Be like Ike

The aggregates and construction industries continue to follow every word that President-elect Barack Obama says about an economic recovery strategy based on making the biggest investment in the nation’s infrastructure since President Dwight D. Eisenhower created the interstate highway system a half-century ago. Speaking over the weekend at a Chicago news conference and on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Obama said state governors have many projects that are “shovel ready,” meaning they could be undertaken swiftly and have an immediate impact on jobs. He also said the states would face a "use-it-or-lose it" ultimatum regarding the funds they would receive from the federal government. "If a state doesn't act quickly to invest in roads and bridges in its communities, they'll lose the money," Obama said. He declined to specify a price tag for his economic stimulus plan, saying his advisers are “busy working, crunching the numbers, looking at the macroeconomic data to make a determination as to what the size and the scope of the economic recovery plan needs to be. But it is going to be substantial.” Your comment?