Golf, courtesy of the WPA

(Oakland Golf Course in Oakland, Maryland. Photo by Brent McKee.) 

(Photo by Brent McKee.)

The WPA created the 9-hole golf course in Oakland, Maryland. The city later expanded it to an 18-hole course. 

Across the nation, the WPA built, repaired, or improved 632 golf courses.    

The Reverse New Deal: Ignore the unemployed while our forests burn

(Image courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)

While 26 million Americans wish they had a full-time job but can't find one, and while 6.5 million American teens and young adults are neither in school nor in the workforce, our natural areas burn.

Over the Memorial Day weekend, over 1,000 people had to be evacuated from Los Padres National Forest in California due to a "wind-whipped White Fire." A few weeks ago, 9,000 acres burned in Wisconsin, causing Governor Scott Walker to declare "a state of emergency in Douglas and Bayfield counties, which makes the Wisconsin National Guard available for recovery efforts."

During the Great Depression unemployed Americans were hired into the WPA and CCC. Among their many activities and accomplishments, these men built thousands of miles of firebreaks and regularly fought wildfires.

But today, as we get ready for a possible record-setting wildfire season, we cut the budget of the U.S. Forest Service, and we scold the unemployed as "takers"; even as private sector job creation is anemic and governments continue to shed jobs.

Welcome to the Reverse New Deal, where we refuse to connect the dots of unemployment & the fires that are burning our country to the ground. 

Memorial Day

(WPA poster, image courtesy of the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division)

During the Great Depression, New Deal work and construction programs built aircraft carriers, repaired and improved military installations, salvaged 376,000 tons of scrap metal, and did much more to bolster America's national defenses.

(WPA poster, image courtesy of the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division)

 (WPA poster, image courtesy of the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division)

"(The WPA) has added to the national wealth, has repaired the wastage of depression and has strengthened the country to bear the burden of war."

--President Franklin Roosevelt, 1942, in the "Final Report on the WPA Program, 1935-43," by the Federal Works Agency, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1946.

(WPA poster, image courtesy of the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division)

Many people who participated in the New Deal work and construction programs went on to serve in the military or work in the defense industries during World War II. Some gave their lives to protect our freedom to enjoy the things they created, e.g., parks and community buildings.

"During the war, the (CCC) boys had a jump on the other boys. We had discipline, the experience of living in barracks, getting along with others." (George Beam, CCC Alumni, in the book "Roosevelt's Tree Army: A History of the Civilian Conservation Corps," by Perry H. Merrill, 1981.)

 (WPA poster, image courtesy of the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division)

"But a base commander knows that to 'Keep 'Em Flying' he needs more than airplanes, more than pilots, and more than mechanics. He needs, first of all--a base--a landing field and the establishments that complete it. In erecting those bases the Work Projects Administration is fighting, with the Army Air Forces, to create a defense for America. The WPA did not enlist for this battle today. They have been fighting the Battle for America for six years. Much more than one-half of America's airport construction has been the work of the WPA. Runways have been laid; buildings have been erected; utilities have been reconditioned; drainage systems have been installed. Nests for America's warbirds have taken shape out of raw fields and meadows.  Hamilton Field, whose fighter-planes guard the vital San Francisco Bay area, has felt the drive of the WPA. Projects, costing nearly $500,000, are under way at this air base. When the job is done, Hamilton Field will be a better field--a more efficient air bulwark for Pacific defense. The WPA man behind the shovel, behind the pick, and behind the wheel barrow is doing a job, is also 'Keeping 'Em Flying.' Hamilton Field dips its wings in tribute to the WPA."   

--Brigadier General Michael F. Davis, radio transcription, 1941, National Archives, Record Group 69, Records of the Work Projects Administration, emphasis added.

66,749 structurally deficient bridges

(WPA workers building a bridge in Harford County, Maryland, in June of 1936. Image courtesy of the University of Maryland College Park Archives.) 

The recent collapse of the Skagit River Bridge in Washington State has brought increased (though probably short-lived) attention to America's aging infrastructure.

Though the bridge collapse seems to have been caused primarily by an impact, the American Society of Civil Engineers highlights that there are 66,749 structurally deficient bridges in America. And bridges are not supposed to collapse through vehicle impact, so the Skagit River Bridge's age (58 years) may have played a role in its demise.  

Meanwhile, there are 26 million Americans who would like a full-time job but can't find one, there are 4.4 million long-term unemployed Americans (as of April 2013), and "Nearly 6.5 million U.S. teens and young adults are neither in school nor in the workforce..." And, of course, there are many Americans who are simply not on the radar, living "off the grid" and completely forgotten by their fellow citizens. All this brings the American labor force participation rate to its lowest level since 1979. 

