What is almost gone from the stimulus discussion now is infrastructure. After months of talk of a new New Deal and putting people back to work with public works spending while, at the same time, building a new America, the focus of the stimulus bill has been shifted to tax breaks for home builders, new-car buyers and manufacturers, spending cuts for state governments, and a limit to executive bonus pay.

Like so many other transit agencies around the country, the nation’s largest transit authority - New York City - is in the midst of a severe budget crisis and is facing a $1.2 billion deficit.