I live in a small southern town which has lost literally a few thousand jobs in the past few years. It was already struggling before the recession hit. Perhaps it was a stalking horse for the way things all over were to become.
Soon after the stimulus package came on the scene, the Recovery Act signs started appearing along the two lane road(one not terribly overused, at that) that leads from the town square to I-65 some five miles distant. For just a moment, I felt as if something positive was about to happen, perhaps some of the crushing unemployment figures might abate. I thought, way to go! Barak and Joe got our backs here. Perhaps some of the local unemployed might find jobs. In Dec. of 2007 we were already at 9.1 percent, and it has only gone higher since GM closed the Saturn plant at nearby Spring Hill,TN.
Today some of my less optimistic thoughts on the subject were further stoked by the AP's article I have attempted to link to here.
AP Impact, Road Projects don't help unemployment
A few months ago I observed Chris Matthews declaring his frustration at the pace of things. Why not(I paraphrase) rebuild roads and bridges, like they did in the thirties, get people to work. I thought at the time it made sense. "Shovel Ready" projects, heck yeah, get those picks and shovels flying.
Soon however I arrived at the troubling conclusion that such projects might not be very beneficial in helping a vast majority of the unemployed. As the project has unrolled, what I have observed is huge pieces of equipment doing the work, equipment owned and manned by people from out of the area. Locals do not get hired because road construction is a specialized thing.
What Chris and I both missed is the fact that laid off auto workers, office workers, sales clerks, teachers, etc, do not simply go out and work on roads. We had the 1930's vision of WPA guys out building roads, picks and shovels flying, desperate people put back to work. Road construction today is vastly different, a very specialized thing, performed mostly by machines with the capability to remove mountains.
Most of the unemployed will never find jobs building roads and bridges.
Bottom line, road building is good for road builders, but certainly not a boon to general employment.
Roads and bridges worked well in providing jobs in a 1930's world. That world is long gone. If we want to stimulate an economy with jobs, we need to stimulate the economy of 2010, not 1932.
Meanwhile, it is a hell of a project. If y'all are down this way, stop in. You will agree, it is a fine road we have to the unemployment office.