Fool Me Twice

by Aaron Klein

  31. James A. Glasscock [retired clergyman], “Obama’s Rebuild America Act Ignores History and Is Doomed to Fail,” PhillyBurbs.com, December 26, 2011, http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/local/courier_times_news/opinion/guest/obama-s-rebuild-america-act-ignores-history-and-is-doomed/article_ea144830-4c75-59b8-8a80-98a6c0087e82.html.

  32. Press Release: “Lautenberg Introduces 21st Century WPA Job Creation Legislation. Job Creation Must be Top Priority for Economic Recovery,” Office of Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ), September 7, 2011, http://lautenberg.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=333977.

  33. Ibid.

  34. “21st Century WPA Can Create Millions of Jobs,” GOIAM.org, January 24, 2012, http://www.goiam.org/index.php/imail/latest/9736-21st-century-wpa-can-create-millions-of-jobs.

  35. Board of Directors, Economic Policy Institute, http://www.epi.org/about/board/. R. Thomas Buffenbarger, Our Team, America’s Agenda, http://www.americasagenda.org/Background/Our-Team/R--Thomas-Buffenbarger.aspx. Profile: R. Thomas Buffenbarger, Bloomberg Businessweek, http://investing.businessweek.com.

  36. Tom Buffenbarger, “A New WPA by Next Labor Day,” Talking Union /Democratic Socialists of America, September 5, 2011, https://talkingunion.wordpress.com/2011/09/05/a-new-wpa-by-next-labor-day/.

  37. “Paul Krugman—Obama Is a Mistake,” YouTube, April 5, 2011. Video of Krugman speaking before the Carnegie Council was uploaded by PaulKrugmanBlog.

  38. Paul Krugman, “Deep Hole Economics,” New York Times, January 3, 2012, https://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/03/opinion/03krugman.html?_r=1.

  39. “More about the WPA,” The Lilly Library, University of Indiana at Bloomington, http://www.indiana.edu/~liblilly/wpa/wpa_info.html. Sources: Jeffrey B. Morris and Richard B. Morris, eds., Encyclopedia of American History, 7th ed., 1996 and Thomas H. Johnson, The Oxford Companion to American History, 1966.

  40. Lewis Meriam and Laurence F. Schmeckebier, Reorganization of the National Government: What Does It Involve? (Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution, 1939), 98.

  41. Ibid., 99.

  42. S.1517 21st Century WPA Act introduced September 7, 2011, by sponsor Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ), http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c112:S.1517.

  43. 21st Century WPA Act introduced September 7, 2011.

  44. Megan Carpentier, “New Jersey Sen. Lautenberg Says It’s Time for a New WPA,” The Raw Story, October 18, 2011, http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/10/18/new-jersey-sen-lautenberg-says-its-time-for-a-new-wpa/.

  45. “Taxpayer’s Tab Issue #32,” NationalTaxpayers Union Foundation, September 20, 2011, http://www.ntu.org/ntuf/taxpayerstab/2-32.html.

  46. Lawrence Mishel, “Stop Digging Us into an Ever Deeper Hole! Or, How Not to Argue for the Payroll Tax Holiday,” Economic Policy Institute, December 1, 2011, http://www.epi.org/blog/stop-digging-deeper-hole-argue-payroll-tax/.

  47. H.R. 494, 21st Century Civilian Conservation Corps Act introduced January 26, 2011, by sponsor Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/D?d112:2:./temp/~bdHqjO::|/home/LegislativeData.php|.

  48. The People’s Budget, Budget of the Congressional Progressive Caucus Fiscal Year 2012, http://cpc.grijalva.house.gov/files/The_CPC_FY2012_Budget.pdf.

  49. “Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), 1933–1941,” u-s-history.com, http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1586.html.

  50. “Taxpayer’s Tax Vol. 1 Issue 23,” December 14, 2010, http://www.ntu.org/ntuf/taxpayerstab/23.html.

