Thanks for your vote of confidence.  $3.4 trillion JUST for urban mass transit sounds like a good starting number.

As for Palley.  I say let's cut him some slack.  Here is why I say this.  Even though economists have familiarity with large numbers, they have--as a general rule--NO experience with building anything so they don't have the background to estimate either the time nor the cost for such policy prescriptions.

My editor / publisher is a VERY smart guy and as a professor of Institutionalism, his progressive credentials are impeccable.  Even so, he had me cut my $100 trillion estimate because he was afraid of appear to irresponsibly radical.

"Remember the I35W bridge--who needs terrorists when there are Republicans"