It cost more than $500,000 in stimulus funds to create a single highway construction job, largely because of building materials . . . Education aid and research funding are among the cheapest ways of creating or saving jobs at less than $60,000 each, the analysis shows.
As the nation's jobless rate is at 9.7%, Congress is trying to find ways to pump up employment. The Senate passed a $15 billion jobs bill Wednesday that includes tax incentives for hiring and more money for highway construction. The bill goes to the House, which passed a larger jobs measure in December that included highway and education spending.
Republicans such as Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire have criticized the stimulus package for adding to the national debt and not doing enough to create jobs. Gregg opposed the jobs bill, saying the nation can't afford the measure's highway construction spending.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2010-02-24-stim-jobs_N.htm
And, while lower paying construction jobs tend to attract more than their fair share of immigrant labor, high value research funding actually results in new products and methods which strengthen the economy over the long term.
Of course, Obama seeks the support of the building trades unions for his reelection. There is no scientific researcher union.
More waste and pork politics.
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