  51. Presidential Memorandum—America’s Great Outdoors for the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality, Office of the White House Press Secretary, April 16, 2010, http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/presidential-memorandum-americas-great-outdoors.

  52. Ned Sullivan, “The Key to the Success of the America’s Great Outdoors Initiative,” Daily Green, March 8, 2011, http://www.thedailygreen.com/living-green/blogs/easy-tips/land-and-water-conservation-fund. Land and Water Conservation Fund, U.S. Forest Service, http://www.fs.fed.us/land/staff/LWCF/index.shtml.

  53. Kurt Repanshek, “Can We Afford the America’s Great Outdoors Initiative?” National Parks Traveler, February 21, 2011, http://www.nationalparkstrav eler.com/2011/02/can-we-afford-americas-great-outdoors-initiative7654.

  54. Ibid.

  55. Barack Obama, State of the Union, January 24, 2012.

  56. Nick Snow, “White House Retains Oil Tax Increases in Proposed 2013 Budget,” Oil & Gas Journal, February 13, 2012, http://www.ogj.com/articles/2012/02/white-house-retains-oil-tax-increases-in-proposed-2013-budget.html.

  57. “America’s Great Outdoors: Building a Conservation Legacy from the Ground Up,” Center for American Progress, February 24, 2011, http://www.americanprogress.org/events/2011/02/publiclands.html.

  58. “Obama ‘Youth Corps’ to ‘Use Crisis as an Opportunity’ to ‘Transform America’,” P/Oed Patriot, March 20, 2011, http://www.poedpatriot.com/2011/03/obama-youth-corps-to-use-crisis-as.html.

  59. 21st Century Conservation Service Corps website, http://youthgo.gov/employment-program/21st-century-conservation-service-corps.

  60. Partner, 21st Century Conservation Service Corps, http://youthgo.gov/partner.

  61. Charles Pekow, “21st Century Conservation Service Corps Committee Seeks Public Ideas,” Examiner.com, January 25, 2012, http://www.examiner.com/outdoor-recreation-in-washington-dc/21st-century-conservation-service-corps-committee-seeks-public-ideas. Bob Berwin, “New Version of Civilian Conservation Corps Planned,” SummitCountyCitizensVoice.com, December 12, 2011, http://summitcountyvoice.com/2011/12/12/new-version-civilian-conservation-corps-planned/.

  62. Charter, 21st Century Conservation Service Corps Advisory Committee, Office of the Great Outdoors, U.S. Department of Interior, http://www.doi.gov/21csc/history/charter.cfm.

  63. 21st Century Conservation Service Corps Advisory Committee, U.S. Department of the Interior, http://www.doi.gov/21CSC/index.cfm.

  64. Charter, 21st Century Conservation Service Corps Advisory Committee.

  65. “Emergency Jobs to Restore the American Dream Act,” Official Website of Representative Jan Schakowsky, http://schakowsky.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2975&Itemid=8.

  66. Jan Schakowsky, “Discover the Networks,” http://www.discoverthenet works.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=1506.

  67. H.R., 2914, Emergency Jobs to Restore the American Dream Act introduced September 14, 2011, by Rep. Janice D. Schakowsky (D-IL), Thomas.loc.gov, http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/D?d112:1:./temp/~bduqRL::|/home/LegislativeData.php|.

  68. H.R.2855 Emergency Jobs Now Act introduced September 7, 2011, by Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/D?d112:1:./temp/~bdnPij::|/home/LegislativeData.php|.

  69. Fieldhouse and Thiess, “The Restore the American Dream for the 99% Act.”

  70. “Clean Energy Corps Proposed to Create Jobs, Fight Global Warming,” Environment News Service, March 2, 2009, http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/mar2009/2009-03-02-093.asp.

  71. Michelle Chen, “Fixing Schools: A Smart Plan for Jobs,” In These Times, August 19, 2011, http://www.inthesetimes.com/working/entry/11849/fixing_schools_can_be_a_smart_plan_for_jobs/. FAST! An infrastructure program to repair public schools, Economic Policy Institute, August 11, 2011, http://www.epi.org/publication/fast_an_infrastructure_program_to_repair_public_schools/.

