It is being reported that a lot of the stimulus money earmarked for road and bridge projects is not going to the counties hardest hit by rising unemployment. Apparently the roads and bridges needing repair or replacement are not in these depressed areas. I know I'm just armchair quarterbacking here but I'm not so sure this is going to do much to stimulate the overall economy. Our society today is not like it was when FDR created the Civilian Conservation Corps. The guy who just got laid off from his 60k job running a computer-driven production machine will not be able to get a job pushing a shovel on the Interstate. The construction companies already have their employees in place and will not expand to fill the need. They will just push out deadlines for years. Any project not already designed and funded will take 4-5 years to get off the ground. In my area, there has been a railroad overpass project in the works for 25 years! The land has been surveyed twice, the last being 3 years ago. I suppose the theory behind the public works program is the same trickle-down idea that Reagan had. I don't know about you but I don't have 4 years to wait on my job to come back!
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