As to be expected, our political "leaders" won't connect the dots. Instead, many of our "leaders" are more concerned with cutting programs that help the poor than improving our aging infrastructure or addressing unemployment.      

It doesn't have to be this way of course; during the Great Depression, New Deal work & construction programs modernized American infrastructure like never before. For example, the WPA employed jobless Americans to build, repair, or improve 124,011 bridges and viaducts (from the Final Report on the WPA Program, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1946). So successful was the WPA that even anti-big government icon Ronald Reagan wrote, "The WPA was one of the most productive elements of FDR's alphabet soup of agencies because it put people to work building roads, bridges, and other projects" (from his autobiography Ronald Reagan: An American Life, emphasis added). In fact, Reagan was so impressed by the WPA that, while governor of California, he instituted a similar program (i.e., government-provided jobs for those receiving financial assistance).

Today, many of our political "leaders" invoke Reagan's name (and what they think or pretend his message was) in blocking government action on infrastructure and unemployment. I'm not a big fan of Reagan, nor am I a big detractor, but I do believe he's probably rolling over in his grave about the ambivalence shown by our current political "leaders" towards deteriorating infrastructure and high unemployment. (As just one example, in September of 2012 Senate Republicans blocked legislation that would have created a new CCC-type program for unemployed veterans--despite the fact that veterans have faced heightened suicide and unemployment problems over the last several years).

We need new bridges, we need a new WPA, and we need a new New Deal. But our political "leaders" just  keep raking in the corporate cash and ignoring our pleas. How pathetic is that?

The New Deal Reduced Suicide Rates and Infectious Diseases

(WPA poster, image courtesy of the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division) 

"Roosevelt took bold steps, at a time when debt was 180 percent of GDP, to boost financial relief to the newly unemployed, to save Americans from homelessness. And we’ve studied the effects of his landmark program, the New Deal, on health...the New Deal helped reduce suicides, reduced tuberculosis and pneumonias, and was in fact the biggest and one of the most effective public health programs on U.S. soil."

--Dr. David Stuckler, Oxford University, in an interview about his new book (co-authored by Stanford University epidemiologist Dr. Sanjay Basu) "The Body Economic: Why Austerity Kills."

The Centers for Disease Control recently highlighted an increase in suicide, due, in part, to America's economic downturn. Stuckler and Basu argue that policy choices made after an economic downturn can increase or decrease suicide rates and infectious disease outbreaks.

Republicans Defend New Deal Program

According to University of Maryland Professor Gar Alperovitz and researcher Thomas M. Hanna, the Obama Administration is considering the possibility of privatizing the Tennessee Valley Authority. But some Congressional Republicans don't like the idea because the TVA is very popular, and provides affordable energy to millions. They realize that privatization is likely drive up energy costs for their constituents.

Alperovitz and Hanna also point out that, in America, "there are more than 2,000 public electric utilities—many in conservative rural areas—and, like the TVA, they are popular among local residents and politicians."

The TVA was created by the Federal Government as part of the New Deal response to the Great Depression. Read about the history of the TVA here.

The Reverse New Deal: Taking Food Away From Children

(A child prepares to eat a lunch provided by a New Deal surplus commodities program. Image courtesy of the FDR Presidential Library and Museum.)  

(A WPA poster promoting good nutrition. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.)

During the New Deal, an effort was made to provide nutritious food to children and young adults. Surplus food was distributed to low-income Americans, the CCC fed it's forest soldiers, and the WPA served school lunches and had a summer lunch program.

Today, however, there is a concerted effort to reduce the amount of food assistance that low-income children receive. In supporting food stamp cuts that would kick about 200,000 children off the program, Congressman Stephen Fincher (R-Tenn) quoted a bible verse: "If anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either.” (This same Congressman has allegedly received millions in government-provided farm subsidies.) The problem here is that "Most households that get food stamps include either a child, a person over 60 or someone who is disabled, according to federal data. And all are either poor or low-income."

As Republicans in Congress attempt to cut off food assistance to 200,000 children (because they are not willing to work I suppose), Apple and other multi-national corporations are paying little (if any) taxes on their profits, and the mega-wealthy are utilizing offshore, tax-evading bank accounts to hide billions in wealth.  

Welcome to the Reverse New Deal. Welcome to cruelty.