  72. Isaiah J. Poole, “How to Create 5 Million Jobs in Two Years,” Campaign for America’s Future, December 14, 2011 http://www.ourfuture.org/blog-entry/2011125014/how-create-5-million-jobs-two-years.

  73. Civil Bob, “Schakowsky’s Emergency Bill Explains Why We Have No Jobs,” Civil Candor, October 6, 2011, http://civilcandor.com/schako wsky%E2%80%99s-emergency-bill-explains-why-we-have-no-jobs/.

  74. Fieldhouse and Thiess, “The Restore the American Dream for the 99% Act,” December 13, 2011.

  75. Chen, “Fixing Schools: A Smart Plan for Jobs.�
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  76. Civil Bob, “Schakowsky’s Emergency Bill Explains Why We Have No Jobs.”

  77. Barack Obama, State of the Union, January 24, 2012.

  78. Brian Koenig, “Obama Seeks $5 Billion For Veterans Jobs Corps Proposal,” New American, February 3, 2012, http://thenewamerican.com/usnews/politics/10762-obama-seeks-5-billion-for-veterans-jobs-corps-proposal.

  79. Rick Maze, “Post-9/11 Veterans Unemployment Drops in Jan.,” Army Times, February 3, 2012, http://www.armytimes.com/news/2012/02/military-post-911-veterans-unemployment-falls-in-january-020312w/.

  80. Kevin Freking, “Administration Unveils Veterans Jobs Corps,” Associated Press in Army Times, February 3, 2012, http://www.armytimes.com/news/2012/02/ap-military-veterans-jobs-corps-unveiled-020312/.

  Chapter 6: Blueprint for a New Economy, National Infrastructure Bank

  1. Full transcript as prepared for delivery of President Barack Obama’s inaugural remarks at the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., January 20, 2009, http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Inauguration/president-obama-inauguration-speech-transcript/story?id=6689022&page=1.

  2. Jeff Zeleny and David M. Herszenhorn, “Obama Again Raises Estimate of Jobs His Stimulus Plan Will Create or Save,” New York Times, January 10, 2009, https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/11/us/politics/11radio.html.

  3. William McGurn, “The Media Fall for Phony ‘Jobs’ Claims. The Obama Numbers Are Pure Fiction,” Wall Street Journal, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124451592762396883.html.

  4. Ibid.

  5. Ibid.

  6. Ibid.

  7. “Obama Tells Economic Critics to ‘Get Out of the Way’,” FoxNews.com, August 7, 2009, http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/08/07/obama-tells-economic-critics-way/.

  8. “Obama: I Don’t Want the Folks Who Created the Mess to Do a Lot of Talking,” YouTube.com, August 7, 2009, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jifjRVLVjzA.

  9. Transcript of President Barack Obama’s 2012 State Of The Union Address, House of Representatives, U.S. Capitol, January 24, 2012, http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2012/01/24/transcript_of_president_obamas_2012_state_of_the_union_address_112893.html.

  10. Chris Edwards, “Infrastructure Projects to Fix the Economy? Don’t Bank on It,” Washington Post, October 21, 2011, http://www.cato.org/publications/commentary/infrastructure-projects-fix-economy-dont-bank-it.

  11. Chris Edwards and Peter Van Doren, “Jumping off the Government Bridge,” National Review, December 9, 2008, http://www.cato.org/publications/commentary/jumping-government-bridge.

  12. “Obama’s Speech in Janesville, Wisconsin,” Council on Foreign Relations, February 13, 2008, http://www.cfr.org/us-election-2008/obamas-speech-janesville-wisconsin/p15492.

  13. Ethan Pollack, Street Smart—Reforming the Transportation Budget Process, Economic Policy Institute, December 10, 2009, http://www.epi.org/publication/bp254/.

