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Whoops....looks like even economists can be wrong?

 

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/02/12...ounded-january/

 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29158095/

 

Not saying things won't get worse....but even economists don't have all the answers. Car sales increasing makes this more than post holiday increase.

 

This is why the stimulus bill has to be passed this week! By 2010 all that borrowing and spending down the road may not seem like such a good idea any more.

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It's getting worse and a little blip is not the how you look at an economy. It's still a mess and getting worse. That's the bad news.

 

The good news is that many new people will discover money and wealth because they didn't earn it.

 

The bailout is the dumbest thing we could have done.

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Whoops....looks like even economists can be wrong?

 

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/02/12...ounded-january/

 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29158095/

 

Not saying things won't get worse....but even economists don't have all the answers. Car sales increasing makes this more than post holiday increase.

 

 

Unfortunately, one month does not make for a trend. Probably a little rebound from people playing it overly cautious for the holidays. I think we will be well into this year before leading indicators offer up signs of any potential real turnaround.

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Right now people should be concentrating on just where they're going to spend their tax rebate money to jump start the economy. How much house will $400 a year buy?

 

 

If you are willing to move to the slums of Mumbai you could probably fare pretty well on the $400. Problem is that the plane ticket to get there wil cost you about 3X as much.

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It's getting worse and a little blip is not the how you look at an economy. It's still a mess and getting worse. That's the bad news.

 

The good news is that many new people will discover money and wealth because they didn't earn it.

 

The bailout is the dumbest thing we could have done.

 

I don't know... With regards to the stimulus, it looks like a good investment for the economy long-term by providing more money for necessary infrastructure rehabilitation.

 

Where I work:

 

For a major rehab it would cost 22 million... Now if we just let it sit and something happens like:

 

The sheet piling for the lock land wall and river walls have also been in service since the original construction of the lock (1960). O'Brien Rehabilitation Evaluation Report (dated March 2003, Revised June 2003) estimates that should one of the sheet pile cells rupture, T.J. O'Brien Lock would have an unscheduled closure to navigation for a minimum of 60-days. The transportation impacts associated with a 60 day closure would approach $18.3 million dollars. New lock dewatering bulkheads are needed to replace the old set of bulkheads that has been decommissioned due to age and deterioration.

 

Project Factsheet for:

Thomas J. O'Brien Lock and Controlling Works, Illinois Waterway, Illinois (Major Rehabilitation)

 

Project Location Information

Location:Entrance to Lake Michigan (River Mile 326.0), in Chicago, Illinois

 

River Basin(s): Illinois

 

State(s): IL

 

Congressional District(s): IL-2

 

Status

 

T. J. O'Brien Lock and Controlling Works were placed into operation in 1960. After 43 years of service reliability and operation, problems are a recurring threat and have significant impacts to the navigation users. A plan to reduce the width of the Chicago River in the City of Chicago, near the Chicago Lock has already rerouted the barge traffic using the Chicago Lock to the O'Brien Lock. Although this will not cause a significant change in traffic flow, it does mean that O'Brien will be the only commercial access from the Illinois Waterway to Lake Michigan.

 

The completed Rehabilitation Evaluation Report FY03 was approved in 2004. Awaiting new start.

 

 

Description

 

The project is located at the entrance to Lake Michigan (River Mile 326.0), Calumet River, in Chicago, Illinois. The facility is a unit of the Inland Waterway Navigation System and is one of nine such facilities between Chicago, Illinois, and La Grange, Illinois. O'Brien Lock is a low lift sector gate lock. It provides a maximum lift of 5.0 feet for traffic passing from Lake Michigan to the Little Calumet River. The lock chamber is 1000 feet long by 110 feet wide. The adjacent dam is 257 feet in length and comprised of two sections. The fixed section is 204 feet of steel sheet pile cellular construction. The controlling segment, a reinforced concrete structure with four slide gate sections, is 53 feet in length. Significant features of the work include rehabilitation of the sector gate electric system, the lock electrical distribution system, and injection grouting of the lock land & river walls cells.

 

The existing lock mechanical and electrical systems are original equipment installed in the 1960s. The electric power utility service was upgraded in 1998, but the other components have been in operation since the original construction of the lock. An electrical component failure of the lock electrical distribution system or the sector gate electrical system could result in lock failure, which could cause delays to navigation traffic. The sheet piling for the lock land wall and river walls have also been in service since the original construction of the lock. O'Brien Rehabilitation Evaluation Report (dated March 2003, Revised June 2003) estimates that should one of the sheet pile cells rupture, T.J. O'Brien Lock would have an unscheduled closure to navigation for a minimum of 60-days. The transportation impacts associated with a 60 day closure would approach $18.3 million dollars. New lock dewatering bulkheads are needed to replace the old set of bulkheads that has been decommissioned due to age and deterioration.

 

 

Summarized Financial Data

Rehabilitation Major Maintenance

Estimated Federal Cost $22,900,000 $9,366,000

Estimated Non-Federal Cost $0 $0

Total Estimated Project Cost $29,900,000 $9,366,000

 

Federal Allocations through FY 2008 $0 $0

Allocations for FY 2009 $0 $0

Budget Request for FY 2010 TBD $200,000

Balance to Complete after FY 2009 $22,900,000 $9,166,000

 

Major Work Item (Next Fiscal Year)

 

Once funding begins, $3M could be utilized to procure lock chamber bulkheads. Additional funding would be used to prepare Plans and Specifications and award a construction contract for rehabilitation of the facility.

 

Authority

CG - Construction General -- River and Harbor Act of 1930

 

 

IMO, 22 million sounds like a good investment considering that would get us another 50 years of economic service for the nation... Now consider should the unthinkable happen we start dinging the economy for 18 million every 60 days??

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I agree, but I do find it a bit amusing that even if 100% of citizens were against this, the gov't would do it anyways. What can we honestly do to prevent it?

 

Gov't, try just a select few within the Gov't

 

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=30697

 

 

In a press conference Thursday, the House Republican leadership spoke candidly about being kept out of the House-Senate conference on the Obama-Pelosi-Reid so-called “economic stimulus” bill. They confirmed they had not yet seen the text of the bill as of 4 p.m.

 

Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said he was unsure how many Democrats would vote with Republicans again on this bill but that he thought Republicans “may get a few” Democrats to side with them. The fact that the Demos have now broken their promise to have the public able to see the bill for 48 hours may drive more Dems into the Republican camp.

 

“I don’t know, ‘cause they haven’t seen the bill either,” Boehner said.

 

I'm the kind of person who thinks the public has the right to read any bill before Congress, Senate, State Houses, City Councils, School Boards, etc get to vote on it

 

But that article sounds like members of Congress, even Nancy's own party, aren't getting much chance to read it before having to cast their vote.

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