tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26974845.post4402615204043456940..comments2024-03-28T03:16:23.997-04:00Comments on Baltimore InnerSpace: Stimulus in MarylandGerald Neilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03765375014163120449noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26974845.post-15442750388969440332009-02-20T21:13:00.000-05:002009-02-20T21:13:00.000-05:00Well, let's face it. The stim package is not fres...Well, let's face it. The stim package is not fresh, outta the box thinking. It is juicing up a slew of existing programs and just tossing more cash into what has been going on for a long time. Infrastructure SOUNDS good because of our history with the WPA and CCC (which recruited labor from among the unemployed down-and-out, and thus differ from the current program, most likely to benefit card carrying members of the heavy operators' local) and then a bunch of works programs in the late 70's-early 80's. Sure, it creates short-term work for some construction workers - then you are left with whatever residual benefit the actual object of construction can yield. So, yes, you'd hope the states are prioritizing well. But I'm far too cynical to think that'll happen in those now smoke-free back rooms where the deals are cut.Benhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13298907000328055519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26974845.post-5288916270914588072009-02-16T17:07:00.000-05:002009-02-16T17:07:00.000-05:00Smart words.And isn't spending on highways jus...Smart words.<BR/>And isn't spending on highways just encouraging sprawl & inefficiency? It feels like they're working off of an old model...<BR/><BR/>And FYI, we've linked to your blog from our blog!<BR/><BR/>http://www.urbandiscoveriesblog.comrachelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10169907005558949271noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26974845.post-27255766908767318332009-02-09T11:54:00.000-05:002009-02-09T11:54:00.000-05:00If small businesses are the engines of economic gr...If small businesses are the engines of economic growth, but infrastructure spending is the preferred method of lawmakers, it seems to me there is a path to synergy. Here a good portion of infrastructure spending could be devoted to funding the rail transit lines we so desperately need--lines that could connect existing thriving commercial areas with new customers, and make less viable commercial corridors more viable by infusing these struggling/underdeveloped districts with a new potential customer base that has a readily available and convenient way to reach these new retail districts. I have read that infrastructure spending works best when it is spent on projects that have benefits going forward. I can't think of a more beneficial infrastructure project for the city of Baltimore in the present and in the future than a real rail transit system.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com