The president in 2009 touted "shovel-ready" transportation projects as the backbone of his economic stimulus package.
A bill to designate more "shovel-ready" industrial lands also was referred to the budget committee.
It turned out there - you know, there's no such thing as a shovel-ready project.
Repairs tend to be more shovel-ready than new projects, so they pump money into the economy faster.
You remember all the stuff about the shovel-ready projects.
There were less "shovel-ready" infrastructure projects than initially believed for the stimulus but the ultimate return on investment may be higher.
On infrastructure spending, there's an inherent tension between projects that might be shovel-ready and those that are shovel-worthy, adding to the economy's growth potential over the long haul.
There were hardly any shovel-ready projects.
