“Shovel Ready Jobs”

[NOBama]

If I hear the term “Shovel Ready Jobs” one more time, I think I’m going to loose it. Who the hell wants a job that includes shoveling or physical labor for that matter??? Have you ever been on a construction jobsite? Most of the workers like androids powered by alcohol, drugs, ignorance, or a combination thereof, with few exceptions. Their knowledge is limited to the repetitiveness of the tasks they’re taught to perform. Those tasks are invariably dictated to them by foremen who are little more than liaisons between an engineering company and the robots performing the actual construction tasks.

So who are all these people that are going to fill these “shovel ready jobs” that are going to save the country and what are we going to do with them when the job is done or the money runs out?

This has to be the biggest joke perpetrated on the American people since the 16th amendment was passed.

 

[KittenKoder]

So then, you want all the illegals to hold the power of out production, construction, etc.? Good to know.

 

[Bfgrn]

If I hear the term “Shovel Ready Jobs” one more time, I think I’m going to loose it. Who the hell wants a job that includes shoveling or physical labor for that matter??? Have you ever been on a construction jobsite? Most of the workers like androids powered by alcohol, drugs, ignorance, or a combination thereof, with few exceptions. Their knowledge is limited to the repetitiveness of the tasks they’re taught to perform. Those tasks are invariably dictated to them by foremen who are little more than liaisons between an engineering company and the robots performing the actual construction tasks.

So who are all these people that are going to fill these “shovel ready jobs” that are going to save the country and what are we going to do with them when the job is done or the money runs out?

This has to be the biggest joke perpetrated on the American people since the 16th amendment was passed.

I've been on thousands of construction sites, and your characterization is not only false, it shows your stupidity...

 

[Care4all]

the materials used on those shovel ready projects are made by others, trucked there by others, managed and designed by others.....those businesses buy materials from others as well as hire accountants and finance people....

more than those shoveling will be working....is the hypothesis.

it is TRICKLE UP!

care

 

[alan1]

I'm sure all the corporate white collar workers from Wachovia bank are just begging to be on the working end of a shovel.
<yes, that was sarcasm>

 

[NOBama]

If I hear the term “Shovel Ready Jobs” one more time, I think I’m going to loose it. Who the hell wants a job that includes shoveling or physical labor for that matter??? Have you ever been on a construction jobsite? Most of the workers like androids powered by alcohol, drugs, ignorance, or a combination thereof, with few exceptions. Their knowledge is limited to the repetitiveness of the tasks they’re taught to perform. Those tasks are invariably dictated to them by foremen who are little more than liaisons between an engineering company and the robots performing the actual construction tasks.

So who are all these people that are going to fill these “shovel ready jobs” that are going to save the country and what are we going to do with them when the job is done or the money runs out?

This has to be the biggest joke perpetrated on the American people since the 16th amendment was passed.

I've been on thousands of construction sites, and your characterization is not only false, it shows your stupidity...

Kiss my ass you fucking puke.

 

[alan1]

the materials used on those shovel ready projects are made by others, trucked there by others, managed and designed by others.....those businesses buy materials from others as well as hire accountants and finance people....

more than those shoveling will be working....is the hypothesis.

it is TRICKLE UP!

care

And Caterpillar laid off how many employees this year?
http://archives.chicagotribune.com/2009/jan/27/business/chi-tue-caterpillar-0127-jan27

 

[KittenKoder]

the materials used on those shovel ready projects are made by others, trucked there by others, managed and designed by others.....those businesses buy materials from others as well as hire accountants and finance people....

more than those shoveling will be working....is the hypothesis.

it is TRICKLE UP!

care

Ding ding ding! We need to keep more of those parts to the plan in our country, if we outsource the first one (shovel ready) then it becomes cheaper to outsource all of them.

 

[Phoenix]

If I hear the term “Shovel Ready Jobs” one more time, I think I’m going to loose it. Who the hell wants a job that includes shoveling or physical labor for that matter??? Have you ever been on a construction jobsite? Most of the workers like androids powered by alcohol, drugs, ignorance, or a combination thereof, with few exceptions. Their knowledge is limited to the repetitiveness of the tasks they’re taught to perform. Those tasks are invariably dictated to them by foremen who are little more than liaisons between an engineering company and the robots performing the actual construction tasks.

So who are all these people that are going to fill these “shovel ready jobs” that are going to save the country and what are we going to do with them when the job is done or the money runs out?

