Via my e-mail inbox;
Submitted by R. Neal on Mon, 2010/03/01 - 7:32am
Cades Cove Loop and Blue Ridge Parkway projects affected
In their quest to engineer Obama's failure, Republican obstructionists in Congress have succeeded in shutting down DOT project across the country as the DOT furloughs 2000 employees without pay starting today. You can thank Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) for his one-man filibuster of the bill to extended COBRA tax credits and unemployment insurance, which also included an extension of the Highway Trust Fund.
Among other things, the Highway Trust Fund pays for projects on federal land. Workers arriving at those projects today will be sent home because federal inspectors will not be on the job. Nearby projects affected include the Cades Cove Loop resurfacing, which was scheduled to begin today, and a Blue Ridge Parkway reconstruction and resurfacing project.
Federal reimbursements for state highway and bridge projects are also on hold, which could lead to further layoffs.
Furloughs will affect employees funded by the Highway Trust Fund at the Federal Highway Administration, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Research and Innovative Technology Administration.
Sort of reminds you of the great government shutdown of 1995, when Clinton called their bluff and they blinked.
(What kind of person denies COBRA tax credits and unemployment insurance? One who doesn’t give a rat’s patootie for his fellow humans! Ed.)
