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What's Missing From Obama's Infrastructure Plan
At his Sunday news conference--the President-Elect will have had more of these get-togethers with the media before he's sworn in than the President-Reject has had in eight years--Barack Obama gave a few more details about his new New Deal program for massive federal spending for infrastructure. What caught my ear: his pledge that the program would go beyond "roads and bridges" to other programs with "long-term payoffs for taxpayers". That list included the now-familiar broadband Internet buildout, getting medical records into electronic form, school construction, and "making our economy more energy efficient."
Gee, that's the whole "progressive" shopping list for federal infrastructure--except for one nagging little thing. For those whose memories are short, here's a clue, from Saturday's Times-Picayune:
A long-delayed Army Corps of Engineers plan for protection against a Category 5 hurricane -- a storm as large as or larger than Hurricane Katrina -- will be delayed until at least June, and maybe longer, the project's manager says.
Further, the final document won't be a plan at all, but rather a menu of about two dozen alternatives for Congress to further study and debate, a recipe for additional delay.
Yes, the same Corps of Engineers that made (and ultimately took long-delayed responsibility for) crucial engineering and design mistakes that led to the 2005 flooding of New Orleans is now slow-walking plans to rectify its handiwork. And nowhere in President-Elect Obama's laundry list of infrastructure expenditures is a commitment to ramp up work on flood protection and coastal wetlands restoration for the area that supplies--sorry, Governor Palin--as much as 40% of this country's domestic oil production.
Friends of mine assure me that that little item is a stealth priority--"he doesn't want to rile up all the anti-New Orleans sentiment before he takes office"--that, like John Kerry, who never mentioned the Supreme Court during his campaign, New Orleans is an issue that this guy cares so deeply about he dare not mention it yet.
New Orleanians, always met with "why should we give you money so your corrupt politicians can hijack it?", have done their share, throwing Dollar Bill Jefferson out of office in a stunning election upset. Now what's Washington's excuse?
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PLEASE: NO SUBSIDIES FOR NEW CONSTRUCTION. We have so much existing infrastructure badly in need of repair--bridges, roads, sewer systems, schools, railroad track, etc. Let's focus on preserving the infrastructure we already have.
I fear that instead, the bids will go to creating new insfrastructure. I can see it coming. In my home town of Bloomington, Indiana, for example, I can see contractors jumping at the chance for Gov. "Our Man Mitch" Daniels continuing to fund "glamorous" (to some) new projects like a new "justice center" in my county that would double our jail space and add a big juvenile detention center, or continuing to build an extension of Interstate 69 through my neighborhood. Meanwhile, I expect Our Man Mitch will continue privatizing public assets (as he has done with the Indiana toll road for example), and leaving deteriorating existing infrastructure to rot. Let's take care of what we have instead of adding more...please Mr. Obama!
PLEASE: NO SUBSIDIES FOR NEW CONSTRUCTION. We have so much existing infrastructure badly in need of repair--bridges, roads, sewer systems, schools, railroad track, etc. Let's focus on preserving the infrastructure we already have.
I fear that instead, the bids will go to creating new insfrastructure. I can see it coming. In my home town of Bloomington, Indiana, for example, I can see contractors jumping at the chance for Gov. "Our Man Mitch" Daniels continuing to fund "glamorous" (to some) new projects like a new "justice center" in my county that would double our jail space and add a big juvenile detention center, or continuing to build an extension of Interstate 69 through my neighborhood. Meanwhile, I expect Our Man Mitch will continue privatizing public assets (as he has done with the Indiana toll road for example), and leaving deteriorating existing infrastructure to rot. Let's take care of what we have instead of adding more...please Mr. Obama! Love and peace--Hal
PLEASE: NO SUBSIDIES FOR NEW CONSTRUCTION. We have so much existing infrastructure badly in need of repair--bridges, roads, sewer systems, schools, railroad track, etc. Let's focus on preserving the infrastructure we already have.
I fear that instead, the bids will go to creating new insfrastructure. I can see it coming. In my home town of Bloomington, Indiana, for example, I can see contractors jumping at the chance for Gov. "Our Man Mitch" Daniels continuing to fund "glamorous" (to some) new projects like a new "justice center" in my county that would double our jail space and add a big juvenile detention center, or continuing to build an extension of Interstate 69 through my neighborhood. Meanwhile, I expect Our Man Mitch will continue privatizing public assets (as he has done with the Indiana toll road for example), and leaving deteriorating existing infrastructure to rot. Let's take care of what we have instead of adding more...please Mr. Obama!
