Wildfires in Alaska: A new CCC could help

(Image courtesy of Wikipedia.)

 

Currently, firefighters in Alaska are battling two large wildfires. These fires have destroyed structures, forced evacuations, and are threatening homes. One resident described the fire as "horrific" and said, "You just see huge, billowing clouds of smoke in the air."

 

During the New Deal, the CCC in Alaska worked on "fire hazard reduction along major Alaskan highways" and "the establishment of fire-breaks" (U.S. Department of the Interior, Civilian Conservation Corps Program of the United States Department of the Interior, March 1933 to June 30, 1943, 1944, p. 24).

 

We could create a new CCC today (as Ohio congresswoman Marcy Kaptur has tried to do) if we stopped electing politicians with no vision, and stopped electing politicians who are beholden to Wall Street. We're not lacking the ability to prevent and control wildfires, we're simply lacking the willpower.