potholes. They dont do major road rehab projects,they dont build bridges. And they sure as **** dont built light rail equipment. Thats ALL private industry, right down the line.

 

If you want to say this is a lousy deal, fine.But using the argument that this is just another play to increase the size of goverment is just not correct.

[ExiledInIllinois]

OC....goverment agencies repair potholes. They dont do major road rehab projects,they dont build bridges. And they sure as **** dont built light rail equipment. Thats ALL private industry, right down the line.

 

If you want to say this is a lousy deal, fine.But using the argument that this is just another play to increase the size of goverment is just not correct.

 

I don't get that he is saying that. I think he is talking about all the restrictions that come into play in order to get the job done. I am in the middle between what OC and you are saying. Something has to give... The work that needs to be done is daunting let alone all the modern practices/work environment that make projects not very cost effective.

 

What do we do? Let them (past projects) rot?

[IDBillzFan]

Took the time to listen to Obama's speech to his "brothers" at the AFL-CIO today, and while I'm sure it's no surprise that I found it lacking in value, I have to say this is getting embarrassing; and this has nothing to do with his "dog" comment, which I'm sure will earn him varying levels of mockery.

 

America is screaming "No more spending," and he wants to spend more. People are screaming "Where are those shovel-ready jobs after the first trillion you blew on stimulus?" and he's talking about spending more for jobs we'll see in the next six years? Seriously? Could you possibly suck a union nut any harder in public?

 

Does he honestly wake up every morning wondering what he can do or say to further prove how inept he and his staff is? And I mention his staff because surely SOMEONE is telling his this is all a good idea, no?

 

I'm beyond laughing at this guy, and I'm really getting a little scared. He honestly has no idea what he's doing, how he's doing it, or what effects it will have on all of us. He seems at his best when he's bobbing the knob of his base, and lost in doing anything that even resembles leadership.

 

But hey! How 'bout that whole mosque thing, eh?

[swede316]

Don't the States already receive Federal money to repair roads and such? So we'll pour more tax dollars into the State coffers to disappear on fixing potholes?

 

This joke of a president has to go!

[Dave_In_Norfolk]

Don't hold your breath waiting for the "jobs machine" of the private sector to get us out of this. In Florida alone there are almost half a million houses in foreclosure and this report today is pretty gloomy as well:

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/07/business/economy/07jobs.html?th&emc=th

 

The chief hurdles to more robust technology hiring appear to be increasing automation and the addition of highly skilled labor overseas. The result is a mismatch of skill levels here at home: not enough workers with the cutting-edge skills coveted by tech firms, and too many people with abilities that can be duplicated offshore at lower cost.

[whateverdude]

OC....goverment agencies repair potholes. They dont do major road rehab projects,they dont build bridges. And they sure as **** dont built light rail equipment. Thats ALL private industry, right down the line.

 

If you want to say this is a lousy deal, fine.But using the argument that this is just another play to increase the size of goverment is just not correct.

Here in NY state they do for the most part