This is an excellent article, but I wish the author had pointed out why it's important to keep state, county, city and other local workers on the job - to administer this tsunami of public works projects. We have a skilled work force of civil engineers, planners, redevelopment and housing analysts and others that have specialized knowledge and skills in getting these projects up and running and completed - and know how to get through the maze of federal and local regulations to assure that these projects don't hit a snag. But for God's sake, let's not adopt the Rooseveltian philosophy of "Let's try anything" although it was undersandable then. These projects have to create or retain verifiable jobs for Americans. Contract out? Maybe this was the fashion in the Reagan years, but for the most part contracting out public works activities have often proven to be disastrous and not cost-effective in any manner. I know - I've been in this game for 30 years.

Why not use the HUD Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, one of the oldest federal grant in aid programs dating since 1974? Time and again, this quiet program has assisted over 1,100 American communities. CDBG funds may be used for a variety of purposes, including housing rehab, public works, economic development and public services. Why not use a governmental program that is now in place and has been proven to work?

And what about Senator Clinton's excellent proposal for the Homeland Security Block Grant, modeled after CDBG? This program can put needed funds into our communities fast and provide critically needed money for local government to assure local security and protection against terrorists. And last but not least, FAA should push money into the General Aviation market to assure that these facilities have adequate security against terrorism - and few of the medium to smaller airports do. Let's use what we've got!

One of the posters has brought up an extremely important point. If we don't provide incentives right now for our kids to learn math and science (and no, it doesn't have to be a bore)then who is going to run NASA? Who's going to be on the cutting edge of finding cures for diseases? Who will be determining how and what software will be developed? Yes, my friends...those that have special immigrant status. If we don't get busy providing youth with positive incentives, both financial and otherwise to study the sciences and math, we will truly become a third world nation.

I think Senator Clinton would be more effective tackling domestic issues. Since HUD has been a dumping ground for hacks and lunatics as Secretaries (with the exception of Carla Hills and Steve Preston), I think it's high time that we appoint someone with her education and breadth of knowledge to resurrect this important department.

I do admire Senator Clinton but am troubled by her 'mispeak' about being threatened with gunfire when she landed in the former Yugoslavia. That kind of fabrication is something I would expect from a disconnected Ronald Reagan who lived his Presidency through his B movies or her husband, President Clinton. Also, we should take a closer look at Hillary's original plan for national health insurance, which relied on voluntary cooperatives - and other features that encouraged the private medical sector's involvement.

Federal, state and local dollars are wasted daily on transit in Los Angeles. The November California state election resulted in passage of boondoggle bonding for a train to San Francisco and vague promises of infrastructure improvements but really aimed at keeping the transit mafia afloat. We need more freeways - we need to support the shrinking group of middle class, employed workers that must use the freeways daily. I live in a South Bay city where I see daily scores of empty MTA buses as the bureaucrats have succeeded in making my city a transit mecca - or should I say, hell. Our freeways are in disarray - and we don't need more HOVs or diamond lanes. They're discriminatory and if expanded will drive the remaining drivers not out of their cars but out of the state through sheer frustration. People that want to throw billions to transit are mistaken, and obviously are not riding transit themselves. It's a nightmare here as I am sure it is in many large urban areas in the U.S.

I am surprised and disheartened that fellow economists, well educated and seasoned in their profession, are advancing the idea that immediate expenditure of billions in taxpayer dollars will provide an impetus to economic health. This outdated Keynesian approach will only bloat the budget to completely unmanageable levels and lead to hyperinflation that heretofore has never been seen in this country. Expenditures of this magnitude on public works projects will have absolutely no effect in private sector economic recovery; indeed, how could it have?

It's sadly apparent that President-elect Obama has no plan.

Indefinite detention of terrorists and their supporters was and remains a most appropriate response to the killing of thousands of Americans.

This is an example of how the media can and must drudge up divisive, trashy "news" because they have nothing else to do but cause dissension. This is why many Americans are disgusted with the rags that pass as major newspapers - and why they are dying.

This issue should have been resolved, I think, before signing the executive order. How about putting them in Crawford, Texas? or maybe the tonier suburbs of Dallas?

But seriously, folks, the idea of sending these men back to their home countries is insane. They won't want them and if they do, civil liberterians are REALLY going to scream as each one is summarily executed.