As America digs itself deeper into a financial hole, Congress and states are using a venerable political ploy to justify even more spending: increasing taxes on the wealthy and big companies ostensibly to help those with less. That ploy may have worked in the early 1900s when big bosses often were so-called robber barons. Today, however, even people at the bottom of the economic ladder realize wealthy individuals help fuel the nation’s economic development in important ways. The U.S. is a democracy, but wealthy individuals faced with confiscatory taxes can easily vote with their feet by moving their operations and
In some ways the green movement has created a new generation of skeptics by generating doubt about the benefits of new products and services designed to mitigate human impact on the environment. But “greenwash” charges should not be lathered on the ones that really do deliver the goods. In heavy construction equipment, there is a huge opportunity for machinery to move down the green path, and some manufacturers are gingerly moving in that direction. Iowa State University Caterpillar Inc. is about to go into production with its diesel-electric dozer, which is 25% more fuel-efficient than its predecessor. Intelligent compaction is
There are some things nature does spectacularly well on its own, such as creating the great vistas of the Grand Canyon and many picturesque lakes and streams. There are some things nature does that don’t quite measure up, even though they are in areas where people wish there were more natural beauty. And then there are man-made activities that can make everything worse through development, neglect and poor planning. Photo: Highline / Iwan Baan High Line Park Engineers traditionally have taken the lead in creating systems that replace natural functions on a grand scale to support sprawling populations. These drainage,
The current recession in the construction industry and other sectors is worse than most, but not as bad as the Great Depression. Everyone who has been around for a while knew how this downturn would happen, based on the many booms and busts that have come before. At the heart of it is a herd mentality among investors and industry firms that causes irrational behavior. This leads to a bubble market that eventually bursts due to unrealistic expectations. Midway through the crisis, the industry now is caught up in another predictable trap as huge numbers of competitors try to snag
Safety is everybody’s business in the construction world because the consequences of failure can be catastrophic, as demonstrated by the major crane accidents that kill dozens of people every year. In this light, it is critically important to study near-misses—accidents that never happen because trained and concerned persons are on the scene, a serious safety program is in place or just, plain dumb luck saved the day. The recent case involving a cracked casting in a tower-crane mast at the Blue-Cross building extension in Chicago is a good example of how a near-miss should be handled. The operator heard a
What do chickens have to do with trucks? Plenty, if the trucks are not built in North America and are being imported into the U.S. Pickup trucks and other small trucks are subject to a 25% “chicken tax” protectionist tariff imposed by the U.S. in 1963 after Germany tripled the duty on frozen U.S. chicken products coming into that country. Over four decades later, the world has changed and some innovative products are caught in a bind. Vehicle manufacturing now is clearly a global enterprise, as demonstrated by the sale or pending sale of some of bankrupt Chrysler’s and General
As the global-warming and sustainable-energy bill H.R. 2454 burrows its way through Congress, one important thing to remember, whether you are pro or con, is that change does not happen by itself—someone has to make it happen. Parts of the carbon-emissions argument are controversial for sure with spinmeister Al Gore accused of pushing message at the expense of science. But few tend to argue about other parts of the issue, like the need for more sustainable-energy sources, better energy performance in new and existing buildings and energy independence in general. Photo: Janie Buelow / LAUSD The energy debate ran hot
Now that the federal stimulus investment from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) is well under way, it is time to begin sharply scrutinizing the return on the investment in terms of jobs created. That may be more difficult than it sounds because of the multifaceted approach under the law. It combines infrastructure investment and other direct federal spending with individual income-tax cuts, a two-year patch to the alternative minimum tax, investment incentives, aid to people directly hurt by the recession and state fiscal relief. A May 11 report by President Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers sheds little light
The jury is still out on the success of the new safety program at the massive CityCenter project in Las Vegas, but at least people have stopped dying there. That is good news for general contractor Perini Building Co., project owner MGM Mirage and the industry as a whole. Safety is never easy, but when you have almost 10,000 workers on-site, it is essential to have and enforce a comprehensive safety plan. Behavioral-based safety (BBS) plans seem to work best in such environments, where thousands of workers and hundreds of subcontractors try to construct many project elements simultaneously. The basic
The fast-spreading swine-flu virus has a lot of people nervous. It is not pandemic and may never be, but forward-thinking firms are reviewing their policies, procedures and preparations for dealing with a situation that potentially could have a devastating impact on their businesses. The timing could not be worse, as many companies struggle with financial pressures from the global recession. The potential for a business impact brings into sharp focus business-continuity fundamentals that are useful in any emergency. The swine flu that started in Mexico and is spreading around the world is the second pandemic influenza scare in the last