by Peter Wallsten
President-elect Barack Obama today pledged to launch the biggest public works program since the construction of the interstate highway system in the 1950s as part of his plan to create millions of new jobs and stem an economic tailspin that is growing worse by the day.
"We need action -- and action now," Obama said in a weekly address broadcast on radio and posted as a YouTube video.
His comments came the day after the government announced that 533,000 jobs had been lost in November - the worst monthly job loss report in 34 years. The address marks the latest effort by the incoming president to shape events and build momentum for his agenda weeks before he takes office.
Obama aides and Democratic lawmakers hope that a new economic stimulus plan, which could cost as much as $700 billion, will be passed by Congress in January so that Obama can sign it into law within hours or days of his inauguration on January 20.
The plan, as Obama laid it out today, would include massive investments in roads and other infrastructure programs reminiscent of President Eisenhower's highway program that employed millions of people and cost tens of billions of dollars. Obama said he would compel states to move quickly on construction projects or risk losing the help from Washington.
"We will create millions of jobs by making the single largest new investment in our national infrastructure since the creation of the federal highway system in the 1950s," he said. "We'll invest your precious tax dollars in new and smarter ways, and we'll set a simple rule - use it or lose it. If a state doesn't act quickly to invest in roads and bridges in their communities, they'll lose the money."
Obama said his plan would also include a push to make federal buildings more energy efficient by installing new heating systems and energy-saving light bulbs, a plan that, he said would save billions of taxpayer dollars and "put people back to work."
Additional provisions would upgrade public school buildings, enhance broadband technology and create a system to ensure that Americans have access to electronic medical records.
Obama did not say how much each idea would cost, nor did he attach an overall pricetag to the proposals. He said he would fill in additional details in the coming weeks.
But his comments reflected the growing belief among his top advisors and Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill that the fast-declining economy and the continued loss of jobs requires a massive spending program - even if it means swelling the national debt.
Since the recession began a year ago, about two million jobs have been lost. Obama has said that his plan would aim to create 2.5 million new jobs by 2011.
"We need to act with the urgency this moment demands to save or create at least two and a half million jobs so that the nearly two million Americans who've lost them know that they have a future," he said Saturday.
Obama and his team had initially hoped after his election last month that they could remain largely detached from current events and plan behind the scenes for the new administration. But the demise of the economy, instability in the financial markets and the collapse of several big banks -- combined with President Bush's lack of clout with Congress and the public -- have heightened pressure on the president-elect to assert himself.
Americans will be hearing a lot from Obama this weekend. He is scheduled to sit for an hour-long interview with NBC's Meet the Press, to be broadcast on Sunday, and has scheduled a press conference for later that afternoon.
Comments
Sounds good. Makework projects are only effective if they're productive, if the initial investment (even if it means debt spending) leaves something tangible and useful to the commonweal in the end. Lord knows there's plenty of work to be done with decaying infrastructure.
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The welfare programs of the 60s failed because they were unproductive, they were simply about shoveling out money without improving lives. They actually fostered the culture of poverty and multiple generations of the underclass. We can't return to that.
Posted by: MJ | December 6, 2008 1:28 PM
I am very excited about this idea. I think it has been proven to work in the past, even when you look at things like the public works programs of the 1930s that build up our State & National Park systems.
I couldn't find anything on youtube though...
http://cassidyisinthestates.blogspot.com/2008/12/obama-wants-public-works.html
Posted by: Cassidy Shearrer | December 6, 2008 1:53 PM
Watch out for organized labor special interest lobbyists to hide their efforts to steal unionization election rights from unsupportive employees in this legislative package.
Posted by: It's the Department of Labor (Employees); Not the Department of Unions | December 6, 2008 2:26 PM
After the stellar cabinet appointments so far, what a tragedy it would be for Obama to appoint unqualified union hacks to the critical positions of U.S. trade representative, Secretary of Labor or the National Labor Relations Board to satisfy union special interest lobbyists.
Posted by: Don't Let the Tail Wag the Dog | December 6, 2008 2:59 PM
Hopefully, then, this means states will not be permitted to place special interest restrictions on the award of contracts for these public works in order to generate union dues and political contributions for state office-holders.
