Filed Tuesday, October 28. 2008
CHICAGO – Billions of dollars could be spent on fixing failing infrastructure. Do those in power really understand the layers that need to be fixed?
Reading an article headlined “Note to Next President: Modern-Day WPA Will Save the Economy” on a Wired blog was an eye-opening experience not so much from the article itself but from the range of comments and assumptions made by readers. There are definitely people who think a 1930s solution will work in this new century. This is Not the 1930s While so many people have opinions on what to do to get our economy going again, many of their solutions are tied to concepts that were employed in the 1930s but would not work in today’s environment. One reader commented: This is nothing like the Great Depression. We had idle factories then [and] today there are no factories. Hitler and [World War II] got us out of the depression and made us stronger. Today the [war in Iraq] made us weaker. No one had money then. Now no one has any money or credit. We’re screwed. While it may not be as dire as this individual says, he does make some good comparisons that show there is not a true parallel. This is a different time with many who have more advanced skills and have been displaced by cheap labor. Some people want to revert back to something that worked 75 years ago in an Industrial Age economy. Why? Go to the lowest common denominator of skills. Give everyone a pick and a shovel and have them dig roadbeds and rebuild bridges. That will put many back to work. That may sound great to some as a government works program, but in reality, even roads and bridges need a work force with higher skill levels than what they had in the 1930s. More important, the layers of infrastructure that need updating include network infrastructure, the power grid and even airports with more modern air traffic control systems. All of these areas need more sophisticated workers. While we actually have them, many have been underemployed since Sept. 11, 2001. Their skills are rusting away while the economy slides further into an abyss due to underemployment. Job Programs Are Aimed at the Minimally Skilled With many advanced workers going to state job counselors and placement offices, the solution is not to put a skilled Java programmer into a forklift driver’s job or a highly skilled executive into a position for low-level import/export paper shuffler. Still, that is the best some placement offices can do because there is a lack of understanding the values of Information Age skill sets and other complex skills. These job placement centers have to be radically overhauled to be of any real value to today’s underemployed work force. Many who have had more advanced training and skills have seen their salaries and their benefits shrink to a third of what they were making. Auto industry workers are going to find that out very quickly when they seek new opportunities. Good luck to all those about to get laid off from the auto industry. There is no substitute for a heavily benefited union job. Minimal skill sets that were protected and excessively inflated over the years will see the blunt reality of today’s job market. Another individual tries to convey that thought. This person, though, is off a bit about when the Great Depression took place. So much for his American history teacher. [It’s] always the same story: build infrastructure [and] give people jobs. But this is not 1943. There are machines and tools that bums [can’t] operate. You need a bit more than to spell your name when you build a highway nowadays. His blunt observation does have some bearing. He is absolutely correct in that minimal skills or even Industrial Age skills are not enough to fill complex jobs and maximize economic development. There needs to be a higher level of skills for many jobs. Large infrastructure projects would employ many people at many levels as well as leave a legacy of a stronger platform for commerce. That would attract more jobs. As the reader suggests, though, it’s not enough to be able to spell your name on the employment form. A Solid Infrastructure is a Platform For Commerce This equation is what needs to be understood by many people at all levels of politics. Local, state and national politicians have to be focused on today’s crisis. They can’t be stuck in a mentality from the 1950s. Perhaps we need to have a checklist of the politicians who understand technology and its infrastructure applications. I have said the following at many conferences and keynotes around the country: “ Economic development equals broadband connectivity and broadband connectivity equals jobs.” Perhaps I should add one more line to that: “Jobs equal votes.” You need a solid infrastructure platform on which to build a regional economy. Regional sustainability is something that more people are becoming concerned about as job erosion hits their areas. We first need to get Americans back into good jobs. That should be the prime requirement of any jobs program or infrastructure endeavor. Carlinism: There is no substitute for a clear vision in times of stormy economic chaos. Not modified
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