"If it were not for the Recovery Act, these people would not have been hired." Meet John Tracey, our latest Voice of the Recovery Act

John Tracey of Pan Am Railways knows the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is working because he’s seen it firsthand.

Forty new employees have already joined the project he’s working on, extending Amtrak’s popular Downeaster service 30 miles north from Portland to Brunswick, Maine. The Downeaster project, supported by stimulus money, includes rehabilitation of rail and ties, upgrades to crossings and signals, and construction of passenger platforms in Freeport and Brunswick.

And, as John says, "These jobs created by the Recovery Act are good paying jobs, jobs with good benefits and a living wage."

Watch John Tracey and others in our Voices of the Recovery Act series on YouTube

But the economic stimulus effects of the Recovery Act ripple far beyond the terrific benefit of direct jobs created. John knows that, "These are the jobs that will help support small business."

As one example directly related to the Downeaster project, John cites, "All the work that’s being done to our equipment, upgrading it with new parts, getting it ready to perform its duties, that’s all been part of the Recovery Act."

The Governor of Maine, John Baldacci, sees the ripple effects extending even further:

“Enhancing our infrastructure has never been more important. Expanded service benefits our economy. It will further encourage development in this region and stimulate jobs and investments. And working with all our partners, we will reach Brunswick and open the gateway for further expansion.”

Like John Tracey, I've seen the Recovery Act working for America. Everywhere I go, I see men and women on the job. I see equipment and supplies in great demand. And I see these good projects positioning communities for growth, for a 21st century economy.

As John says, "Critics of the Recovery Act should come to Maine, or any other construction projects that involve the Recovery, and they’ll see there’s a lot of good paying jobs and a lot of stimulus being created."

Comments

[c.a.olson]

I've been to Maine and the problems Maine faces will not be helped by extending or refurbishing passenger rail - jobs that are largely temporary in basis and will subsequently have very little in the way of anything beneficial to the long-term health of the Maine economy.

While it is nice to know that some people were hired to do some work the net benefits are all but nil given Maine's long-running anti-business stance that has driven off most of the large scale forestry operations and mills. Add to this the looming closure of one of Northern Maine's primary rail freight connections with Souther Maine and you've just built out a railroad that will do little more than help people move south, never to return.

Then again, building out a passenger rail service that does little for people who can't afford to ride it for lack of a job isn't really doing anything more than digging a ditch on one side of the road to fill the ditch you just finished digging on the other side of the road.

[HP Bryce]

As soon s this becomes a nation wide project it will be a great boon to the economy. As long as it is small scale local projects that are not coordinated it will only produce meager results. But I am glad it is getting started.