On the WPA and its relevance to the current recession

[swampy]

Ir had to be a lot easier to accomplish great things back in that time. These days it can take 6-8 years just to get a currently existing highway resurfaced. The lead time alone, to clear EPA requirements for some new project today, takes years before the first shovel of dirt is turned.

There is very little hope for rapid injection of money into the economy with these and other "great" projects. How long does it take to get a nuclear plant from conception to production? We've red tapped ourselves into a box.