Now that taxpayers have received rebates, banks have gotten bailouts and the auto industry is lobbying for help, unemployed construction workers are hoping Uncle Sam dusts off an old standby to boost jobs and the economy – public works.
During the first half of the decade, when home prices were soaring, the Rev. Carl Dreves watched in amazement as new neighborhoods took shape in sprawling Otay Ranch.
When asked last July about how difficult it would be to backfill the spaces left by the possible departure of major retailers from the scene, brokers said they should have little trouble. That was before the collapse of the financial markets.
