The Bailout: Do We Use the Shovel, or the Ax?
This was an interesting juxtaposition. On the one hand, this site features the results of a 153 city-survey by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, proposing a roster of "shovel-ready" projects (mostly relating to infrastructure creation & improvement) that just need a bit of funding to get them off the ground. Obviously, these projects are being touted to Congress in the hopes that it will spur badly-needed job creation.
On this same site, and not much later, however, was a retort by two different taxpayer watchdog groups (call it the Fairness Doctrine in action, if you want). They argue that the bulk of the Mayors' proposed projects were not long-term solutions to job creation. Instead, they believe that the projects were pork in the guise of a stimulus package, and were worthy of the axe.
These appeared during the lame-duck period, and things have certainly changed since then. I find the back-and-forth fascinating, but am not quite sure whom to believe.
On this same site, and not much later, however, was a retort by two different taxpayer watchdog groups (call it the Fairness Doctrine in action, if you want). They argue that the bulk of the Mayors' proposed projects were not long-term solutions to job creation. Instead, they believe that the projects were pork in the guise of a stimulus package, and were worthy of the axe.
These appeared during the lame-duck period, and things have certainly changed since then. I find the back-and-forth fascinating, but am not quite sure whom to believe.
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