Infrastructure

How are infrastructure items integrated into the stimulus package?

Infrastructure-the basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise. it is the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function. (roads, water supply, sewers, power grids, telecommunications).

infrastructure-$111 billion watershed/flood prevention-$145 million waste disposel-$1,380,000,000 billion construction-$360 million

linda Bilmes- it will work but will take time

"republican critics believe there are more targeted and effective ways to create jobs than the measures in the bill, including more spending on infrastructure and more tax relief"

"what were doing here in the recovery plan is not the be all and end all of infrastructure' 'this is a drop in the bucket compared to what are needs are" GOV. Ed Rend ell of Pennsylvania

"the Obama administration has failed to address the structural and regulatory flaws at the heart of the financial crisis that stand in the way of economic recovery" Joseph Stiglitz, nobel prize economist

"this is probably the worst bill that has been put forward since the 1930's" Dr. Robert Barro

30 billion- energy related infrastructure 30 billion-high ways 10 billion-rail road 31 billion-modernize federal buildings and public buildings 19 billion-water projects 600 million- airports 3 billion- police and law inforcement

the rise in infrastructure spending is to help provide jobs, through these different projects being set up. here in colorado CDOT already said that if they receive from the stimulus bill to help fix the roads it will require many more workers then they currently have. it is all about creating more jobs.

Sources: http://money.cnn.com/2009/02/13/news/economy/house_final_stimulus/index.htm (Author: Jeanne Sahadi) (CNN is a credible source Gov. Ed Rendell is a democrat so there might be some political sway but he is speaking against his political party) www.usnews.com/articles/news/stimulus/2009/01/08 (Author: amanda Ruggen) (i looked up Joseph Stiglitz and he is a nobel prize winning economist, i have not heard os us news so i can't fully back them as a great source) www.democracynow.org/2009/2/25/stieglite ((again i have confirmed Dr. Robert Barros identey, and he is a well know economist) www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2009-01-15-obama-stimulus-plan_N.htm (the numbers are a little out dated, they were from before the bill passed, but USA today is a credible news agency) http://appropriations.house.gov/pdf/stimulussummery09-26-08.pdf (author: Kirstin Brost) (this is a government web site that states a summery of the stimulus bill so it is very accurate) http://frwebgatc.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=111_cong_bills&docid=f:hlenr.pdf (another government web site that is the actual stimulus bill) www.recovery.gov (government web site good credibility) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/infrastructure (it is an accurate web site, not 100% credible but does provide some basic information that is correct)

NEW ARTICLE

|| //noun// || Congress has implemented a stimulus plan that puts Infrastructure in the forefront of the United States priorities. They are going to invest 66.7 Billion Dollars toward building the United States infrastructure. The top 3 areas in which they are focusing on is High Way construction and Repair; Mass Transit; and High Speed Railways. 2 Well with all this money spent on Highways, Sewer systems, and bridges will it help? This is speculated in an article written by CNN’s Thom Patterson, titled “Will Infrastructure Stimulus Create Jobs?” He reiterates many projections that economists have. “ About 27,800 jobs will be created for every $1 billion in federal highway construction spending under the stimulus package, said chief Department of Transportation economist Jack Wells.” “Infrastructure construction jobs produced by the current stimulus legislation will largely go to workers with previous construction experience.” He also divulges the outrageous number of jobs that have been lost in the construction field in the past 2 years (Approximately one million). 3 In another article written by Erik Sofge for Popular Mechanics he states the problems with putting so much reliance on creating jobs in construction. “In the 1930s, when you were literally building with shovels, that might have made sense. That was largely unskilled labor. Today, it’s blue collar, but it’s not unskilled, Levinson says… And there’s an assumption out there that construction workers are interchangeable between residential and highway projects. But a carpenter isn’t a whole lot of help in building a road.” “Even if the engineers are wrong, and a new wave of smoothly paved roads and bridges does somehow bolster the economy, politicians will eventually have to come to terms with the dangerous legacy of shovel-ready thinking.” “Transportation arguably isn’t even the most pressing infrastructure issue during last year’ spring floods, dozens were killed and millions of acres of crops were lost throughout the Midwest.” 4 In an article published in the Washington Post it states that both Democrats and Republicans are still skeptical about the stimulus plan for many reasons. “Their (democrats) disappointment centers on the relatively small amount devoted to long-lasting infrastructure investments in favor of spending on a long list of government programs.”5  Sources 1. "Infrastructure." //WordNet® 3.0//. Princeton University. 01 Mar. 2009. . 2. “The Infrastructure of Congress’ Stimulus Plan.” Pbs.com. 01 Mar. 2009. .  3. “Will Infrastructure Stimulus Create Jobs?” Patterson, Thom. Cnn.com. 01 Mar. 2009. . 4. “Shovel-Ready Projects Show Short-Sided Thinking.” Sofge, Erik. Popular Mechanics 01 Mar. 2009. < Popularmechanics.com http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/industry/4302578.html>. 5. “Democrats among stimulus skeptics.” Macgillis, Alice. Washington Post. 01 Mar. 2009. 
 * **<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">infrastructure **<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
 * <span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
 * 1. || the basic structure or features of a system or organization ||
 * 2. || the stock of basic facilities and capital equipment needed for the functioning of a country or area; "the industrial base of Japan". 1 ||

