Obama to unveil $300 billion transportation infrastructure plan

[ProSense]

Obama to unveil $300 billion transportation infrastructure plan

Article by: COREY MITCHELL

The president also plans to announce more funding for the federal grant competition that helped fund the renovation of St. Paul’s Union Depot.

Washington – During his visit to St. Paul on Wednesday, President Obama will unveil plans for a burst of spending on transportation and infrastructure projects, a proposal the White House says will save middle class jobs and provide an overdue investment in the country’s foundation.

Obama will detail his four-year $302 billion proposal that calls for building, fixing or maintaining thousands of miles of roads and rail lines. The president wants to use revenue from closing tax loopholes to raise the necessary funds.

The president will also announce more funding for the federal grant competition that helped fund St. Paul’s newly renovated Union Depot, which will serve as the backdrop for his visit. After a $243 million renovation, the Union Depot reopened late in 2012 as a new transit hub that will handle buses, light rail, taxis, bicycles and passenger trains.

Obama has toured the country in recent weeks, pitching economic plans he unveiled in his State of the Union Address, including calling on Congress to increase the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour, extend emergency unemployment benefits and hiking transportation funding.

- more -

http://www.startribune.com/politics/statelocal/247227101.html

[polichick]

1. Well, Lord knows the U.S. is crumbling! Good move.

[ProSense]

2. Kick! n/t

[ProSense]

3. FACT SHEET: President Obama Lays Out Vision for 21st Century Transportation Infrastructure

FACT SHEET: President Obama Lays Out Vision for 21st Century Transportation Infrastructure

On February 26th, the President will speak at the historic Union Depot train station in Saint Paul, Minnesota, where he will launch a competition for $600 million in competitive transportation funding and outline his vision for investing in America’s infrastructure with a $302 billion, four year surface transportation reauthorization proposal. The President will continue to act when he can to promote job growth in the transportation sector and put more Americans back to work repairing and modernizing our roads, bridges, railways, and transit systems, and will also work with Congress to act to ensure critical transportation programs continue to be funded and do not expire later this year.

- more -

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/02/26/fact-sheet-president-obama-lays-out-vision-21st-century-transportation-i

[Romulox]

4. He should have proposed a meaningful public works/infrastructure plan in his first term. nt

[ProSense]

5. He did several times, and don't worry

I'm not going to provide a blue linky to prove that you don't have the facts straight.

[Romulox]

6. Democrats had the House, the Senate, and Presidency. Who stopped him then?

[ProSense]

7. Did Democrats pass a nearly $800 billion stimulus bill?

Did you read this part of the OP:

The president will also announce more funding for the federal grant competition that helped fund St. Paul’s newly renovated Union Depot, which will serve as the backdrop for his visit. After a $243 million renovation, the Union Depot reopened late in 2012 as a new transit hub that will handle buses, light rail, taxis, bicycles and passenger trains.

[Romulox]

11. It wasn't enough to bring back our economy to pre crisis levels. It wasn't enough.

Stock market has soared to new height, though.

[ProSense]

13. Oh BS, and you denied infrastructure spending. So stop deflecting to the recovery. n/t

[Romulox]

15. LOL. This is pathetic, even for you. At least give me some links!

[ProSense]

17. You're asking for "links"?

Talk about "pathetic." I mean, if you were offered a link, you'd have rejected it.

Stop posting self-portraits.

[Romulox]

19. I just think you should do what you know. A lot of involved back-and-forth really isn't your thing.

[geek tragedy]

14. oy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Recovery_and_Reinvestment_Act_of_2009

[Romulox]

18. We're teetering on the brink of another recession not having fully recovered from the last. ARRA

was 1/3 tax cuts IIRC, and funded a lot of poorly thought out and wasteful projects. It was never conceived as a broad-based jobs creation project on the scale of those rolled out by FDR during the Depression.

[geek tragedy]

22. "a lot of poorly thought out and wasteful projects"

thank you for the RNC's dishonest talking points, we haven't heard them enough.

[ProSense]

20. And then there was this

In Sept 2010, Obama offered an infrastructure jobs plan. In March, Kerry proposed the BUILD Act.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x683513


And in 2011:

<...>

The request is a 53 percent increase over the $76.5 billion expected to be spent in fiscal 2010. Transportation traditionally has been funded with multi-year programs that allow planners to tackle projects with confidence that the money is guaranteed. The last authorization - a five-year, $285 billion package - expired in September 2009, and approval of a reauthorization proposal has been stalled in Congress.

On Monday, the president proposed that $128 billion be the first expenditure in a new six-year, $556 billion plan.

The administration wants to invest $8 billion in the coming year, and $53 billion over the following six, to develop high-speed and intercity rail service. The long-term plan would provide $30 billion for a National Infrastructure Bank, a creation intended to move decisions about transportation projects outside the sphere of political influence.

<...>

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/14/AR2011021406640.html

Some people just like to talk crap and they're not even paying attention.

[JoePhilly]

9. Too late, too soon, too big, too small, wrong time, wrong focus ...

bully pulpit, pretty speech.

[pothos]

8. $300 billion?

tripling that would barely put a dent in the crumbling shit system we call infrastructure.

[FSogol]

12. Better than the $0 billion the Republicans want to spend.

[Coyotl]

16. Yes, this will make a huge difference, but more will be needed and easier to pass

after the republicans lose the House.

[FSogol]

10. K & R. n/t

[FreeJoe]

21. Interesting to see how they fund this

Ideally, it would be funded from an increase in gas taxes. While gas taxes are good from a pigovian tax standpoint, the downside is that they are regressive. I'd like to see them increase substantially with an offset by lower wage taxes at the low end. Phase in the increase over time to give people a chance to adjust their lifestyles.

[ProSense]

23. Kick! n/t

[mcar]

24. K&R

I worry about the effect this harsh winter is having on bridges and other infrastructure. This is a timely proposal.