This has to be the biggest joke perpetrated on the American people since the 16th amendment was passed.

I've been around construction for quite a few years now and must say that while your assertion may be true in some cases, it is increasingly less accurate. I'll not deny that there are laborers/grunts who use and abuse both alcohol and drugs - sometimes even on the job - but you've also got a higher standard now with regards to foremen, operators, etc. They are expected to do their jobs quickly, save the company as much money as they can, all while keeping the job as safe as possible.

They've become highly-trained, in-high-demand persons. It's not as simple on the inside as it looks from the outside.

 

[NOBama]

the materials used on those shovel ready projects are made by others, trucked there by others, managed and designed by others.....those businesses buy materials from others as well as hire accountants and finance people....

more than those shoveling will be working....is the hypothesis.

it is TRICKLE UP!

care

LOL! I guess we better start by building manufacturing facilities huh? I haven't heard much about that part of the plan.

But, keep dreaming, Care.

 

[KittenKoder]

the materials used on those shovel ready projects are made by others, trucked there by others, managed and designed by others.....those businesses buy materials from others as well as hire accountants and finance people....

more than those shoveling will be working....is the hypothesis.

it is TRICKLE UP!

care

LOL! I guess we better start by building manufacturing facilities huh? I haven't heard much about that part of the plan.

But, keep dreaming, Care.

That's what screwed us so much when the economy took the recent dip, we don't have enough manufacturing left to stand on our own two feet as a country. So yeah, we do need more.

 

[Bfgrn]

If I hear the term “Shovel Ready Jobs” one more time, I think I’m going to loose it. Who the hell wants a job that includes shoveling or physical labor for that matter??? Have you ever been on a construction jobsite? Most of the workers like androids powered by alcohol, drugs, ignorance, or a combination thereof, with few exceptions. Their knowledge is limited to the repetitiveness of the tasks they’re taught to perform. Those tasks are invariably dictated to them by foremen who are little more than liaisons between an engineering company and the robots performing the actual construction tasks.

So who are all these people that are going to fill these “shovel ready jobs” that are going to save the country and what are we going to do with them when the job is done or the money runs out?

This has to be the biggest joke perpetrated on the American people since the 16th amendment was passed.

I've been on thousands of construction sites, and your characterization is not only false, it shows your stupidity...

Kiss my ass you fucking puke.

How many jobsites have you been on pea brain?

Infrastructure improvement is beneficial to commerce...THE MARKET...

AND energy efficiency...less fuel burned in gridlock

AND the environment...less emissions into the atmosphere

AND health care...less illness due to pollution exasperated diseases.

AND businesses...less sick days of workers affected by those diseases...

AND businesses...less worker tardiness...

AND businesses...less transportation costs = more profit

AND consumers...less transportation costs = lower prices

AND...YOU

 

[alan1]

the materials used on those shovel ready projects are made by others, trucked there by others, managed and designed by others.....those businesses buy materials from others as well as hire accountants and finance people....

more than those shoveling will be working....is the hypothesis.

it is TRICKLE UP!

care

LOL! I guess we better start by building manufacturing facilities huh? I haven't heard much about that part of the plan.

But, keep dreaming, Care.

That's what screwed us so much when the economy took the recent dip, we don't have enough manufacturing left to stand on our own two feet as a country. So yeah, we do need more.

On the one hand, I have to agree, we do need more manufacturing jobs in this country.
But I have to ask, when was the last time you heard a congressman or president say they wanted their child to have manufacturing job? In my recollection, they just want my children to have manufacturing jobs or to be on the working end of a shovel.

 

[Annie]

Shockingly Illinois has lots of 'shovel ready' projects, because for the past 6 years nothing has been done:

No favoritism in giving out stimulus funds, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says -- baltimoresun.com

Incompetence and corruption pays off!

From the Chicago Tribune
No favoritism in giving out stimulus funds, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says
Illinois gets funds quickly because plans are ready, he says

By Rick Pearson | Tribune reporter
April 20, 2009
Illinois' long-dysfunctional government ultimately helped the state gain quick approval for a large share of federal stimulus money to fix roads and bridges, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Sunday.

LaHood, a former 14-year congressman from Peoria, was the first Republican that President Barack Obama, a former U.S. senator from Illinois, selected to his White House Cabinet. He told WGN-AM 720 "there is no favoritism" involved in the distribution of federal money, but instead said it was based on a long-standing formula for allocating highway funds to the states.

