"While Mr. Obama’s big economic-stimulus package when he took office led to the largest investment in public works since the Depression, it has waned since 2011, and the president’s subsequent proposals for public funds to be leveraged with private money have gone nowhere," writes Jackie Calmes.
"Still, Mr. Obama has expressed hope for some compromise as part of the budget negotiations that are underway in Congress. His optimism is due to support from businesses and potentially from some Republican lawmakers, in particular those from Southern districts whose ports need upgrades to handle supertankers that could begin arriving in about 2015 after completion of a Panama Canal expansion."
