Is the media getting serious about talking about infrastructure?

[CTyankee]

There seems to be an amped up discussion about building our way out of this recession all of a sudden. This past week Morning Joe devoted lots of gab time to "putting people back to work" in government jobs, rebuilding/repairing infrastructure. I couldn't believe my ears. Joe Scarborough is actually discussing a government solution to our economic problems??? Tweety, who is less to the right than Joe, couldn't stop talking about it on his show. Rachel is doing those ads in front of a massive dam (Boulder?) that was a WPA project (actually, Rachel doing it doesn't surprise me).

I remember when the mantra was that only the private sector can save us with jobs...small business is the only engine of prosperity, we need less government in our lives, not more...we shouldn't look to the government to solve our problems.

Lo and behold!People like Ezra Klein are stepping forward with cogent and intelligent arguments and being allowed air time to speak about a government jobs program. John Kerry was on Morning Joe and given a large space of time to talk about the "infrastructure bank" that he has proposed that actually has some Republican support! A year ago, they wouldn't have even had him on the show!

I have the feeling that the Joe Scarboroughs of the world are getting seriously unnerved. Is it just me?

[marmar]

1. Just think about all the immediate jobs that could be created with big infrastructure projects....

...... and this country is literally falling apart.

[JustAnotherGen]

3. And it's worked before

And the Morning Joes of the world are going to have to start validating FDR New Deal policies. They work.

[CTyankee]

9. Great. It had to come to almost complete disaster before they woke up

and smelled the coffee.

I just hope it is not too late...

[FreakinDJ]

16. Prelude to Corporate take over of America's infrastructure

[CTyankee]

19. Not from what I am hearing. But I know what you are saying.

However, if taking over and fixing the infrastructure was something that the corporations wanted to do they would have done it.

Without consumer spending we are completely screwed as a country. And the grown ups know that...

[JustAnotherGen]

2. Not just you!

But you and I had this discussion on here during late 2008. How about you? I'm feeling vindicated - but distressed that it's taken three years for people to wake up and smell the reality.

[CTyankee]

5. A good friend of mine (a social worker) said that people only make needed changes

in their lives when they get "a kick in the pants." It's so true. I've had many such kicks and afterwards I realize that I was avoiding looking at what was coming down...

I'm kinda amazed, to tell you the truth. This was a real sharp about face. Kay Bailey Hutchison co-sponsoring Kerry's bill? AND other Senate republicans?

I think some repub folks just got "scared straight"!

[MH1]

4. I hope, but won't hold my breath

if they are, what took so freakin' long? It's such a no-brainer.

[CTyankee]

7. It took a long time because they were in denial.

Then something snapped in their brain. Either they had it dawn on them that there is no other way out, or their corporate masters said it was "time" to do this and they obeyed. Or maybe both...

[malaise]

6. About time

Rec

[Jim__]

8. How would the government fund infrastructure jobs?

With the latest "compromise," we've completely painted ourselves into a corner. We've essentially managed to seal off any possible escape from the mess we're in.

[CTyankee]

12. There would have to be a revolt within the Republican Party.

Kerry talked about this on MJ yesterday. He squarely blamed the Tea Party for this economic disaster. AND the media for its little game of "balance." He really laid it out.

He's got Republican support for this bill. It isn't all Dems on one side and the pubs on the other. The adults have to take the brats in the House in hand and straighten them out. I suspect this signals activity in Washington to do just that.

[Wounded Bear]

10. Paid for how?

Sorry, but it looks like a Repub stab at a rope-a-dope to me. IF (big, big IF IMHO) they pull this off, they will claim the ability to do what Obama couldn't. They'll get credit for creating jobs, when only a few of us will remember that they "finally" created jobs.

I like the idea of actually doing this, of course. It is classic Keynesian economics of priming the pump through gov't intervention. It is NOT typical Repub policy of the last 3 decades and I am very suspicious when Repubs start claiming to know what is good for the country.

