Posted on 01/04/2009 9:16:05 AM PST by Lorianne
Recently there has been some national media coverage regarding a report submitted to Congress from the U.S. Conference of Mayors. The report lists over 11,300 ‘ready to go’ projects from 421 cities, including Hercules. The media has chosen to focus on a few projects such as parks, exhibits and art pieces in an attempt to make their news stories more controversial. The media has classified these projects as ‘pork’ and while we are honored they would recognize our wonderful community, they have failed to address the larger issue and purpose of the report.
Each project listed includes an estimate for the number of jobs that would be created, in addition to the funding needed. If funding was available for all the projects, an estimated 847,641 jobs would be created. In November, President Elect Barak Obama made job creation his top priority in his economic recovery plan. The President Elect understands the importance of Americans having jobs and the need for the Federal government to act quickly. Cities shouldn’t, and probably don’t, expect Congress to just write them a blank check, but the report is intended to show Congress that cities do have projects ready to go, to put people to work and to put people to work quickly.
In November, the U.S. Conference of Mayors began building an Infrastructure Stimulus Plan and requested ‘ready to go’ projects from cities in ten areas such as transit equipment and infrastructure, schools, city streets, water and wastewater, public safety, and community development block grants. Based on these categories and each project’s status, twenty projects were submitted from our 2008-2010 Capital Improvement Projects list. These projects would create 4,782 jobs and for a community of our size, that is quite a large number. Some of the larger projects, not mentioned, include Sycamore Downtown, the Intermodal Transit Center, a police substation, and intersection/arterial road improvements.
Another issue that has been neglected by the national media is the amount of money cities are losing to their states. The State of California has already taken $350 million in redevelopment funds away from local governments. To add to the State’s economic woes, the take away is to fund day to day expenses, some of which have already been accumulated, not to create more jobs or programs. As the California Redevelopment Association explains, this take away causes thousands of jobs to be lost and actually acts as a brake on the economy, rather than a stimulus. For Hercules, this take away amounts to over $1 million and an estimated loss of 91 jobs. Even though the job loss number may be relatively small, the total estimated job loss in California is over 31,000. Thus, adding to the need for local governments to take their concerns to Congress.
Despite the media stories focused only on finding controversy, it is important for our community to understand the real issue: job creation. Some are condemning the park and recreation projects as a waste, but any job that puts someone to work is vital to both that individual, our community’s, and our nation’s, overall economic well-being. If just 50% of the projects included in the U.S. Conference of Mayors report were funded, that would lead to almost 424,000 jobs, not to mention the potential job creation if the projects with the largest amount of jobs were chosen. So the next time you hear a Hercules project called pork, or a poor use of tax dollars, think of the individuals that would be put to work because of it. They may not be so quick to call it a waste.
In addition to this press release, a letter to the editors of the Wall Street Journal and West County Times has also been submitted by the City.
meanwhile, CA goes bankrupt
Then its pork, you dissembling city bureaucrat.
How bout we build more prisons for thieves that do this? I'd support that.
Hercules is the armpit of the Bay Area.
Great! All the more reason for me to pay to fix up the place!
This typical Gov’t nabob ignores any return on investment criteria.
The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith always comes to mind for me. When you get done spending your wealth you should have something that generates more wealth. Lawyers and social services do not generate more wealth.
To Hercules: The question that still bother me about the this “create 4,782 jobs” are the following: 1) How many unemployed are there in Hercules?, 2) When creating these construction jobs how many positions will be able to accommodate no construction experience service workers that are unemployed. The service workers will not go back to work just because of new construction jobs alone their skills service the entire economic spectrum.
The amount of money they are talking about is equal to about $34,000.00 for every man/woman/child in the USA!
It once was a quaint little factory town, ( a neighbor’s grandparents lived there, we’d go over and explore the shoreline ). The Hercules company sold off the land, developers razed the “quaint” homes and put up McHomes. There wasn’t a single shop or store in the “city”. I can only imagine , 30+ years later, it undoubtedly is an a armpit..
What does one expect when one of our President's major response to a serious attack is for everyone to ‘Keep shopping’ (Presumably for foreign made goods)
We have been exporting out standard of living and importing Third World standards for the past thirty years. This is true no matter how the theorists try to extol the virtues of Globalism.
Agreed but these were McHomes built in the late 70s and early 80s (when tract homes were really built like garbage), so they are all deteriorating now. I had to spend a bit of time around there on a campaign in 2000.
One of the things I've noticed is that you know a neighborhood is going to crap when each house starts having lots of cars parked around it - like three or four borderline junkers per 1900 square foot tract home, with the inevitable oil stains along the street. That's Hercules. And paint, they are all badly in need of paint. It's too bad. They actually have some decent views on the hills up there. It could have been a nice place if it had been built with a bit more thought.
If they are going to spend money to create jobs, at least they should be jobs that help the bottom line for business. Are they sewer systems that will increase the capacity for growth in an area and serve business? Are they road improvements, bridge and railroad repairs that will support the transportation of goods and the bottom line of business? Are they large levy and flood control projects that will protect built areas from substantial flood loss?
We don’t need park and quality of life projects that just feel good. We need projects that will support or improve future productive capacity or reduce liability and increased future costs.
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