  14. Herman B. Leonard, Checks Unbalanced: The Quiet Side of Public Spending (New York: Basic Books, 1986), 164.

  15. Ibid.

  16. Ibid.

  17. Ibid.

  18. Ibid.

  19. Heidi Crebo-Rediker and Douglas Rediker, Financing America’s Infrastructure: Putting Global Capital to Work, New American Foundation, June 2008, http://www.newamerica.net/files/Financing_America_Infrastructure.PDF.

  20. Profile: New America Foundation, Discover the Networks, http://discover thenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=7616.

  21. Crebo-Rediker and Rediker, Financing America’s Infrastructure.

  22. Press Release: “Infrastructure Bank Legislation Garners Strong Support,” Official Website of Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro (D-CT), May 20, 2009, http://delauro.house.gov/release.cfm?id=2553.

  23. Crebo-Rediker and Rediker, Financing America’s Infrastructure.

  24. S.1926 National Infrastructure Bank Act of 2007 introduced August 1, 2007, by sponsor Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (D-CT), http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:SN01926:.

  25. Ken Orski, “Senate Committee Highlights Dodd-Hagel ‘Infrastructure Bank’ Bid,” CascadiaProspectus.org, March 25, 2008, http://www.cascadi aprospectus.org/2008/03/dodd_hagel_propose_national_in.php.

  26. H.R.3401 National Infrastructure Bank Act of 2007, introduced August 3, 2007, by sponsor Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), http://thomas.loc.gov/cgibin/bdquery/z?d110:HR03401.

  27. Orski, “Senate Committee Highlights Dodd-Hagel ‘Infrastructure Bank’ Bid.”

  28. Ibid.

  29. “Felix Rohatyn on an Infrastructure Investment Bank,” Center for Strategic and International Studies, March 13, 2008, http://csis.org/testimony/felix-rohatyn-infrastructure-investment-bank.

  30. Christopher J. Dodd, “Infrastructure and Job Creation—a Priority for Urban America,” National Urban League. The State of Black America, 2009, 101+.

  31. Press release, Center for Strategic and International Studies, undated 2008, http://www.stanford.edu/~jgrimmer/Website/Joint/File970.txt.

  32. Ibid.

  33. Keith Laing, “Obama Pushes for Infrastructure Bank Proposal after Debt Deal,” The Hill, July 11, 2011, http://thehill.com/blogs/transportation-report/highways-bridges-and-roads/170681-obama-pushes-for-infra structure-bank-proposal-after-debt-deal.

  34. Press Release: Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) Testimony Before the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, September 10, 2010, http://kerry.senate.gov/press/release/?id=4ecea306-d131-400c-9d96-1227cb356b15.

  35. Ed Pilkington, “Obama Enters Mid-Terms Campaign with $50bn Infrastructure Plan. President on the Road to Persuade Voters Economy Is Safe in His Hands, Ahead of Elections Expected to Be Tough on Democrats,” Guardian (UK), September 6, 2010, http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/sep/06/obama-mid-terms-campaign-economy. Press Release: “Bill Will Boost Obama Infrastructure Plan,” Official Website of Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), September 6, 2010, http://kerry.senate.gov/press/release/?id=d2b3c52b-5d59-40ef-abb9-5d0bff5b2e78.

  36. About, European Investment Bank, http://www.eib.org/about/index.htm.

  37. Ibid.

  38. Zachary A. Goldfarb, “S&P Downgrades U.S. Credit Rating for First Time,” Washington Post, August 5, 2011, http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/sandp-considering-first-downgrade-of-us-credit-rating/2011/08/05/gIQAqKeIxI_story.html.

  39. Press Release: “Testifying In Favor of National Infrastructure Bank,” Official Website of Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), September 21, 2010, http://kerry.senate.gov/press/release/?id=4ecea306-d131-400c-9d96-1227cb356b15.