Even Reagan Knew The New Deal Worked

(Ronald Reagan working at Camp David, a facility built with the assistance of the CCC and WPA. Photo courtesy of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.)

In his autobiography--Ronald Reagan: An American Life--Reagan wrote: "At the end of World War II, I was a New Dealer to the core. I thought government could solve all our problems just as it had ended the Depression and won the war."

Reagan, of course, went on to be a strong critic of "big government." But his appreciation for the accomplishments of the New Deal, and the presidency of FDR, never went away, as seen multiple times throughout his autobiography, e.g., "Many of the relief programs FDR instituted during the Depression were necessary measures during an emergency..."

Today, many people view Reagan as the philosophical foundation for conservatism. And they look at the New Deal as a horrible mistake, to be shunned by all conservatives. I think many of these people have not taken the time to read, or even skim, Reagan's book. 

The Reverse New Deal: Let the country burn

(Photo courtesy of the National Interagency Fire Center)

On Friday, May 17, the following was reported: "As firefighters took on a stubborn 3-day-old wildfire Friday in rough terrain north of Los Angeles, a second and more serious blaze broke out 30 miles away near Interstate 5, quickly surging to more than 500 acres, briefly threatening an elementary school and leading to the precautionary evacuation of nearly 20 homes." (See Frazier Park Fire: Firefighters Battle Flames & Terrain Of Mountains) 

As a potentially record-setting wildfire season is forecast for America, the Annie E. Casey Foundation recently determined that "Nearly 6.5 million U.S. teens and young adults are neither in school nor in the workforce...". Meanwhile, 26 million Americans would like a full-time job but can't find one (http://www.njfac.org/).  

So, how are we preparing for this wildfire season? By creating a new CCC and WPA, and offering fire-fighting and fire-prevention jobs to our nation's idle workforce? 

Of course not.  

We're preparing for more wildfires by cutting the budget of firefighting agencies and blocking legislation that would have created a CCC-type program for unemployed veterans.

Welcome to the Reverse New Deal, where the mega-wealthy are getting wealthier, job opportunities are few and far between, our natural areas burn, and we don't seem to care too much.

(CCC boys fighting a fire in the American west. Photo courtesy of the FDR Presidential Library and Museum.) 

A new CCC and WPA could help fight our record-setting wildfires.

(Image courtesy of the National Park Service)

A recent Huffington Post article reports: "A dry winter and early warming has created conditions for a fire season that could begin earlier than usual and burn as much as last year, where states like New Mexico and Oregon posted new records for burned acreage." Meanwhile, "the U.S. Forest Service alone will hire 500 fewer firefighters and deploy 50 fewer engines this season."

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said, "We are going to be faced with a difficult fire season. The bottom line is we're going to do everything we can to be prepared. But folks need to understand ... our resources are limited and our budgets are obviously constrained. We will do the best job we possibly can with the resources we have."

During the New Deal, the WPA and CCC fought forest fires, created firebreaks, built fire lookout towers, and planted trees.

Today, there are 26 million Americans who would like a full-time job but can't find one (http://www.njfac.org/). Today, the Labor Force Participation Rate is the lowest since 1979. Today, suicide is rising due, in part, to "financial stress." Today, "Nearly 6.5 million U.S. teens and young adults are neither in school nor in the workforce."

But instead of connecting the dots of unemployment and record-setting fires (in other words, offering jobs to the unemployed to directly fight fires or fill support roles) we will ignore the unemployed and let our natural areas burn.

Welcome to the Reverse New Deal.

A New WPA Could Help Reduce America's Suicide Rate

(WPA laborers working on a cemetery wall at Antietam National Battlefield. Image courtesy of the National Park Service.) 

When people lose their jobs, face financial hardship, and have difficulty finding new employment, they are probably more likely to consider suicide. The Centers for Disease Control recently noted "Possible contributing factors for the rise in suicide rates among middle-aged adults include the recent economic downturn (historically, suicide rates tend to correlate with business cycles, with higher rates observed during times of economic hardship)..." (See "Suicide Among Adults Aged 35–64 Years — United States, 1999–2010").

A new WPA could serve as an employer of last resort; a way for unemployed Americans to maintain a certain level of dignity and hope. Today, there are 26 million Americans who would like a full-time job but can't find one (see http://njfac.org/).

But we're not creating, or even discussing, a new WPA. Instead, we've been twiddling our thumbs for 5-6 years now, waiting for the mythical "job creators" to come save us while more people are killing themselves out of despair.

There's a better way to handle unemployment, than perpetual speculation and forecasting about the economy. It's called direct action.

