Heh, you said "Stimulus Package"

With unprecedented urgency and swiftness, Congress has managed to move a stimulus bill through the rusty pipes of bureacracy. Will it be effective?  Only time will tell.

But, dear readers, one thing can be sure, its gonna take some time.  

Most companies are still scaling back and looking at diminished profits.  And after over half a million employees were laid off last month, I don't think we should be so naive as to assume that this month's numbers will be far different.

That said (and pardon my more stoic demeanor in this post.  Don't worry, wry will return) President Obama is highlighting "saving or creating over 4 million jobs."  The most detailed way he is proposing to do this is through the creation of positions involved in infrastructure building.  That means folks brandishing shovels and mixing cement.  Building actual bridges and tunnels, and repairing roads.  

I am a staunch advocate of Barack Obama and feel he is exactly what this country, and quite possibly the world, needs at this precise moment in history.  That said, I wonder how many folks that were recently laid off are willing to pick up a shovel or mix cement.  My thinking is, not many.

Americans seem to scoff at the idea of manual, blue collar labor.  Let the immigrants do it.  An interesting impasse might occur if things don't shape up in the near future, however.  

If helping repair pot holes and laying brick is too strenuous or undesirable for someone with a masters degree, what happens?  Isn't some job better than no job?  

There is something to be said about getting your hands dirty.  About a strong work ethic.  

I was at a local pizza place a week ago and ordered a chicken parm hero.  The only employees working were two Mexican gentleman roughly the same age as me (late twenties).  They were cleaning up and preparing to close, having shut down the oven.  I didn't realize the oven was already turned off when I ordered the sandwich and felt a bit inconsiderate when I did.  I told them not to worry about it, I had thought they were still serving.

The gentleman from whom I ordered said "No.  No worries" and proceeded to crank up the oven again and meticulously prepare a chicken parm hero for me.   He didn't sigh.  He didn't shake his head.  He didn't rush through the process.  He prepared the sandwich as he might have four hours earlier, taking particular care in each step of this seemingly mundane task.  I took note and appreciated it immensely (I also tipped him).

I realized that this gentleman would most assuredly have no qualms about picking up a shovel or mixing cement, and he would probably do a damn good job at it.

Unfortunately, I am not so optimistic about the rest of us.