yep doing exactly what fdr did that plunged the world into the great depression. history does tend to repeat itself.
On Dec 7, 5:28 am, Liberal mike 532 <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Obama Pledges Public Works on a Vast > Scalehttp://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/07/us/politics/07radio.html?_r=1&th&em... > — President-elect Barack Obama promised Saturday to create the largest > public works construction program since the inception of the > interstate highway system a half century ago as he seeks to put > together a plan to resuscitate the reeling economy. > > With jobs evaporating and the recession deepening, Mr. Obama began > highlighting elements of the economic recovery program he is trying to > fashion with Congressional leaders in hopes of being able to enact it > shortly after being sworn in on Jan. 20. His address on Saturday > followed the report on Friday indicating that the country lost 533,000 > jobs in November alone, bringing the total number of jobs lost over > the past year to nearly 2 million. > > Mr. Obama’s remarks showcased his ambition to expand the definition of > traditional work programs for the middle class, like infrastructure > projects to repair roads and bridges, to include new-era jobs in > technology and so-called green jobs that reduce energy use and global > warming emissions. “We need action — and action now,” Mr. Obama said > in an address broadcast Saturday morning on radio and YouTube. > > Mr. Obama’s plan, if enacted, would be in part a government-directed > industrial policy, with lawmakers and administration officials picking > winners and losers among private projects and raining large amounts of > taxpayer money on them. > > It would cover a range of programs to expand broadband Internet > access, to make government buildings more energy efficient, to improve > information technology at hospitals and doctors’ offices, and to > upgrade computers in schools. > > “It is unacceptable that the United States ranks 15th in the world in > broadband adoption,” Mr. Obama said. “Here, in the country that > invented the Internet, every child should have the chance to get > online.” > > President Bush and many conservative economists have opposed such > large-scale government intervention in the economy because it supports > enterprises that might not survive in a free market. That is the crux > of the argument against a government bailout of the auto industry. > > But Mr. Obama proposes to charge ahead, asserting that extensive > government support is needed to preserve and create jobs while > building the latticework of a 21st century economy. > > Although Mr. Obama put no price tag on his plan, he said he would > invest record amounts of money in the vast infrastructure program, > which also includes work on schools, sewer systems, mass transit, > electrical grids, dams and other public utilities. The green jobs > would include various categories, including jobs dedicated to creating > alternative fuels, windmills and solar panels; building energy > efficient appliances, or installing fuel-efficient heating or cooling > systems. > > Paul Bledsoe, a former Clinton White House energy adviser, said that > Mr. Obama had now settled whatever debate there was in his transition > team and among Democrats in Congress over how to lift the economy in > the short term and over a longer horizon. > > “It’s now clear that Obama intends to stimulate the economy through > large direct government spending on infrastructure projects as well as > through business and individual tax cuts,” said Mr. Bledsoe, now an > official of the National Commission on Energy Policy, a nonpartisan > research group in Washington. “He is advocating things like > guaranteeing every American a college education, wiring the entire > country for Internet, putting in a smart electric grid. If he can do > it, these will be major systemic advantages for the United States in > the competitive global economy.” > > Although Mr. Obama is weeks away from taking office, Friday’s grim > jobs report heightened pressure on him to assert leadership before his > inauguration. > > Mr. Obama and his team are working with Congressional leaders to > devise a spending package that some lawmakers suggest could total $400 > billion to $700 billion. Some analysts forecast even higher costs. Mr. > Obama has said he would direct his team to come up with a plan to save > or create 2.5 million jobs in the first two years of his > administration. > > A big part of that will be public works spending. “We will create > millions of jobs by making the single largest new investment in our > national infrastructure since the creation of the federal highway > system in the 1950s,” Mr. Obama said. He did not estimate how much he > would devote to that purpose, but when he met with the nation’s > governors last week, they said the states had $136 billion worth of > road, bridge, water and other projects ready to go as soon as money > became available. They estimated that each billion dollars spent would > create up to 40,000 jobs. > > Local and regional transit systems have $8 billion more in projects > that could begin immediately, like buying hybrid buses and expanding > light rail systems, creating thousands of jobs. > > 1 2 Next Page » --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more. -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
