Yeah I guess the head of DOTD is a terrible person to listen to. And you're still not getting the point. Whether it's 380 or 530, the reality is there was 1.3 billion of shovel ready projects. That's just in the state of LA. How many other shovel ready projects are being neglected for pet projects.
prove it. Your reference is someone on the radio. Whos number was wrong and you admitted it in your post, what else could he be wrong about?
Correct. However, much fewer people go to work in the planning phase than in the construction phase. Also, there's a little thing called eminent domain that slows the process. It stimulates, in the near term, much less than shovel ready projects. You have no idea what you're talking about and it shows here. Material contractors will start buying and fabricating pieces of a rail car project before plans are drawn? Or even before the land is secured? Not a chance. Jeez, give me a break. This was sold as a near term stimulus package. Even the dems and the chosen one were saying this is for immediate impact into the economy. No doubt we have to stimulate the economy over 3 or 4 years minimum but we need to take one step at a time. The near term is what could throw us into a depression not 3 years down the road. In three years, we'll be in it or we won't and it depends on what we do in the next 6-12 months.
Come on MM, you can do better than that. I never said my number was wrong. Please read thoroughly before you post. There is a conflict in the numbers, that's what I conceded. My guess would be the head of DOTD was discussing DOTD projects and not all transportation projects in the state. None of this matters, as I stated when I said whether it's 380 million or 530 million, shovel ready projects were supposed to be first and they weren't.
Mob, isnt that up to the governor, I mean he is seriously discussing not taking the money which will seriously be his downfall. If the DOTD has projects that will create long-term jobs, then money should go their first. Also if they have 1.3 billion in these projects including a 2 billion dollar budget shortfall, where do you think the money is going first. I'll tell you to balance the budget. Jindal isnt as stupid as he looks.
The money allocated for DOTD projects cannot be used to shore up the budget shortfall. The money will be assigned to the DOTD fund. At the end of the day there will still be a 1.3 billion dollar shortfall less any amount that applies to unfunded DOTD projects in the budget already.
Thanks for clearing that up, I cant find any link to show where all of the money for Louisiana is going to be allocated.
Maybe it is up to the governor, I don't know. I assume the head of DOTD has the authority to talk about what projects are going to be going on. I can't imagine Jindal not taking the money. It would be political suicide. I think he was just trying to make a point and leverage his position as the head of the republican party with the statements he made. This is the point. This money needs to go to infrastructure and Jindal knows that. Jindal has been working to balance the budget as best he can without the stimulus package. I'm not versed well enough to know if there is money set aside to balance state budgets. I feel like the shovel ready proejcts are more important now than balancing the budget by infusing cash. If we balance the budget, it should be done by decreasing spending, which is what Jindal was working on at one point. note: as supafan pointed out, these funds cannot be redirected by the governor. By the way, my number was wrong. He must have said $308 million because that is what's on the website. http://www.dotd.la.gov/pressreleases/release.aspx?key=986
Oh really? Do you imagine that they wait five years and then everything is started all at once? No one said they would begin building before plans were drawn, but much ordering can begin before plans are finalized. It will take years to construct all of the concrete crossties needed to lay from vegas to LA. They'll build a special concrete plant to do it. The amount of power line, rail, and overhead cables is staggering, too. Those are standard items and they don't have to wait on new designs for that and they won't wait until the last minute to start fabrication. The trains themselves will also be ordered early and fabrication begun so that they will be available when the line is ready. Where? I've already posted the bill and it says nothing of the kind. Exactly what I've been saying! The Stimulus isn't an either/or issue. There is money both for immediate and sustained stimulus here, which makes a lot of sense.
