The Fallacy of Obama's Infrastructure Plan

Under Mr. Obama's so-called jobs plan, $140 billion would be spent on infrastructure programs such as road and bridge building and repair, rapid transit systems, and air traffic control upgrades. Now, to many, $140 billion sounds like a lot of money and it also sound as if a lot of jobs would be created to help lower the unemployment rate. But, nothing could be farther from the truth.

First off, there is no way that any jobs would be created any time soon. At the earliest, the Obama plan might get some hiring started in 2013. That's because heavy construction transportation projects aren't off-the-shelf kinds projects. They require considerable engineering and design work to simply develop the specs for bidding the project out. Traffic engineers have to provide a plan as to how traffic flows will be handled during the entire construction process. Approvals must be obtained from the EPA to insure the the construction plan is compliant with both current and pending environmental rules. Actually, it could take up to 2 years or more before any work, and hiring, ever gets started.

Secondly, in the world of heavy construction, $140 billion is not a lot of money. For example, the lowest cost for building or replacing a single lane of road over the span of a mile in any urban road construction is about $5 million. In other words, you could easily eat up a billion dollars by simply replacing 50 miles of a four-lane road or highway.

Third, compared to other business activities, the labor component of a heavy construction project is fairly small in contrast to the cost of the equipment and material. Typically, the labor cost component is about 35%. Then, too, these kinds of projects usually span over a period of several months to years to complete. Additionally, in the snow-belt areas of America, construction is often curtailed, due to weather, from mid-Fall; through the Winter; and, into mid-Spring. This is significant because much the dilapidated infrastructure is in the colder and more densely populated areas of our country.

My guess is that, even at the very best, about 40% of the $140 billion might be spent in 2013. With the labor component of that being about 35% and assuming that the average union, heavy construction worker makes between $50,000 and $80,000 a year, Obama's plan might employ, at the very maximum, about 215,000 workers in the first year; with that overall work force declining by about a third in each successive year. So, computationally, that means that Obama's infrastructure plan would spend nearly two-thirds of a billion dollars to create a single job. Further, 215,000 jobs represents just one percent of all the people who are out of work in this country; assuming (unrealistically) that all of those 215,000 workers will be newly hired for any given project.

To me, infrastructure improvement is a good thing for America, but, in no way will it create the number of jobs needed to get the U.S. back on its feet. The cost is just too high and the employment impact only helps the 7% the workforce who are unionized. Most of this country's workforce is employed in small business activities; which this plan by Obama doesn't address. We need to cut spending so the U.S. dollar will be re-strengthened and, in doing so, reverse the inflation that the consumer has been seeing for food, clothing, and energy expenses. This way, the consumer will have more money to spend and, subsequently, small businesses will see the demand for their products and services increase; with jobs to follow. Big government and big spending by this President are only hurting the economy and the facts on the ground clearly prove that.

Obama's Bridge Too Far

Today, Obama took his "jobs" bill to Ohio. Standing in front of the Brent Spence Bridge, the President, once again, pleaded for America's support of his infrastructure jobs plan to repair our nation's crumbling infrastructure. Unfortunately for the President, the Brent Spence Bridge isn't in need of repairs. It might be well overused due to under-design; but it is a solid structure that won't get a penny of Obama's $447 billion jobs boondoggle. (Click here to See L.A. Times Story: Oops, Obama touts his jobs plan today at an Ohio bridge that won't qualify).

But, you see, it isn't about that bridge or any bridge, for that matter. This is all about a reelection campaign and the Brent Spence Bridge makes a great backdrop. Just another prop for Obama to have his picture taken with. A picture that will hit every news show, newspaper, and news website in this country.

Mega Greenbacks for So Few Green Jobs

Today, the Washington Post noted that Obama's $38.6 billion program in loan guarantees to help create 65,000 green jobs has actually only created 3,545 total jobs. On the heels of the Solyndra solar panel bankruptcy scandal, this fact just proves that, once again, green tech is not where the jobs are. Yet, Obama continues to press for even more billions of dollars in his latest "boondoggle" that he calls his "jobs plan". Obama talks about being fed up with Congress but, I think, a lot of people are completely fed up with "his" green jobs B.S. For that matter, all his jobs B.S. Green or otherwise!

