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This time, make sure infrastructure work truly is shovel-ready

Some liberals already are condemning President-elect Donald Trump’s proposal for a $1 trillion investment in infrastructure throughout the nation. It’s no more than a slush fund to benefit people and programs the president likes, they say.

It won’t really create jobs, they add.

So, what else is new?

Many of the very people urging rejection of Trump’s plan were delighted to support the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 — because it was outgoing President Barack Obama’s baby.

The ARRA was sold to Congress and the American people as massive funding for “shovel-ready” infrastructure projects, creating many new jobs. Funds also were to go to public schools and other worthy causes.

As it turned out, Obama pumped hundreds of millions of dollars into his pet “alternative energy” projects. Very little of lasting value was done for schools. A few roads, bridges, etc., were built, but the jobs they created evaporated quickly. Nearly $1 trillion was spent.

None of this is to say Trump’s idea is a bad one. It may hold enormous merit, particularly for states that have suffered from Obama’s policies.

But both the White House and Congress need to ensure that this time around, the program is truly shovel-ready — not just a way to increase the national debt.

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