[quote=briansd1][quote=Allan from Fallbrook] the existing public works system is COMPLETELY INCAPABLE of taking that sort of money in right now and putting it to beneficial use. [/quote]

That’s a different argument, Allan.

We can reform the public works system.

By beef is with ideological rigid right-wingers who claim that government, any government, is incapable. Not true.[/quote]

Brian: Uh, NO, that’s NOT a different argument, Bunkie, and, NO, the public works system does NOT need to be reformed (which proves how truly little you do know about it).

That is THE salient element to the argument. What you’re essentially saying is that a 12oz glass can be REFORMED into a 48oz glass, and thus handle the extra water being poured into it. My argument is that you’ll need four 12oz glasses to handle the extra capacity and that, until you have them, all that extra water will simply sit idle. Different things entirely.

You, however, enjoy the “academic” nature of the discussion without ever realizing how things work in the real world. The existing public works system doesn’t need reform, it needs to gear up to handle the extra money and best determine it’s allocation. This all takes time, NOT reform, and that’s what you and Krugman have no clue about. Nope, far simpler to keep it academic and just dump the money in there and hope for the best. Well, as the old man used to say, Hope is not a plan.

Like I said, inform yourself before coming up with specious, fact-free arguments. And stop playing the right-wing straw man game. Anyone who argues that government is not competent at this point as regards infrastructure spending is entirely CORRECT. As Obama himself admitted, “Those shovel-ready projects weren’t all that shovel-ready”. Could not have said it better myself. Obama and Co., like you, had no idea how things work in the real world of public works construction and thus got blindsided by reality.