On the ACOE website there are over 45 levees across the US are in imminent danger of collapse (one could be near YOU).
Bridges, roadways, highways, dams across the US are all overdue for refitting, repair or replacement.
This infrastructure was built by unemployed lawyers, steel workers, farmers, doctors, veterans, etc, these people were not to proud to do a job that needed to be done and were willing to work because their families were starving and there was no such thing as a free ride back then (could we say/do the same today? Nah!)
As far as New Orleans goes, if we don't stop coastal erosion, man the hurricanes that Arkansas, Tennesse and Ohio are gonna be seeing will be killersI
As for me, I have no problem living in Venice D'Orleans!!! Now where's my pirouge?
As always, this post is just MHO peppered by a butt load of research...
The Economic War we are facing must be solved or our countries economy will never recover ....
1. This war, involves the entire country; and, all the tools that are necessary to win the war on the future depression, must be used to assist Local, State, and Federal Institutions …
2. All industries must be considered to be assisted in order to win this war …
3. All States must be assisted … any weakness for any State, is a weakness for the United States ….
4. We must assist the larger industries along with their sub-industries; otherwise, all could be destroyed by the depression …
5. It is absolutely essential that we have a strong, meaningful, effective infrastructure … the shipping of all our goods around the country is essential for both exporting and importing. Infrastructure, is also essential for the movement of our military within our country …The Infrastructure improvements must involve our environmental systems, health systems, educational systems, transportation systems, communication systems, power plantsystems, roads and highways along with their related structures.
6. If our economy falters, then the effectiveness of our country, as a leader of the world, will starkly be devalued … our ability to negotiate thru our diplomatic core will be diminished …
7. We must also think about a plan to deal with the infrastructure of our country in relationship to the rest of the world … in other words … the worlds infrastructure …
Sincerely
Hullygully
So, does this post support hurricane protection for New Orleans, or not? Unless I messed them, it does not include either "levee" or "seaport," or synonyms.
Harry:
While it would be difficult to argue with your observations, in general, it seems to me that your voice is an important one but your leadership might be what's actually needed.
That being said, with all your talent, isn't it time you approached the future Obama administration with a plan - a request - and invitation to articulate an understanding of the devastation in New Orleans. This tragedy is now sharing the short attention spans of Americans with self liquidating politicians and a world financial crisis, that without scientific analysis, touches all of us with few degrees of separation.
Undoubtedly, sarcasm is a fine tool - satire, it's cousin, a wonderful way to intellectually guffaw at our mistakes - but an uncomplicated appeal to include re-building lives in New Orleans with a major national reconstruction effort might not be glamorous, or singularly rewarding - but it sure would be a way to focus some of that talent - instead of sharing the sounding board of opposition and sarcasm that is predominant home of the very people that presided over the disaster and graft riddling alleged reconstruction.
Team building requires the creative energy you possess that has made you very popular both artistically and philosophically among many of us. Perhaps it's time for you to move from theoretical magic to practical magic and challenge the power to create rather than chiffinade words that have yet to be spoken.
Most respectfully
Binx101
The Almost Daily Binx
http://binx101.wordpress.com
I suppose it is possible that President-Elect Obama has been too busy to notice the 3+ year rebuilding effort going on in New Orleans. I know running for president is time-consuming and requires attention to many details. Maybe someone should pen him a note.
Here's what's really missing from Obama's stimulus plan. A way to get American's to pick up a shovel and get to work. Why? See
http://saturdaymorningpost.com/2008/11/24/dirty-jobs/
As a slight OT, with the sad passing of Odetta, Obama needs someone to sing at his inauguration. He should have a gamut of New Orleans vocalists and musicians, from Allen Toussaint to Harry Connick, Jr., to the Marsalis bros. to Leigh Harris, aka Little Queenie. Obama should set up a stage and have 24 hours of New Orleans music. This will make his commitment to rebuilding New Orleans very visible, and put the city back on the public radar.
As full as the plate is and as broad as most of the media moments are, I'm not surprised. Keep reminding, because that is good. But let's not assume that it's not in the equation altogether. We are dealing with here-and-now disasters affecting the entire country and world, threatening the life and welfare of billions of people, not just the New Orleans area.
Like I said, keep on reminding. But no need at this point to be assuming or scolding.
I wonder why no one has called for the oil companies to pony up their share for rebuilding the Louisiana wetlands. The oil companies dug thousands of canals deep into the marsh, with no regard for the consequences, in their rush to extract cheap oil and gas. As a result of salt water intrusion we have been losing wetlands at the rate of several square miles per year. It is way past time for congress to tell big oil to "pay up".