  40. BUILD ACT, March 15, 2011, http://kerry.senate.gov/work/issues/issue/?id=22C909EF-1B4D-4454-BDBF-257AA80DC02A. “Sen. Kerry Introduces New Infrastructure Bank Bill,” DC.StreetsBlog.org, March 15, 2011, http://dc.streetsblog.org/2011/03/15/sen-kerry-introduces-new-infrastructure-bank-bill/. Michael Cooper, “Group Wants New Bank to Finance Infrastructure,” New York Times, March 15, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/16/us/politics/16infrastructure.html.

  41. Ibid.

  42. Vicki Needham, “Kerry to Introduce Bipartisan Infrastructure Bank Bill,” The Hill, March 14, 2011, http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/domes tic-taxes/149347-kerry-set-to-introduce-bipartisan-infrastructure-bank-bill.

  43. “Sen. Kerry Introduces New Infrastructure Bank Bill,” March 15, 2011; Michael Cooper, “Group Wants New Bank to Finance Infrastructure,” March 15, 2011.

  44. S.3938 Export-Import Bank Reauthorization Act of 2006, http://www.congress.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c109:4:./temp/~c109q6oK37.

  45. Timothy P. Carney, “John Kerry’s ‘Infrastructure Bank’: A Corporate Welfare Slush Fund,” Washington Examiner, March 15, 2011, http://washingtonexaminer.com/politics/beltway-confidential/2011/03/john-kerry%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%98infrastructure-bank%E2%80%99-corporate-welfare-slush.

  46. Deron Lovaas, “An Infrastructure Bank for Transportation,” NRDC.org, June 28, 2011, http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/dlovaas/an_infrastruc ture_bank_for_tra.html.

  47. PublicRadio.org, June 16, 2011, http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/06/16/pm-wall-stre
et-washington-talk-nice--for-a-change/.

  48. Michael Likosky, “Kerry’s American Infrastructure Bank,” Huffington Post, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-likosky/kerry-infrastructure-bank_b_836203.html.

  49. Glen Ford, “Obama’s Phony Infrastructure Bank,” Black Agenda Report, September 2010, http://www.blackagendareport.com/?q=content/obamas-phony-infrastructure-bank.

  50. Jake Tapper, “Obama’s $50 Billion Infrastructure Plan to Create Jobs in 2011,” ABC News, September 2010, http://blogs.abcnews.com/political punch/2010/09/obama-50-billion-infrastructure-plan-to-create-jobs-in-2011-.html.

  51. Ibid.

  52. Mike Lillis, “Liberal House Democrats Urge ‘Bold Action’ from Obama on Jobs Issue,” The Hill, September 1, 2011, http://thehill.com/homenews/house/179289-liberal-dems-urge-bold-action-from-obama-on-jobs-.

  53. Act for the 99% introduced December 13, 2011, sponsored by Raul M. Grijalva, http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/D?d112:2:./temp/~bdJicf::|/home/LegislativeData.php|. Part I—American Infrastructure Financing Authority, H.R.12 American Jobs Act of 2011 introduced September 21, 2011, by sponsor Rep. John B. Larson (D-CT) (by request), http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/D?d112:3:./temp/~bdXp2M::|/home/LegislativeData.php|.

  54. S.1769 Rebuild America Jobs Act introduced October 31, 2011, by sponsor Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/D?d112:9:./temp/~bdUN7G::|/home/LegislativeData.php|.

  55. Act for the 99% introduced December 13, 2011. Andrew Fieldhouse and Rebecca Thiess, “The Restore the American Dream for the 99% Act: An Analysis of Job-Creation Provisions,” Economic Policy Institute, December 13, 2011, http://www.epi.org/publication/restore-american-dream-99-act-analysis-job/.

  56. Transcript: Obama’s Speech to Congress on Jobs, New York Times, September 8, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/09/us/politics/09text-obama-jobs-speech.html?_r=1.

  57. Stephanie Kirchgaessner, “Obama to Send Jobs Plan to Congress Monday,” Financial Times/CNBC.com, September 11, 2011, http://www.cnbc.com/id/44480202/.