By one estimate, the federal government and the Federal Reserve have lent, spent or committed $12.8 *trillion* to combat the current crisis - and the end is not yet in sight. These commitments include attempted bailouts of troubled financial firms, funds for automakers, loan guarantees, economic-stimulus funding for projects, tax breaks and purchases of toxic mortgages. Taken in its totality, this golden eruption dwarfs *any* federal spending plan *ever* undertaken.

Therein lies the problem. With a potential prize roughly equal to the gross domestic product of the U.S. in 2008, every hustler on the planet will be drawn into the fray in order to get a piece of the action. Even a miniscule slice of the money could amount to a profound payday. One only has to look at the smoldering husks of financial giants to see that avarice exists on a grand scale.

Many economists and officials in the administration and the Fed believe speed is essential to stave off global economic collapse, which just makes the situation more tenuous. Speed generally goes hand in hand with waste caused by poor oversight, insufficient planning, faulty process selection and general sloppiness. Money is often the most expedient way to pave over problems.

Contractors, engineers and architects will soon start to feel the impact of the $787.2 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Congress aimed about $131 billion of that stimulus money at construction. While moving projects off the drawing boards and out into communities to create jobs is a priority, Congress also tried to set a new tone for accountability and transparency for project awards and performance. That is good for the industry and the nation, but it must be enforced vigorously.

The construction industry needs to deliver beneficial projects that will enhance the nation's infrastructure and economy and the projects need to be done in a cost efficient and timely manner. Any inefficiency or corruption will undermine the recover, and that truly would be a waste of money.

Dollars and projects now are flowing. To be successful, decision makers should study the hard project-delivery lessons learned on megaproject programs in Iraq, New Orleans and Boston, where big money was pumped into projects and results did not meet expectations. Discipline, accountability and oversight were lacking.

The stimulus effort, inside construction and in other sectors, should be treated as a megaproject and managed as one.

So far that does not seem to be the case, with rules being written and changed on the fly. The industry can deliver the projects, but the rules and expectations need to be firm.

3 to 5 years to Destroy a Bank

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barney_Frank

http://www.buyhandmade.org/

http://www.levitated.net/

http://www.fitc.ca/

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The director of the Portland Police Bureau's Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) program spoke out publicly for the first time last week, telling a meeting of the National Alliance on Mental Illness at Legacy Emanuel Hospital that all of Portland's cops are now trained in the discipline.

CIT was first established in Portland in 1995, but made mandatory for all uniformed officers in late 2006, following the controversial death in police custody of James Chasse Jr., who was diagnosed with schizophrenia.

CIT Director Liesbeth Gerritsen said 504 police officers and sergeants were trained by December 2008—although it's not yet clear whether expanding the program has actually worked. For example, news emerged two weeks ago that Officer Christopher Humphreys—one of the officers involved in the Chasse death—is now the potential subject of an excessive force lawsuit by a mentally ill woman whom he is alleged to have assaulted just days after going through CIT ["Bad Apple Reputation," News, Jan 29].

Central Precinct Officer Betty Woodward accompanied Gerritsen in the presentation. Woodward estimated that 60 percent of emergency calls to the precinct involve mental illness in some form.

Gerritsen admitted that "not all" of the officers "got" the training, and that she had no way of measuring CIT's success. However, she did claim to be optimistic about its effects in reducing officers' stigma around mental health issues.

"You can train somebody to do something different—but my highest hopes for the training was to change hearts and minds. I think what makes the difference is in here," she said, gesturing to her chest. "What is your intention when you go out on that call?"

An audience member expressed concern that newly trained CIT officers might be less effective at handling crisis calls than those with more experience at using the training.

"The logistics of it now are, there's going to be a call and it's going to be luck of the draw," Gerritsen conceded. "Whoever shows up, they'll be CIT trained. But there is no 'Wait! I want the CIT person who, you know, sat in the front row!'"

http://www.portlandmercury.com/portland/crisis-intervened/Content?oid=1122639