Unemployed Nurses While Newborns Die

(WPA poster, image courtesy of the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division)

According to a new report from Save the Children, "The United States has the highest first-day death rate in the industrialized world. An estimated 11,300 newborn babies die each year in the United States on the day they are born. This is 50 percent more first-day deaths than all other industrialized countries combined." The report also highlights that "Poor and minority groups also suffer higher burdens of prematurity and low birthweight, which likely lead to first-day deaths in the U.S. and elsewhere."

Meanwhile, many new graduate & registered nurses are having difficulty finding nursing jobs. See the CNN article "For nursing jobs, new grads need not apply."    

During the Great Depression, the WPA hired unemployed nurses to provide medical services to low-income families. We don't have a WPA today, but we do have a myriad of health issues and 26 million Americans who would like a full-time job but can't find one. See http://njfac.org/.    

Keep Cool

A wartime WPA poster. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

Today is "(What Should Be) National WPA Remembrance Day"

(WPA poster, image courtesy of the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. May 6th should also be a Memorial Day.)

On May 6, 1935, President Roosevelt created the WPA with Executive Order No. 7034.

WPA laborers worked on many projects that were certified as national defense projects, such as: 141 new airports, 450 miles of new or improved runways, 45 new hospitals, 102 new armories, 470 new military barracks, and 438 new dining halls. They also repaired or improved thousands of other, existing military buildings. Furthermore, they collected about half-a-million tons of scrap metal and performed concerts for soldiers. Sewing room projects and WPA nurseries also aided the war effort.

Many workers joined the military, or worked in the defense industries, subsequent to their work in the WPA.

Franklin Roosevelt said the WPA had "strengthened the country to bear the burden of war." 

So how will we, as a nation, commemorate the men and women who strengthened the country to bear the burden of war and who, in many cases, fought & worked to protect our freedom to enjoy the things they created (parks, roads, bridges, etc.).

Answer: We won't. We, as a nation, will ignore their work and service.

1 Day Until "(What Should Be) National WPA Remembrance Day"

(Image courtesy of  Jonathunder and Wikipedia)

Ronald Reagan said: "The WPA was one of the most productive elements of FDR's alphabet soup of agencies because it put people to work building roads, bridges, and other projects...it gave men and women a chance to make some money along with the satisfaction of knowing they earned it."

Franklin Roosevelt said: "By building airports, schools, highways, and parks; by making huge quantities of clothing for the unfortunate; by serving millions of lunches to school children; by almost immeasurable kinds and quantities of service the Works Projects Administration has reached a creative hand into every county in this nation."

Since both the conservative icon and the progressive icon had great things to say about the WPA we, as a nation, will certainly honor the 8.5 million Americans who worked in the WPA, right?

Answer: Wrong. 

America does not not officially recognize the men and women of the WPA, despite their gargantuan accomplishments and gargantuan service to the nation. Isn't that remarkable? 

2 Days Until "(What Should Be) National WPA Remembrance Day"

(WPA poster, image courtesy of the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division)

The WPA planted 177 million trees, created 6,000 miles of firebreaks, protected trees from insects & disease, and built fire lookout towers. 

May 6, 2013 will mark the 78th anniversary of the creation of the WPA. Will we, as a nation, honor the WPA workers who helped protect our environment?

Answer: Nope.

The question is...why not?

3 Days Until "(What Should Be) National WPA Remembrance Day"

(WPA workers building a farm-to-market road in Frederick County, Maryland, in 1937. Photo courtesy of the University of Maryland College Park Archives.) 

WPA workers performed 650,000 miles worth of roadwork, built 484 new airports and landing fields, and built, repaired, or improved tens of thousands of bridges. Before, during, and after World War II, American business expanded on, and moved across, WPA-built infrastructure.

So, how will we, as a nation, commemorate the infrastructure work of the WPA; infrastructure work that laid the groundwork for America's post-World War 2 economic prosperity?

Answer: We won't.

Wow.

4 Days Until "(What-Should-Be) National WPA Remembrance Day"

(Image courtesy of the National Archives)

The WPA was created by Executive Order 7034, on May 6, 1935. Among it's many accomplishments, the WPA built, repaired, and improved tens of thousands of schools. 

So, what will we, as a nation, do to commemorate the 8.5 million men and women who helped build, repair, and improve our schools and who, in many cases, subsequently served in the military and defense industries during World War 2 to preserve the freedom we have to utilize these schools?

Answer: Nothing. 

Isn't that amazing?