Recent Streetsblog USA posts about Economics

Boxer and Johnson Warn Senators of Job Losses If Transpo Bill Isn’t Extended

By Tanya Snyder | Sep 1, 2011 | 4 Comments

Two key Democratic senators today released state-by-state numbers showing how many jobs would be lost if the current surface transportation authorization bill is not extended by September 30. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), chair of the Environment and Public Works Committee, and Sen. Tim Johnson (D-SD), chair of the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, sent […]

CNT Busts “Drive Till You Qualify” Myth in the D.C. Region

By Tanya Snyder | Aug 5, 2011 | 2 Comments

Maybe we can finally lay the whole “drive till you qualify” myth to rest now. You probably already suspected that driving farther and farther outside the city limits until you found a house you could afford was not the smartest way to go about buying a home. You may have been tipped off by the […]

Debt Deal Could Mean More Painful Cuts for Transportation

By Tanya Snyder | Aug 1, 2011 | 2 Comments

The House and Senate are getting close to voting on a deal, reached over the weekend, to raise the debt ceiling and cut spending. There’s nothing in the legislative text that says anything specifically about transportation or the Highway Trust Fund, but it’s clear that the cuts mandated in the agreement will affect all sectors. […]

Amtrak’s Loco Locomotive Purchase for the Northeast Corridor

By Stephen Smith | Jul 22, 2011 | 31 Comments

We’re pleased to welcome Stephen Smith as a new contributor to Streetsblog Capitol Hill. We’ll be running Stephen’s work on a regular basis, and you can catch more of his writing at his home blog, Market Urbanism. Amtrak’s annual ridership may inch over 30 million for the first time this year, but the assault on its […]

The Once and Future Auto Bailouts

By Anne Lutz Fernandez and Catherine Lutz | Jul 6, 2011 | 4 Comments

You’d think the Obama campaign had confused Michigan and Ohio with Iowa and New Hampshire. As his 2012 Republican challengers flooded early primary states last month, the President instead headed to where he could stand beside beaming auto executives and watch proud workers toiling on once-idle assembly lines. The Obama administration and the industry have […]

The Dangers of Touting the Job-Creation Benefits of Transpo Investment

By Tanya Snyder | Jul 1, 2011 | 3 Comments

Earlier this week, President Obama spoke to reporters at the White House. Fully aware of the growing concern in the country over the “jobless recovery,” Obama led off by talking about jobs – and pushing Congress to pass a transportation reauthorization. But was he using the wrong talking point? “Right now, Congress could send me […]

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