Stimulus Money Hits The Streets

[babylonsister]

Stimulus Spurs Road Projects, Big and Small


By MICHAEL COOPER
Published: March 3, 2009


Kansas will widen U.S. 69 to remove a bottleneck outside Kansas City, along with a few other expensive projects. Maryland will spend its money in smaller pieces, resurfacing dozens of rutted roads and highways. Colorado will build an interchange on Elk Creek Road in Jefferson County, complete with an underpass for the elk.

There is nothing monumental in President Obama’s plan to revive the economy with a coast-to-coast building spree, no historic New Deal public works. The goal of the stimulus plan was to put people to work quickly, and so states across the country have begun to spend nearly $50 billion on thousands of smaller transportation projects that could employ up to 400,000 people, by the administration’s estimates.

More than a dozen states have now said how they plan to spend at least some of their transportation money, giving the clearest picture yet of how one of the president’s signature programs is playing out around the country. Beyond all the money for Medicaid and unemployment benefits in the huge bill passed last month, this will be the face of the country’s stimulus program: a bridge will be painted on a rural road, a new lane added on a suburban highway, a guardrail built on a median strip.

They may be old plans that the recession had forced a state to shelve, but multiplied by thousands, they will quickly get bulldozers rolling again and paychecks flowing. On the highway projects alone, the White House said Tuesday that 150,000 jobs would be created or saved.

more...

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/04/us/04states.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&pagewanted=all

[old mark]

1. I understand many of these projects are already begining, and people are being

hired to do the work on them - and being paid and having health insurance and all the benefits our congresspeople have had all along.

This is a result of the money the GOPs said was "too expensive" for projects the GOPs called "pork" and "waste". I an thinking that a lot of people who will have jobs because of this "pork" won't forget the Democrats who made this possible, or the GOPs who tried their best to kill it off.
Rec.
mark

[babylonsister]

2. I think it's remarkable this has happened so fast. Nice to have

a president who walks the walk. And I agree, people won't soon forget. That is what the rethugs fear, no doubt.

[havocmom]

6. Fast and contagious. I am already seeing changed attitudes and moods

People are more positive and looking to what THEY can do as individuals and as groups.

Nice change from the beaten down hand wringing of a few short weeks ago. And my direct observations are in a very RED political climate. Lots of people stepping up and deciding to get some positive changes made. Of course, some of the local status-quo merchants are cranky as hell. Sucks to be them!

[old mark]

9. Gonna suck even worse in 2010.

I think the GOPS are just starting to understand how bad things are going to be for them.


mark

[havocmom]

3. 'sis: check out the interactive data maps for stimulus job created, foreclosure rates, deficits...

http://money.cnn.com/news/storysupplement/economy/stimulus_jobs/

mouse over states for specific data

check other data map links below the map

Good stuff for dealing with any local yokels screaming about Obama's plan

[babylonsister]

4. Will do, havocmom, and thanks for the link.

Pretty encouraging news, is this. :thumbsup:

[babylonsister]

5. Oops, dupe. nt

[Bandit]

7. I am having a weatherization audit within the next week

As soon as that is complete I will be receiving insulation and windows installed by workers that are being paid with stimulus money. I hope I can cut into the amount of fuel oil I burn a year and not only save some money but have a smaller carbon footprint and a result of less fuel being needed from overseas. IMO this is very much a win win situation.

[babylonsister]

8. Thanks for sharing, and I'm looking forward to reading many stories

like yours. That will be one way to convince the rethugs they were wrong, wrong, wrong on this stim bill!

[tabbycat31]

11. if possible

buy your windows from the company formerly known as Republic Windows and Doors. Their doors were just reopened thanks to the stimulus. Rachel mentioned it the other night.

[iamthebandfanman]

10. and the media and the right are already complaining

even the mayor of st louis was yappin it up
i keep hearing about this bridge in missouri thats getting repaired/rebuilt and how its 'out in the middle of nowhere'....


well im sure the people who use that bridge EVERYDAY and watch the big HUNKS OF CONCRETE that fall off of it are pretty happy its getting fixed.
theyve only been waiting over 15 years for funding to get the f'ing thing fixed.