Illinois is getting more stimulus money for road and bridge projects than any other state, federal and Illinois officials have said. More than $600 million in funding has been approved for nearly 250 projects that state officials say could generate 9,000 jobs....

 

[KittenKoder]

LOL! I guess we better start by building manufacturing facilities huh? I haven't heard much about that part of the plan.

But, keep dreaming, Care.

That's what screwed us so much when the economy took the recent dip, we don't have enough manufacturing left to stand on our own two feet as a country. So yeah, we do need more.

On the one hand, I have to agree, we do need more manufacturing jobs in this country.
But I have to ask, when was the last time you heard a congressman or president say they wanted their child to have manufacturing job? In my recollection, they just want my children to have manufacturing jobs or to be on the working end of a shovel.

I have said for many years that Americans have lost a lot of work ethic, we shipped to many labor jobs to other countries (often in the guise of "saving the planet") and now suddenly it's wrong to dig in and do hard work. The labor jobs are an important part of a countries strength, but we forgot that. When we did have a ton of those jobs here, before the environuts and greedy folk moved all the plants out of the country, we were strong enough to survive any financial crisis. The biggest depression on record and in spite of all the bad things that happened here, we still prevailed. Now, we're screwed.

 

[NOBama]

If I hear the term “Shovel Ready Jobs” one more time, I think I’m going to loose it. Who the hell wants a job that includes shoveling or physical labor for that matter??? Have you ever been on a construction jobsite? Most of the workers like androids powered by alcohol, drugs, ignorance, or a combination thereof, with few exceptions. Their knowledge is limited to the repetitiveness of the tasks they’re taught to perform. Those tasks are invariably dictated to them by foremen who are little more than liaisons between an engineering company and the robots performing the actual construction tasks.

So who are all these people that are going to fill these “shovel ready jobs” that are going to save the country and what are we going to do with them when the job is done or the money runs out?

This has to be the biggest joke perpetrated on the American people since the 16th amendment was passed.

I've been around construction for quite a few years now and must say that while your assertion may be true in some cases, it is increasingly less accurate. I'll not deny that there are laborers/grunts who use and abuse both alcohol and drugs - sometimes even on the job - but you've also got a higher standard now with regards to foremen, operators, etc. They are expected to do their jobs quickly, save the company as much money as they can, all while keeping the job as safe as possible.

They've become highly-trained, in-high-demand persons. It's not as simple on the inside as it looks from the outside.

I agree. The construction industry is better than it once was and their are more "trained" workers. But, lets face facts, the majority of people on any construction site are grunts. Also, a lot of construction companies aren't even hiring labor jobs anymore. They go to day labor companies that offer minimum wage (or less than a living wage) and no benefits to the employee whatsoever.

 

[WillowTree]

most of the construction jobs are held by hispanics.. a lot of them illegal.. they work,, they work hard,, they don't pay taxes,, they send their money to mexico and they vote democrat... everybody is happy.. stimulus money make mexico happy!

 

[007]

If I hear the term “Shovel Ready Jobs” one more time, I think I’m going to loose it. Who the hell wants a job that includes shoveling or physical labor for that matter??? Have you ever been on a construction jobsite? Most of the workers like androids powered by alcohol, drugs, ignorance, or a combination thereof, with few exceptions. Their knowledge is limited to the repetitiveness of the tasks they’re taught to perform. Those tasks are invariably dictated to them by foremen who are little more than liaisons between an engineering company and the robots performing the actual construction tasks.

So who are all these people that are going to fill these “shovel ready jobs” that are going to save the country and what are we going to do with them when the job is done or the money runs out?

This has to be the biggest joke perpetrated on the American people since the 16th amendment was passed.

I've been around construction for quite a few years now and must say that while your assertion may be true in some cases, it is increasingly less accurate. I'll not deny that there are laborers/grunts who use and abuse both alcohol and drugs - sometimes even on the job - but you've also got a higher standard now with regards to foremen, operators, etc. They are expected to do their jobs quickly, save the company as much money as they can, all while keeping the job as safe as possible.

They've become highly-trained, in-high-demand persons. It's not as simple on the inside as it looks from the outside.

I agree. The construction industry is better than it once was and their are more "trained" workers. But, lets face facts, the majority of people on any construction site are grunts. Also, a lot of construction companies aren't even hiring labor jobs anymore. They go to day labor companies that offer minimum wage (or less than a living wage) and no benefits to the employee whatsoever.

