Blacks Get Buried Under “Shovel-Ready” Stimulus

A Black Agenda Radio commentary by Glen Ford

"The same racial imbalances in employment and contracting that existed before the stimulus, will prevail afterwards."

In his inaugural speech, Barack Obama vowed to "begin again the work of remaking America." He seemed to be promising a transformational response to the current crisis, one that would right historical wrongs while restarting an economy that would be made to work for the great bulk of the people. The task would begin with a massive infusion of money for the nation's infrastructure - a makeover reminiscent of Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal, which ultimately succeeded in physically and politically transforming much of America. But Obama's grand vision has already devolved into something much more ordinary - more business as usual - and far less transformative.

The watchword of Obama's attempt to revitalize American infrastructure is "shovel-ready" - meaning, projects will be funded that have already been approved by the political powers-that-be in the various states. Almost by definition, shovel-ready projects are those that states would do anyway, if they had the money. Thus, the $100 billion allocated for infrastructure in the House version of the economic stimulus measure will not fund any grand plan to remake America; rather, it will finance a hodgepodge of projects of varying merit that have been sanctioned by the dominant political factions in the 50 states. Mississippi will be enabled to do more of what Mississippi always does. The same thing with Ohio, Utah, and all the rest.

"Mississippi will be enabled to do more of what Mississippi always does."

Shovel-ready means, $100 billion later, the social, economic and political relationships that existed before the stimulus will remain in place. The same favored contractors that have always hogged state construction dollars, will be treated to a feast. The same racial imbalances in employment and contracting that existed before the stimulus, will prevail afterwards.

The shovel-ready approach is necessary, we are told, because that's the only way to create lots of jobs in a hurry. That's not necessarily so. The truth is, the Obama administration has chosen the easiest route to spend lots of money quickly in ways that please the political actors that are in power at the local level.

Shovel-ready is a continuation of the local status quo, with federal money. It rocks no boats, rights no wrongs, alters no fundamental realities. Status quo recovery policies ensure that Blacks will continue to endure unemployment levels twice that of whites - as has been the case for two generations and through a host of deep recessions. A shovel-ready approach to economic stimulus puts no tools in the hands of the half of Black male New Yorkers who had no job before the economic meltdown. It will build no roads to recovery for those inner cities that were not already slated for help before the bottom fell out of Wall Street. For Black America, it represents, at best a return to the same depressed relative status as previously occupied. That's not what the largely Black millions on the Washington Mall were cheering for, on Inauguration Day.

Barack Obama is already talking about the need for belt-tightening after a few years of big

spending. That means the window for a real American makeover will not be open long. Any groups or sectors that are left out of the stimulus, will find no relief in the era of austerity that will follow. When racism is part of the very infrastructure of the nation, shovel-ready projects don't solve Black people's problems.

For Black Agenda Radio, I'm Glen Ford.

BAR executive editor Glen Ford can be contacted at Glen.Ford@BlackAgendaReport.com.

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