and Barack and the Congressional Democratic authors of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act get it, not so much wrong, but...less right.
I'm fired up from watching Rachel last night on MSNBC. Now that the House GOP members have marginalized themselves with their en bloc "no" vote, can we stop waving the post-partisan olive branch and improve this meta-urgent legislation?
As Rahmbo's famously said, This is a crisis too good to waste.
And this moment in history's too urgent to make flawed policy based on good intentions.
Update: This excellent diary by Gangster Octopus (a fantastic Naked Lunch-worthy name) gives the complete rundown on the report card by the American Society of Civil Engineers on the state of our American infrastructure.
From "the stim," West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin requested state aid of $970 million for highways and $674 mill for water & sewer projects, although early modeled projections from the Federal Funds Information for States group show WV getting $243.5 mil for roads and $114 mil for water.
In other words, Manchin wants harder emphasis on "shovel-ready" projects, the kind of infrastructure improvements that, nationally, enjoy broad support across ideological lines, put people to work and get dollars more quickly circulating in the economy.
Rachel (especially) and Chris Matthews slugged towering home runs last night on MSNBC. The report card given this country on the state of its infrastructure by the American Society of Civil Engineeers (quoted by Rachel) is the kind that would get Little Johnny and Little Suzy sent straight to remedial tutoring if they brought ones like it home from school.
And quoting Moody’s, Rachel said for every buck spent on food stamps, the economic return is $1.73; for every infrastructure buck, the return’s $1.69; for non-corporate tax cuts the return not only enters the economy much more slowly it’s much less bang for the buck ($1.00=$1.03).
As Matthews put it in his best blue collar-ese, "If the Democrats are pro-union, they should be callin' the trade construction people up and sayin', 'What're ya ready to build? We got the money.'"
I understand how smart (and fundamental to his courts-conservatives-while-tilting-progressive political style) it is for Barack, with a 70-percent approval rating, to do all this compromise kum-by-yahing and tax-cut pandering–-the public really does want an end to toxic baby boomer generational trench warfare and Congressional gridlock–-but now that the House GOP’s said screw you, let’s not undermine our response to this crisis with flawed policy based on good intentions.
Rachel advised calling one's Senators and the White House in support of reconfiguring the American Recover and Reinvestment Act of 2009. I agree. Let's change the change we've been waiting for. Now. While the window's still open.