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?

Obama to emphasize infrastructure

President-elect Barack Obama used his Saturday radio address to signal his intention to enact an economic recovery plan that includes infrastructure investment as one of its planks. He said: "I have already directed my economic team to come up with an Economic Recovery Plan that will mean 2.5 million more jobs by January of 2011 – a plan big enough to meet the challenges we face that I intend to sign soon after taking office. We’ll be working out the details in the weeks ahead, but it will be a two-year, nationwide effort to jumpstart job creation in America and lay the foundation for a strong and growing economy. We’ll put people back to work rebuilding our crumbling roads and bridges, modernizing schools that are failing our children, and building wind farms and solar panels; fuel-efficient cars and the alternative energy technologies that can free us from our dependence on foreign oil and keep our economy competitive in the years ahead. These aren’t just steps to pull ourselves out of this immediate crisis; these are the long-term investments in our economic future that have been ignored for far too long." Wow. A president firmly behind investing in roads and bridges. That would be a refreshing change. Your comment?