You folks are missing something:
It's the old old-boy network which is protecting the Prevailing Wage ranks.
There is not enough work to go around. Even the IBEW is crying in their beer.
Unlike FDR, Obama vectored stimulus funding towards women, minorities -- stuff like medicine, state pension plans, school budget shortfalls, etc.
Hence, the funds available to build infrastructure have NOT boomed.
Yet Fortune 500 projects are ( mostly ) not moving forward. A perfect example being the Boeing plant - blocked by the Administration.
This collapse in construction has caused PW bids to be hammered. Near me the bid for an overpass revamp was so LOW that an additional overpass and road expansion running for miles fit inside the original estimate!
The savings to the taxpayer came straight out of the construction industry.
The above referenced GC's are demoralized since they're only getting the same schtick from their prospects, too.
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And in further good news, the global economy is still headed for another major downturn.
Japan is contracting severely -- due to the tsunami. Try 5.5% year over year in the worlds 3rd largest economy.
China is a bubble. Her vast assets are offset by totally blown investments.
The Euro is cracking up. A European contraction is bad news -- since they are great customers.
And back home, this Administration is shutting down the energy industry; of which we are a part.
Deliberately ramping up electric bills is poison to electricians. Our customers will start by turning off the lights. Ultimately, our product will be designed out of future construction. That's what going green must mean.
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Slightly off topic:
I wish that what PV arrays that do get installed had the best engineering.
Putting them atop homes is impractical in many ways.
It'd be cheaper to just rack'em up in New Mexico, West Texas or Arizona.
If the Administration wants to stimulate green jobs -- such a scheme is where they should've started.