Posted by: Matthew Maule | December 6, 2008 5:00 PM
If Congress Passes this , their will be some new Congresmen after the next election-
Posted by: Inky | December 6, 2008 5:03 PM
Yes, MJ, I agree with you for two days in a row!! This is just plain smart. I am biased, as I am in the trades, and there are MANY tradesman laid off right now. My union is about 30% laid off right now, which is about 700 of us.
I also hope that they do not stop with roads and bridges....I hope they do hydroelectric plants on all the unused dams in the country for our energy independence, as well as other projects to incease this country's efficiency.
Posted by: Xcellentform | December 6, 2008 10:25 PM
XL, good point about hydroelectric. Let's add wind farms, too.
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As for the Trades, this goes beyond them. This would provide work for the unskilled too. I'm one of the New Proletariat, a white collar worker in a cubicle. It's good to know that I might have a chance to earn some bread with a shovel or a broom when I get kicked out of my cube.
Posted by: MJ | December 7, 2008 10:02 AM
Something we already should have been doing!
Basically he is saying that we should give the homeless bums something to do.
Instead of letting them leech off of non homeless people!!!
Posted by: mando magazine | December 7, 2008 2:12 PM
Sayeth the Messiah, "We need action, and action now."
But we will all wait till January for the legislation.
Legislation the Messiah could introduce in Congress NOW.
Can any Obama-nut explain how "Now" can be squared with "next month"?
Posted by: Bruce | December 7, 2008 6:14 PM
mando, if I did a full response to your post, my post gets blocked. Bruce, what has your precious party done to help the middle class? Why are they not proposing something NOW? I at least voted a guy in that is going to do something positive next month. Also, how can Obama introduce legislation when he is not a senator anymore?
Posted by: Xcellentform | December 7, 2008 8:11 PM
Aside from the commitment to what sounds like a great progressive stimulus plan from President-elect Obama, one sentence struck me: Will your job or your husband’s job or your daughter’s job be the next one cut?. Read that closely. In a speech about universal fears and hardship, he is addressing his primary listeners as women. Never have I heard sentence construction like that from a president -- women addressed directly in a non-"women's issues" setting as legitimate, fully fledged and very concerned and invested breadwinners. The effect is stunning.
Posted by: Carol Harris | December 8, 2008 12:45 AM
Obama and Biden have talked about the fact that states have infrastructure projects that are ready to go and could be implemented in a matter of a month or two and would create 1.8 million jobs. Perhaps that is what Obama is talking about.
Also, now is the time to change our economy to a greeen economy and I am sure that Obama's economic team is working hard on that as well.
Posted by: Joshua Lee | December 8, 2008 12:52 AM
The Bush administration has been a disaster but now is probably the best chance we'll ever have to set things right again in this country. This is absolutely the perfect time to rethink building construction and renovation.
We need programs that stimulate the economy by generating more jobs.
We need to make major changes to address the climate crisis now.
There is a great need for new and renovated buildings, and not just schools. This can be approached broadly.
There are already initiatives toward the construction of nothing but carbon neutral buildings by 2030, such as: architecture 2030. Why not accelerate these plans?
Given that the the average effective lifetime of buildings is at least 50 years, construction as usual now just puts us into a deeper hole in terms of the climate crisis.
Posted by: Boyd Greenwell | December 8, 2008 1:01 AM
"...how can Obama introduce legislation when he is not a senator anymore?
Posted by: Xcellentform | December 7, 2008 8:11 PM "
"Xcellentform", Obama could have introduced legislation when he was in the senate. Obama can currently get a Dem Congressman or Senator to introduce the legislation he wants to get "action" "now".
It's called the legislative process. Been going on for 200+ years. Perhaps you've heard of it.
Posted by: Bruce | December 8, 2008 9:47 AM
Bruce, It's called "Sour Grapes", ever heard of it? You can't even give Obama a chance to get inaugurated and you're already moaning that he isn't getting anything done when all sane people agree that his administration will hit the ground running faster than any other ever has. Save your complaints for when they have at least a tiny bit of relevance, though you may have to wait quite a while, if you are able to be honest with yourself...which is, of course, doubtful.
Posted by: FrankK | December 8, 2008 12:33 PM