In fact, this has to be paid for with borrowed money, unless we raise taxes precipitously. And the only people with money are the wealthy. I'm all in if they agree to tax the Koch brothers of the world for infrastructure projects.

Realistically, I don't see it happening any time soon.

[JustAnotherGen]

13. I'm okay

With going into more debt. But - with the downgrade we are now limited. That means the money has to come from within. That means we must eliminate the Bush tax cuts now. Honestly I don't care who scores political points with this. I care about people having roofs over their heads, food on the table, and shoes on their feet. This accomplishes that.

[CTyankee]

15. Well, ask John Kerry. He's leading this charge and he knows Congress pretty well.

Ezra Klein spent a considerable amount of time on MJ yesterday explaining how it could be done. Maybe his segment and Kerry's is up on the Morning Joe page of msnbc.com. You should check it out. It's a little complicated but it IS doable.

This is a change in the way the wind is blowing, IMO. I think the "sensible" repubs are waking up. Whether they can control the Tea Party members will remain to be seen...

[Warren Stupidity]

11. This media? The one we have now? Serious about anything substantial? Huh?

[CTyankee]

17. They get serious only when their butts are seriously on the line...

at some point, you sober up. Kerry was clearly lecturing the Morning Joe crew about the media's miserable performance in reporting what was going on in this country and the show's crew sat there and took it.

I know what you are saying. I'm pretty stunned myself but I hope I am right...

[quaker bill]

14. This sort of thing almost funds itself

more people working = more revenue and more disposable income. More disposable income = more spending for houses, cars, groceries, bigger demand + more jobs, more jobs = more revenue and more disposable income. In the best case scenario, you get a bit of inflation too which devalues accumulated debt.

[CTyankee]

18. Exactly what Ezra Klein was saying when he laid out his idea.

You can probably see the segment from yesterday's show on msnbc.com. And the Kerry interview. Klein emphasized your point about a bit of inflation.

[quaker bill]

22. I have always gotten my best raises

when there was a bit of inflation. My mortgage payment does not change... Inflation of late has been "low", and I haven't seen a raise in 4 years and am lucky to have been passed over in the layoff last week. Public works would be good, but Gov. Rick Scott would turn the money down....

[CTyankee]

23. I remember when interest rates were way high my mother telling me

that she was getting 10% on her CDs! And I also had a spike in my retirement fund. As long as you weren't getting a mortgage or another big loan you could make out well!

[tularetom]

20. There is a multiplier effect like nothing else with public works jobs

It's not just the guys building the roads. Somebody has to make the big roaring yellow machines that move dirt around. Somebody has to operate the asphalt and cement plants. Somebody has to work at the steel mills where they roll the big girders for the bridges.

And all these people need food, work clothes, boots, and haircuts. They also need to relax a little bit watching a new big screen TV, fishing, playing golf or just going to a movie. Since they have a few bucks in their pockets they can take the wife and kids out for dinner once in awhile and leave a big tip for their server.

And now the server has more money to spend. And on and on. It really is a money making machine.

I don't know why there wasn't more of it in the stimulus. Well, actually I do know. Same reason we just had a fucked up fake "debt crisis".

[CTyankee]

21. Such a no brainer

Really, I think Obama didn't/couldn't believe that the limited stimulus would not work. He's already admitted that he didn't know that there weren't a lot of "shovel ready" jobs just waiting to be implemented. I remember our governor, a repub at the time, saying "We sure have shovel ready jobs here in CT!" I think she was fakin' it. Then, the perverse incentive of that stimulus was to have states spend the money immediately. Well, rebuilding bridges takes time so states paid for teachers, cops and fire fighters and for paving roads. All good things to spend the money on, and certainly SOME people got some good from it but Paul Krugman was saying "Not enough! We'll fall back into recession just like what happened in 1937 with FDR's first stimulus." And he was right about that!

This is a sad case of "shudda, coulda, woulda"...