You can thank the 20 million illegal aliens in this country for that.

 

[KittenKoder]

I've been around construction for quite a few years now and must say that while your assertion may be true in some cases, it is increasingly less accurate. I'll not deny that there are laborers/grunts who use and abuse both alcohol and drugs - sometimes even on the job - but you've also got a higher standard now with regards to foremen, operators, etc. They are expected to do their jobs quickly, save the company as much money as they can, all while keeping the job as safe as possible.

They've become highly-trained, in-high-demand persons. It's not as simple on the inside as it looks from the outside.

I agree. The construction industry is better than it once was and their are more "trained" workers. But, lets face facts, the majority of people on any construction site are grunts. Also, a lot of construction companies aren't even hiring labor jobs anymore. They go to day labor companies that offer minimum wage (or less than a living wage) and no benefits to the employee whatsoever.

You can thank the 20 million illegal aliens in this country for that.

Better, you can thank the millions of citizens unwilling to get a little dirty for that. They are filling a vacuum that shouldn't exist, if there wasn't a vacuum then they wouldn't benefit from being here so much (after we get rid of the other appealing factors of course).

 

[NOBama]

Why Shovel-Ready Infrastructure is Wrong (Right Now)

The term "shovel-ready"—as in, infrastructure projects that are ready or almost ready to begin—has become a favorite of policy makers in recent weeks. As the Senate gets ready to vote on a stimulus bill, it looks like the idea has stuck: The latest bill gives only projects that are able to start construction within 90 days eligibility for funding from the $90 billion set aside for infrastructure. Here is why the shovel-ready mandate could make the infrastructure crisis worse.

By Erik Sofge
Published on: February 5, 2009

The term arrived with all the muscle and blue-collar authority of a bulldozer: “shovel-ready.” As in, infrastructure projects that are ready or almost ready to begin, the antithesis of some dimly imagined earmark or budget-sucking bridge to nowhere. Then-president-elect Obama used the term on a December 7th visit to NBC’s Meet the Press, describing the kinds of projects that would be supported by the upcoming economic stimulus bill. Soon the phrase was being repeated by policy-makers only an almost daily basis. Now the bill is here, with one version passed by the House, and another being debated by the Senate. “Shovel-ready” isn’t language used in the bill, but the House’s version, at least, does have an enforceable short-term focus: Only projects that are able to start construction within 90 days of selection are eligible for funding from the $90 billion set aside for infrastructure.


From Buzzword to Multibillion-Dollar Policy

So what exactly is a shovel-ready project? As the Washington Post recently pointed out, the term “shovel-ready” may have been introduced in the 1990s by New York-based electric utility Niagara-Mohawk Power, which later became National Grid (it is the current owner of the URL shovelready.com). There are no specific parameters or requirements that define shovel readiness. But according to civil engineers, the idea behind this new buzzword could help scuttle the stimulus bill’s highly publicized, though secondary, goal of infrastructure reform. At issue is that 90-day restriction stipulated by Congress, an even narrower window than the bill’s original 180-day limit. “They’re well intentioned, and they know their infrastructure sucks, so they’re trying to do immediate reactive management to what is a very deep, endemic problem,” says Robert Bea, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. “If you want to patch some potholes in the road, this is a good program. But if you’re hoping for anything long-term with this approach, throw away all hope. It can’t happen.”

The programs that would meet the bill’s 90-day restriction are, for the most part, an unappealing mix of projects that were either shelved after being fully designed and engineered, and have since become outmoded or irrelevant, or projects with limited scope and ambition. No one’s building a smart electric grid or revamping a water system on 90 days notice. The best example of a shovel-ready project, and what engineers believe could become the biggest recipient of the transportation-related portion of the bill’s funding, is road resurfacing—important maintenance work, but not a meaningful way to rein in a national infrastructure crisis. “In developing countries, there are roads that are so bad, they create congestion, because drivers are constantly forced to slow down,” says David Levinson, an associate professor in the University of Minnesota’s civil engineering department. “That’s not the case here. If the road’s a little bit rougher, drivers will feel it, but that’s not going to cause you to go any slower. So the economic benefit of those projects is pretty low.”

Shovel-Ready Projects Show Shortsighted Thinking - Why Shovel-Ready Infrastructure is Wrong (Right Now) - Popular Mechanics