Of course if they ever do pay up, the money will have to be put into a politician safe trust account or fund that the crooks in the legislature can't rape.
See Harry Shearer's Profile
Hey, speaking of crooked politicians: Illinois is 4 for 8 in governors incarcerated. Louisiana isn't even close.
Indeed, according to yesterday's NYT, Illinois ranks 7th in the nation in Convicted officials (502). Louisiana ranks 10th with 332. Really, the data again trumps the meme.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/14/weekinreview/14marsh.html?em
Your point regarding what Has Not Been Said is absolutely correct, Harry.
Thankfully you have also clearly stayed on top of what Has Been Said about our failure of our National Civil Engineering in ignorance, what has been said in stupidity, what has been said in bias and the worst of all what is still being said in deliberate calculated Spin.
But we who must survive the current and future infrastructure shell games delays of our Exquisite Corps in Louisiana still have to deal with the latter,
relentless, reoccurring Spin --only now it seems increasingly masked as reader comments:
http://blog.nola.com/levees/2008/12/the_myth_of_the_lakeview_butte.html
Leaders we got in spades. Heroes on the other hand are rare.
And, like levees.org (cited above) you have managed to fill both shoes.
(And not just regarding failed levees either, if the your CPR correspondents on Le Show are to be believed:)
Now if we can just get you to throw them at Bush... (sorry couldn't help it)
from the backhandpath,
Editilla~New Orleans Ladder
Harry, are you saying you are drawing a conclusion about Obama's intentions for New Orleans based on what he DIDN'T say?
See Harry Shearer's Profile
On what he didn't say in Saturday's speech, on what he didn't say during the campaign, on what he didn't say in the Senate...on what else should one base a conclusion, on what he might say some time in the future?
"We won't just throw money at the problem," Obama said. "We'll measure progress by the reforms we make and the results we achieve — by the jobs we create, by the energy we save, by whether America is more competitive in the world."
GE great manager Jack Welch is great, because he know Six Sigma. He knows how treat smart people, who work for Company. He always made Inventors happy.
In one of his Company I saw work of his weak followers. They implement the same Six Sigma but didn’t understand spirits of inventions. They still want to receive the same honor and privileges as Jack Welch. This is became problems not only for GE but for many others Companies in USA. Managers who create bubbles became disaster for our Economy. Government makes businesses worst supporting this kind of management.
If I will found one good manager in USA we can during one year make 100% of employment and be energy independent during 5 years. Obama need opinions of Inventors more than opinions of CEO.
While we're building roads and bridges the Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Europeans will be developing the next generation of technology marvels.
This country glorifies football far more than chemistry, physics, and advanced engineering.
And after the roads are fixed what will these people do: go into nanotechnology? Don't think so.
So we're going to be taking biochemists and roboticists from their jobs to build roads? I didn't know that. The people who will be fixing the roads were not going to be developing technological marvels.
And all of the countries you mention spend A LOT on infrastructure. The trains in Europe didn't build themselves. China is building more roads than we will for quite some time.
Myshkin, I'll tell you why America is being left in the scientific dust, just like sc92705 says.
It's because the Republicans have been waging a cold war on public scientific literacy (and all literacy, but especially science) for generations. Idealogues and theocrats are very threatened by a thinking, educated populace not easily bamboozled and propagandized and led around by their nose-rings.
Read _The Republican War on Science_ by the New Orleans-rooted journalist Chris Mooney.
So roads and bridges don't need to be fixed?
The FED won't just print money to build these roads, they only do that to finance wars and bail out their friends in banks, wall street and other financial houses.
The thing left out is not just New Orleans but the gas tax hikes to pay for the roads and bridges, and we're not talking about a nickel or dime/gallon either.
Obama has plans for his version of the WPA when he gets into office. With the ending of the Iraq war, that drain will cease and, although we wil still have to borrow, the country will have the money to rebuild its infrastructure. And Obama plans to rebuild the educational system, too. Watch while the smart ones run things.
There will be troops in both Iraq and Afghanistan for years.
What's missing from Obama's plan like it was missing from the New Deal is the downsizing of the banks to their proper role in the economy so they won't just take the population's money when they have it again. If FDR had done this, we wouldn't be having this problem now.
http://ewebsmith.com/Finance/notsupersized.html
As I recall banks didn't become extremely large till way after FDR died. A number of states didn't allow banks to even have branches. Banks didn't grow into multi-state monsters till recently. FDR was a great president but he couldn't look into the future how the banking business/industry it became in the 21st century.
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