The sound of the shovels must never stop
Jan. 19th, 2009 05:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
womzillaOne of the terms which has thrust itself into the political discourse in recent months is "shovel-ready"--that is, infrastructure or other governmental construction projects that can start hiring and spending immediately. This concept is important because the Stimulus Package needs to start as soon as humanly possible; projects which will take six months of planning before laborers can be hired are important, too--after all, someone has to do the planning, and there are a lot of out-of-work engineers, too. But the greatest benefit is seen once projects start hiring the serious, less-skilled workers in great numbers. This concept shows up, among other places, in Krugthulhu's "What Obama Must Do: A Letter to the President", in last week's Rolling Stone.
He goes on to point out that there are other infrastructure projects (the upgraded electrical grid, universal broadband) and direct aid to the states for unemployment and other benefits that can consume stimulus money.
However, there's one thing I haven't seen anyone mention. For as long as I've been following politics beyond the top-level of elections, there's been a steady drumbeat of "public schools don't have enough money". My home town (lovely Yonkers, NY) came very close to completely canceling all extracurricular programs and the music and art programs about three years ago. Public schools strike me as an almost infinite potential recipient of money, and much of it can go to construction projects and low-skilled workers. Besides the fact that there are a lot of un- or under-employed people with valid teaching certificates, you don't need certification to be a classroom or library assistant, or a cafeteria monitor, or facilities staff. Increase the amount that schools can spend on lunches and improve the quality. Buy computers for entire classes. Similar spending can be pumped into public (and even private) colleges.
And putting money into the schools for warm bodies and equipment, as opposed to facilities, is infrastructure support; an entire generation of students are going to leave education and hit the job market every few months. The spending will help now; giving students better school experiences will help the world a year from now, and a decade, and a generation.
ETA: The new president's first radio address (24 Jan 09) included this specific bit of spending:
So, yay for first steps.
Traditional WPA-type programs — spending on roads, government buildings, ports and other infrastructure — are a very effective tool for creating employment. But America probably has less than $150 billion worth of such projects that are "shovel-ready" right now, projects that can be started in six months or less. So you'll have to be creative: You'll have to find lots of other ways to push funds into the economy.
He goes on to point out that there are other infrastructure projects (the upgraded electrical grid, universal broadband) and direct aid to the states for unemployment and other benefits that can consume stimulus money.
However, there's one thing I haven't seen anyone mention. For as long as I've been following politics beyond the top-level of elections, there's been a steady drumbeat of "public schools don't have enough money". My home town (lovely Yonkers, NY) came very close to completely canceling all extracurricular programs and the music and art programs about three years ago. Public schools strike me as an almost infinite potential recipient of money, and much of it can go to construction projects and low-skilled workers. Besides the fact that there are a lot of un- or under-employed people with valid teaching certificates, you don't need certification to be a classroom or library assistant, or a cafeteria monitor, or facilities staff. Increase the amount that schools can spend on lunches and improve the quality. Buy computers for entire classes. Similar spending can be pumped into public (and even private) colleges.
And putting money into the schools for warm bodies and equipment, as opposed to facilities, is infrastructure support; an entire generation of students are going to leave education and hit the job market every few months. The spending will help now; giving students better school experiences will help the world a year from now, and a decade, and a generation.
ETA: The new president's first radio address (24 Jan 09) included this specific bit of spending:
To ensure our children can compete and succeed in this new economy, we’ll renovate and modernize 10,000 schools, building state-of-the-art classrooms, libraries, and labs to improve learning for over five million students. We’ll invest more in Pell Grants to make college affordable for seven million more students, provide a $2,500 college tax credit to four million students, and triple the number of fellowships in science to help spur the next generation of innovation.
So, yay for first steps.