Obama's Call to Pass This (Jobs) Bill Now

In last night's speech on jobs, Obama repeatedly demanded: "Pass this bill now!" The only problem is that no such bill exists for the "now" to even happen. When you think about it, Obama's original Stimulus bill was 1096 pages in length. Therefore, it's only logical that this new jobs bill (a mini-me of the original stimulus) should be about 548 pages. So, I ask this question: "Has anyone seen a 548-page jobs bill laying around so Congress can pass it NOW?" I don't think so.

In typical Obama fashion, the "Pass this Bill Now" statement is just one more attempt at political grandstanding without any substance to support it. Let's face it, yesterday's entire speech was just another campaign speech. Tactically, he wants to run around the country and claim that he put forth a jobs plan but the GOP of Congress are holding it up by not passing the bill NOW. It might have been more useful to have worked across the aisle to cobble something together that would be acceptable to both Democrats and Republican. But, Obama, the dictator, prefers ramming things down people's throats and then playing political gotcha games when things don't go exactly his way.

Lastly, the "Pass this bill now" hardly jives with the fact that he sat on this thing for weeks while he was holed-up on an all expense paid trip to Martha's Vineyard. Once again, this President is a complete hypocrite!

Obama's New "Put Country Before Party" Slogan

Thinking that he can continue his incessant drumbeat of divisive rhetoric, Obama has unveiled a new slogan: "Put Country Before Party".

Of course, this is aimed at turning Americans "against" the GOP and the TEA Party as a preemptive strike against any objections to his upcoming jobs plan. However, if you really analyze what he's saying, he's telling the GOP/TEA Party to put "his plan" and "his party" ahead of "theirs". Or, better said: "Put the Democratic Party ahead of Country!"

Unfortunately, it's that very attitude from this ideologically-driven, partisan President that has kept this country from getting any meaningful recovery during these months of drawn-out economic stagnation.

Obama's Job Plan: Just More Union Jobs

Next week, President Obama will unveil his painfully long-awaited jobs plan. But, my guess is that the only jobs to be created under the plan will be more union jobs. That's because the bulk of Obama's plan will call for federally-funded infrastructure projects; and, based on his "February 2009" executive order #13502, his agencies are "asked" to "seriously consider" union personnel for all Federally-funded projects (Click here to See Story: Fact Check: Did Obama require that all infrastructure jobs in the stimulus bill go to union workers?). Does anyone really think that those agencies, reporting to Obama, are going to ignore his directive to "seriously consider" unions? I think not!

So, once again, the President will help his good friends, the labor unions; while, at the same time, insuring that those unions "shower" him with their much-needed reelection support for 2012. Never mind the fact that he will "only" benefit the 7% of this country's private-sector workforce who are unionized, while totally ignoring the 93% of this country's workers who are non-union and who are highly unlikely to be trained and experienced in any kind of heavy-equipment construction work.

Obama On Jobs, Again!

Even before Obama got into office, his mantra has always been: Jobs! Jobs! Jobs! We've been told "by him" that, since he took office, he wakes each morning and goes to bed each night thinking about ways to create "jobs".

But, now, with nearly 1000 days in office under his belt, unemployment has climbed much higher than it was when he moved into 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. With continued high unemployment, falling poll numbers, and increasing prospects of a one-term presidency, he's going to announce another jobs initiative; acting as if unemployment is now, somehow, something suddenly new.

One would think that, after spending nearly 1000 waking mornings thinking about ways to create jobs, a jobs plan would just roll off his tongue. But, no. Instead we have to wait another half month or more for him to unveil his latest -- let me guess -- spending and debt-ridden big-government masterpiece. In the meantime, another 400,000 plus Americans will continue to hit the unemployment lines each month with 15 million out of work already and with another 11 million out of work and totally discouraged from even looking for work.

In typical Obama fashion, the unveiling will be done through a "major economic speech" to be delivered sometime in September. Is there ever a speech given by this guy that isn't labelled as a "major speech"? I, for one, am tired of all his speeches without any real, documented plans; and, the polls show that most Americans are too!