Shovel ready

Many people who understand the construction business were amused when President Obama spoke of “shovel ready jobs” because they were well aware of all the red tape involved in any new project. The President’s advisors were also in the dark since they likely had never built anything in their lives. The question then arises, why didn’t they go for repairing existing infrastructure. There are as many answers to that question as there are projects but there is one condition they all have in common. When you build a new project the local politicians all get in line at a ribbon cutting ceremony, with their picture in the paper and speeches about how they brought home the bacon. If you’re just going to repave a highway or replace some leaky water lines you won’t find the mayor praising your efforts. There is nothing glamorous about filling pot holes but it means a lot to the average Joe who has to drive around them.