Obama - The beginning

[glatt]

Well one the one hand you have the US gov't giving bonuses to bank executives. And on the other they are talking about building roads and bridges and shit. I'd agree. Can't be any worse.

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by glatt

And on the other they are talking about building roads and bridges and shit.

Let's take that one example, and I think about it because they keep repeating it. Now say they free up a bunch of money for roads and bridges specifically. Who would be first in line for that money? Most likely it would go to the individual states for their highway, roads, and bridges, or even if is a national plan, who would be first in line for that money? Well that would be those companies that are best suited to immediately fill equipment with gas and put shovels in hands and begin work right? Well no, the law requires a bidding process for public works projects by private companies. That takes time. I guess they could figure out a way to fast track that process if they even think about it. Ok, so now we have the companies that are best suited to begin work, which companies? The ones that already have all the equipment and a ready force of workers to do the job, even if they call back recently laid off workers, we are not talking about a lot of people here. And of all those who have just been laid off, how many are willing to leave a desk job and jump right on a shovel? I doubt that many. The problem is huge and not simple.

Reminds me of all the critical views on Haliburton at the start of the various wars, they were the only ones pre-positioned to do the job.

[wolf]

Not sure what's going to happen with that pesky infrastructure stuff, since none of the work is allowed to be done by white male construction workers, or anyone else with experience.

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by wolf

Not sure what's going to happen with that pesky infrastructure stuff, since none of the work is allowed to be done by white male construction workers, or anyone else with experience.

Yea, I forgot about that whole minority owned company hire thing, but isn't that really limited only to some percentage of the bids awarded?

[glatt]

Originally Posted by TheMercenary

Reminds me of all the critical views on Haliburton at the start of the various wars, they were the only ones pre-positioned to do the job.

With an infrastructure based spending spree, at least you end up with the infrastructure, regardless of how effective the program was at stimulating the economy. We have major highway bridges falling down. We need the infrastructure to be rebuilt. It's an investment in our future, and it will also stimulate the economy to some extent as we do it. That's how infrastructure spending is different from the fool's war in Iraq where we ended up with what we started with.

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by glatt

With an infrastructure based spending spree, at least you end up with the infrastructure, regardless of how effective the program was at stimulating the economy. We have major highway bridges falling down. We need the infrastructure to be rebuilt. It's an investment in our future, and it will also stimulate the economy to some extent as we do it.

But that is not how it is being sold to us. It is being sold as a jobs creation program. And the only companies that will actually benifit will be those that are pre-positioned to do the work.