Construction spending will boost the sagging economy, but funneling economic stimulus package money to so-called “shovel-ready projects” was a bad move, U.S. Rep. Brian Baird said Friday in Longview.

“It’s stupid,” Baird, a Vancouver Democrat, told a group of about 20 area business leaders at Longview City Hall.

Instead, the money should be doled out to projects over the next few years to ensure they are properly planned before construction begins, he said.

At least one person agreed.

“The next stimulus might be paying for the (cost) overruns of the first stimulus,” said Rosemary Siipola, transportation planning for the Cowlitz/Wahkiakum Council of Governments.

Baird was in Vancouver and Longview on Friday as part of a weekend tour of his Southwest Washington district, which included a town hall at R.A. Long High School and the roundtable discussion hosted by the Cowlitz Economic Development Council.

About 100 citizens showed up at the high school auditorium Friday night. Baird scrambled to address everyone with a hand in the air, but there were so many people wanting to talk that the 1 1/2 hour town hall went into overtime. The audience quizzed him on what the government was going to do about health care, social security, jobs going overseas, helping homeowners avoid foreclosure, kicking out illegal immigrants and ensuring veterans receive government help.

With regard to the economy, Baird said the government couldn’t fill the budget gaps just by slashing programs. The unpopular truth is, he said, “We’re going to have to increase taxes.”

“The American people have asked for more than they wanted to pay for,” Baird said. “Somebody’s gotta be honest with the American people or we’re going to crush our children and grandchildren and bankrupt the country.”

At the business leaders’ roundtable, the biggest topic was the economy and how the federal government can stimulate job growth. Cowlitz is one of the few counties in the state where manufacturing still is the top employment sector, which is why the jobless rate — nearly 14 percent — is so high, said Ted Sprague, president of the EDC.

“We are on the frontline of what is happening in the economy,” Sprague said.

Weyerhaeuser Co., one of Cowlitz County’s largest employers, is struggling through the recent layoffs of 19 employees at its Longview sawmill and 109 job cuts in Raymond and Warrenton, Ore., said Mike Karnofski, the company’s region services manager.

But it’s not all bad news, and the company is hiring eight new positions in its Longview liquid packaging operation, he said.

“We’re looking at a good year” in liquid packaging, Karnofski said.

Other business leaders expressed concerns about to prepare Cowlitz County residents for the jobs of the future.

Steve Vincent, founder of the Kelso-based Columbia Analytical Services, said research funding and science education are necessary to give the workforce skills for specialized fields, such as the environmental testing his business conducts.

Lower Columbia College has the highest quarterly enrollment in its history but was forced to lay off 13 employees this week, mostly in administrative positions, President Jim McLaughlin said. Education, especially in community colleges, is the key to preparing workers for jobs that require more specialized skills, he said.

Baird agreed, saying he was pleased to hear President Barack Obama give a shout out to community and technical colleges during his recent address to the nation. The president, also a Democrat, recognizes the important role those colleges play in retraining workers, Baird said.

Baird initially voted against the stimulus package because he felt lawmakers weren’t given enough time to read the bill, but he supported the final version that was signed into law. He said he’d support a second stimulus bill if it targeted infrastructure development and tax cuts were specifically targeted.

Congress must work together to get the economy going, he said.

“We can’t afford to fail because too many people depend on us,” Baird said.