"More than half of the new jobs would come in construction, where unemployment figures are now higher than 17 percent, according to the report."Obama renews push for $50-billion 'roads, railways and runways' programThe president says the plan will boost the economy at a needed time and notes GOP opposition in a 'season of choices.'
By Christi Parsons, Tribune Washington Bureau
October 11, 2010|8:51 a.m.
WASHINGTON -- President Obama made a new pitch for his $50-billion "roads, railways and runways" program Monday morning, saying the need to upgrade the nation's infrastructure capacity is critical and that American competitiveness in the 21st century depends upon swift action.
Clogged roads, airways and other infrastructure chip away at worker productivity, Obama said, and the longer the country waits to fix it, "the deeper our competitive edge erodes."
Speaking to reporters in the Rose Garden, Obama pitched the plan almost entirely in terms of its benefit to the economy -- though he also alluded to the politics of the moment, noting the steadfast Republican opposition to most of his current plans.
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Earlier Monday, the administration issued a new report estimating the spending program would create a raft of new middle-class jobs in manufacturing, construction and retail and thereby help boost the economy. More than half of the new jobs would come in construction, where unemployment figures are now higher than 17 percent, according to the report.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/sc-dc-obama-infrastructure-20101011,0,703719.story