In reply to Fueled by Caffeine :
I think building new infrastructure is a great idea. It's an EXPENSE that we should choose to spend when needed. Tying it to job creation (especially construction jobs) is disingenuous, and politically motivated. Here's why...
Construction infrastructure projects are expensive. They usually include things like roads, bridges, broadband service, etc.
Construction infrastructure projects are usually heavy equipment projects done by large companies.
Heavy equipment costs are high, but the labor cost to run them is not a huge percentage of the cost. So, a $50 million infrastructure project does not create $50 million in labor. Not even close. Maybe $5 million.
The owners of these large heavy equipment companies don't go out and hire a few new guys when they get a new project. They shift some of their existing labor force from other projects as needed. There are lots of delays in construction infrastructure projects. It's not hard for an equipment operator to shift from one project to another and cover several projects as needed. That's not job creation, it's schedule management.
The other problem is that construction jobs are not permanent. If a contractor "creates" a new "job" for a construction worker for a 4 month project, then uses the same worker on the next project for 5 months, then on the next project for 3 months, that's 3 jobs created, right? Of course not. It's 1 employee who worked on 3 different projects. And it's not job creation at all unless a new employee was hired (and hopefully became a permanent position).
Oh, and since infrastructure projects are all completed by large companies, the owners are often already wealthy, and the contracts are often awarded via cronyism. It's not job creation, it's giving profits to friends.
Construction infrastructure projects are used frequently by politicians looking for political gain so they can claim "job creation" when they are really lining the pockets of their cronies.
But yes. I'm glad to see some infrastructure work getting done. A lot of things on that list look like good things.