The New Deal vs. the Shutdown

In their hatred of the Affordable Care Act, which millions of Americans are already trying to utilize, House Republicans and Tea Partiers have forced a government shut down. So, let's compare how this government action (or inaction, if you prefer) compares to the New Deal.

All images courtesy of the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, which is now closed.

1. The shut down will hurt veterans. During the New Deal, however, unemployed veterans were given opportunities to work in the Civilian Conservation Corps.

2. The shut down will hurt the FDA's efforts to monitor the safety of our food. The New Deal, however, made efforts to increase food safety.

3. Our National Parks are now closed. During the New Deal, however, our National Parks were improved and promoted. For people who feel the National Parks are no big deal (yes, surprisingly, there are a lot of people who see no value in places like Yellowstone National Park), it has been noted that "Communities near national parks are expected to lose $76 million a day in visitor spending. In Yosemite National Park, lodges and cabins had been scheduled to be filled to near capacity. Instead, thousands of visitors were given 48 hours to leave" (see here).

4. The shut down is harming children who have cancer. During the New Deal, however, efforts were made to raise cancer awareness, new hospitals were built, murals were painted in hospitals to lift children's spirits, and health clinics were created (or assisted) to help children get immunizations, dental examinations, and general health check ups. 

5. Head Start, a program which runs several educational and health programs, including some programs designed for infants, will be hurt by the government shut down. During the New Deal, however, efforts were made to enhance the health and education of infants and children.    

6. The Centers for Disease Control is scaling back (or ending altogether) its monitoring of diseases. During the New Deal, however, efforts were made to "scale up" public information about diseases, health programs, immunizations, etc.    

7. Hundreds of thousands of federal employees have been sent home, and whether they'll get paid during their involuntary dismissal is not certain. During the New Deal, there was an effort to get people back to work, not to send them home to be idle.

8. Military bases will be poorly maintained. During the New Deal, however, efforts were made to improve military bases. For example, in Maryland, the WPA made significant improvements to Fort Meade, Aberdeen Proving Grounds, and the Naval Academy. 

9. "The Occupational Safety and Health Administration will halt regular inspections." During the New Deal, however, efforts were made to enhance workplace safety.

10. "Hundreds of US Forest Service workers face furloughs in California during peak forest fire season." During the New Deal, however, thousands of unemployed Americans were hired into the CCC and WPA to, among other things, engage in firefighting and fire prevention work in our forests.

Why do we keep electing people into Congress that want to make government, i.e., We the People, impotent & ineffective, when we have the New Deal as a history lesson about what the government, i.e., We the People, can do when we work together to create good government programs? Why do we keep electing people who seek to harm us?