Word is that when the legislative session gets going, a massive amount of money is going to spread from Washington to kick-start infrastructure programs and get people to work. Of course, with powerful leaders like Schumer, we are sure to get a sizable amount for New York City. What people like him are talking about sounds fantastic.
From The NY Daily News:
Four billion is a lot of cash, and so is five for Medicare and closing our state budget gap. Though with all this money coming in, I wonder how much of it will actually go to where it is meant for. Medicare needs to be fixed, not just thrown a few billion. The M.T.A. is almost as much a mess as NY's Medicare system. New buses and clean subway stations sound great, but the Authority has a way of moving around cash and not getting much done once it's gone. Especially with the passage of the draconian budget for next year (service cuts and fare hikes) the stimulus needs to be guarded with extreme care and put to maximum usage.President-elect Barack Obama's economic stimulus plan may get New York an extra station for the extended No. 7 train line, upgraded subway stations and 1,500 new hybrid buses, Sen. Chuck Schumer said yesterday.
Though details of the massive package Obama wants to sign in his first days in office are still being worked out, Schumer said he expects about $4 billion for mass transit in New York.
That's enough to create 180,000 jobs and leave the city with lasting improvements to its subway, bus and commuter rail systems.
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