Entries tagged with Economic Stimulus
Growing a Talent Dividend
February 24, 2010
While public officials at all levels of government continue to consider a myriad of short-term economic recovery solutions, our President and CEO Carol Coletta, together with regional PNC Financial Services president Beth Wnuck, proposes a more patient and lasting response this week on
Incredibly Refreshing
February 17, 2009
The Obama administration has been "incredibly refreshing" on urban issues, said Miami Mayor Manuel Diaz, president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, which has met a half-dozen times with Obama's top advisers since December. "It's pretty clear that there's going to be a whole new day," said Diaz.
That's the…
The Value of Experiences
February 15, 2009
Of all the impacts of this recession, one has received no attention. I've been musing about what people will do with their time when they don't spend it working and shopping. I've seen the impact of unemployment of a family member twice. In both cases, exercise became a positive focus…
Thank You, Mr. President
February 11, 2009
This just in from the Midwest High Speed Rail Association...
"The Senate approved the stimulus package today. The conference committee hopes to have a finished bill on the President's desk by Monday.
"But that isn't why this action alert is so important. Earlier today, President Obama listed high-speed…
Highways and Bridges
February 7, 2009
I am ready to scream. Since when did building new highways and bridges become the only thing "real," the only thing "worthy," the only thing "smart," the only thing that is given a pass as "not pork"? Llistening to some members of Congress and the media, you would think that…
A Trillion Dollars' Worth of Bad Ideas?
January 22, 2009
"A trillion dollars' worth of bad ideas — sprawl-inducing highways and bridges to nowhere, ethanol plants and pipelines that accelerate global warming, tax breaks for overleveraged McMansion builders and burdensome new long-term federal entitlements — would be worse than mere waste. It would be smarter to buy every American an…
Time Magazine Says Fix It First
January 15, 2009
Writing in next week's Time Magazine, Michael Gruenwald advises President-elect Obama on how to spend $1 trillion. Compared to building new roads, Gruenwald says repair the old roads. Fixing existing infrastructure first not only produces more jobs but it has a more favorable overall long-term economic impact. (Hear that, Congress?) …
Gee, Why Didn't We Think of That?
January 14, 2009
PORTLAND CITY COUNCIL ANNOUNCES $503 MILLION-PLUS "PORTLAND JOB
CREATION AND ECONOMIC STIMULUS PACKAGE" TO FAST-TRACK AN ESTIMATED
4,985 PRIVATE SECTOR JOBS
Plan also boosts housing development, business assistance and worker
retraining programs
January 13, 2009
PORTLAND, ORE. — Portland City Council at City Hall today announced a
Urban Policy
January 11, 2009
As the discussion on the stimulus heats up, some projects submitted by mayors are being used to demonstrate how foolish it would be to funnel stimulus money directly to cities. The proposed Las Vegas Museum of the Mob is this morning's poster child for stupid submissions. (Sadly, new roads and…
Stimulating Minds
January 11, 2009
From Tom Friedman's column Sunday: "... a bridge is just a bridge. Once it’s up, it stops stimulating. A student who normally would not be interested in science but gets stimulated by a better teacher or more exposure to a lab, or a scientist who gets the funding for…
Reinvesting in the Erie Canal?
January 6, 2009
Eliot Spitzer, former governor of NY, has posted a very smart piece on Slate challenging current plans for the economic stimulus package. After noting that the lasting impact of the New Deal was the way in which it redefined the social contract, Spitzer wrote, "The off the shelf infrastructure…
A Sustainable Stimulus Plan
January 2, 2009
From Sustainable Shelby (Memphis and Shelby County) comes a simple set of criteria for stimulus spending:
Principles:
- Focus on projects that will spur local job growth by awarding contracts to local and minority owned businesses (multiplier effect).
- Focus on projects within areas with under utilized infrastructure in order…
Infrastructure to Nowhere
December 16, 2008
Congress for the New Urbanism CEO John Norquist warns the President-elect on the pitfalls of moving without consideration on the portion of the economic stimulus package calling for new roads and bridges. He writes:
With six weeks to go before he moves into the White House, Barack Obama is…