New Entry by Kevin Haber The students above have mentioned the definition of infrastructure and some responses to the plan. What is in the actual plan? OVERALL -Create or save 3.5 million jobs over the next two years -provide nearly 40 % of the package in direct relief to working and middle class families -double renewable energy generating capacity over three years -Creates a Clean Energy Finance Authority and Renewable Tax Credits that together will leverage an additional $100 billion in private investment in the renewables sector -Make a $150 billion investment in our nation's infrastructure - the largest investment since the interstate highway system in the 1950s -Protect health care coverage for millions of Americans during this recession. - Enact the most significant expansion in tax cuts for low- and moderate-income households ever IMPACT ON WORKING FAMILIES -129 Million Working Households will Receive a Tax Cut, about 95% of All Working Households. -A True Working Family Tax Cut: 70% of the tax benefits in the recovery act go to the middle 60% of workers. -Provides more than $150 billion to low-income and vulnerable households - spurring increased economic activity that will save or create more than 1 million jobs. -1/250th as much Benefit to the Top 1% as the tax cuts of George Bush -Largest After-Tax Income Increases to the Bottom 40% of Workers -Ensures that a family working full-time can raise their children above the poverty line EDUCATION -Preventing teacher layoffs and education cuts in every state. -Investing in Early Head Start and Head Start - programs that work. Doubling the number of children in Early Head Start and expanding Head Start. -Providing enough funding to support quality child care for an additional 150,000 children and keep 200,000 children from being dropped from care. -Providing a new higher education tax cut to nearly 4 million students. -Increasing college affordability for more 7 million students by funding the shortfall in Pell Grants and increasing the maximum award level by $500. -Investing in data systems to improve student achievement -Maintaining key education reforms during the economic downturn ENERGY - Building a bigger, better, smarter grid - modernizing the nation's electricity grid will result in more than 3,000 miles of new or modernized transmission lines. -The plan will also create a smarter grid and deploy 40 million "Smart Meters" in American homes, upgrading transmission and distribution technologies that have not significantly changed in a half century. A smarter way to deliver electricity to consumers can lower utility bills, reduce power outages and enable more cutting edge renewable and electric vehicle technologies. -Increasing energy efficiency - by reducing federal government energy use, slashing the federal government's energy bill by 25% -Increasing low -income weatherization funding -Providing energy efficiency grants to the states -Green jobs training HEALTH CARE -Accelerating Adoption of Health IT Systems to Modernize the Health Care System, Save Billions of Dollars, Reduce Medical Errors and Improve Quality. -Protecting Health Care Coverage for Millions of Americans During This Recession. -Providing Health Care Coverage for 7 Million Americans. -$1 billion investment in Evidence-Based Prevention for Americans. -$500 million in Strengthening the Health Workforce -$10 billion in Investments into the National Institutes of Health -$1.1 billion investments into Comparative Effectiveness Research. -$2 billion investments into Community Health Centers -$500 million to modernize Indian Health Services -$50 million to the Health and Human Services for IT Security INFRASTRUCTURE -Investing Over $17 Billion in Public Transit and High-Speed Rail to Reduce Our Dependence on Foreign Oil -Safeguarding the Roads, Bridges, Dams, Ports, Rail and Water Systems Our Families Use Everyday with a Historic $40 Billion, Two-Year Investment Expanding Broadband Access throughout America -$10 billion to expand the availability of affordable housing to address the effect of foreclosures in hardest-hit communities

Responses to the plan:

"The swelling deficit will be the result of the various [|__bailout__] packages, fiscal [|__stimulus__] plans and lower tax receipts from economic contraction. State governments are already lining up for their federal bailouts." “Most improvements focus on rehabilitation of infrastructure and states are prepared to put people to work.” "The U.S. will need to spend $225 billion annually for a half century to 'upgrade our existing transportation network... and build more advanced facilities,' according to the government's National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission" Also lots of good respones at http://www.heritage.org/Research/Economy/wm2283.cfm.

**Works Cited** Czarny, Frank. “Transformational Leadership Times 1.37: Infrastructure, Economic Crisis, and the Stimulus Package.” __Associated Content__. Feb 02, 2009. Associated Content Inc. Feb 24, 2009. <http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1442487/transformational_leadership_times_137.html?cat=3>. Credibility: I thought this was a very credible source because it stated all of the sources they used and the information makes a lot of sense. “Obama Signs $787B Stimulus Plan into Law.” __KRDO__. Feb 19, 2009. World Now. Feb 26, 2009. <http://www.krdo.com/Global/story.asp?S=9857248>. Credibility: I thought this was a very credible source because it stated all of the sources they used and the information makes a lot of sense. “The Infrastructure of Congress’ Stimulus Plan.” __PBS__. Feb 12, 2009. Educational Broadcasting Corporation. Feb 26, 2009. <http://www.pbs.org/wnet/blueprintamerica/blog/the-dig-the-infrastructure-of-congress’-stimulus-plan/384/>. Credibility: This source seemed like it may have just been a guess so I don't think this was as credible as the rest. Riedl, Brian. "Why Government Spending Does Not Stimulate Economic Growth." __Heritage Foundation Backgrounder No. 2208__. November 12, 2008. Feb 26, 2009.<//http://www.heritage.org/Research/Budget/bg2208.cfm//> <span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana;">. Credibility: This seemed pretty good but was all just people responses so it couldn't have been to bad.