The Reverse New Deal: Discourage Science

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

During the New Deal era, the federal government promoted science, research, and education in a number of ways. For example, WPA artists created promotional posters, unemployed Americans were hired to assist in various research efforts, and free science classes were offered. 

(WPA poster advertising free classes for adults, including science. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.)

Today, unfortunately, the story is quite different. Thanks to federal budget cuts, scientists are spending more time writing grant applications but receiving less funding. Many are even contemplating moving overseas, where their research will be better appreciated (see "Nearly 20 percent of scientists contemplate moving overseas due in  part to sequestration").

(A building at Patuxent Research Refuge in Maryland, built by the WPA during the 1930s. Decades of research at Patuxent Research Refuge have led to important discoveries such as the effect of stray lead shot on waterfowl and the effect of the pesticide DDT on bird eggs. It is not a stretch to say that New Deal funding helped facilitate the rescue of our national symbol, the Bald Eagle. Photo by Brent McKee.)    

Today, our federal political system has become so dysfunctional, and we've become so obsessed with coddling the super-rich (in the hopes that they will trickle their prosperity down upon us) that we're even cutting funding for cancer research. Meanwhile, banks are reporting record profits, the 1% are the only ones benefiting from increased economic productivity, and tax evasion & tax avoidance are running rampant. We've finally reached the point where the fortunes of the few are more important than life itself--even the lives of those fortunate few, who may benefit from cancer research themselves. What an amazing phenomenon to watch. 

Welcome to the Reverse New Deal: Where selfishness, greed, and profit push aside knowledge, discovery, and national health.

(A WPA poster promoting cancer awareness, image courtesy of the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.) 

Letting our forests burn to the ground, out of fear of the Bogeyman

(Image of the Yosemite / Rim Fire in California, August 23, 2013, from NASA's Terra satellite. The fire is even larger now. Image courtesy of NASA/GSFC/LaRC/JPL, MISR Team.)

The "Rim Fire" in California has now burned over 300 square miles of forest & natural areas, and destroyed over 100 structures (see "Rim fire containment expected by Sept. 10"). The fire has "threatened water supplies, hydroelectric power and giant sequoias" and has caused areas of Nevada to issue alerts to stay indoors due to dangerous air quality (see "Yosemite fire haze sets off air quality warnings in Nevada"). 

During the New Deal, strong efforts were made towards fighting and, more importantly, preventing forest fires. In addition to directly fighting fires, formerly unemployed men, now working in the WPA & CCC, built thousands of miles of firebreaks, constructed access roads to remote areas, erected fire lookout towers, cleared out dry wood & vegetation, and more. A forester with the U.S. Forest Service, in 1942, noted: "Largely through the fire control improvements and facilities constructed by the CCC it has been possible for the state foresters in the southern region to provide fire control for millions of acres of privately owned timber lands that otherwise would have continued to suffer severe damage annually" (Roosevelt's Forest Army: A History of the Civilian Conservation Corps, by Perry H. Merrill, 1981).

("Here Comes the Bogeyman," a painting by Francisco Goya. Image courtesy of Wikipedia.)  

So, why don't we have a CCC today, to help fight these record-setting wildfires? Millions of young adults are looking for work. And why don't we have a WPA today? There are about 26 million Americans who would like a full-time job but can't find one (see http://www.njfac.org/). 

Well, one reason is that Senate Republicans, in September of 2012, blocked a bill that would have created a new CCC-type program for unemployed veterans. Another reason is that few members of Congress supported the late Senator Frank Lautenberg's legislation to create a new WPA (the bill died in committee, see here). But the overarching reason, I believe, is that we're so scared of Bogeyman Socialism, that we've simply become too afraid to help ourselves. We'd rather allow massive damage to our environment, and the complete financial destruction of our unemployed fellow citizens, than work together to solve problems through government programs like a new CCC & WPA, because, you know, that would be "godless communism." Even with our existing fire prevention and firefighting programs, like the U.S. Forest Service, we've cut their budgets, and thereby made them less effective to handle evermore damaging wildfire seasons.

The Socialism Bogeyman, that evil spectre who is out to take our guns, deprive us of freedom, and devour our children, is actually doing a great job of frightening us into passivity and helplessness. So, as we're quivering under our beds at night, waiting for the Bogeyman to come get us, hundreds of square miles of our forests burn.

The WPA: 3,000 New Playgrounds

(Image courtesy of Clker.com)

Did you know that the WPA created 3,085 new playgrounds, and repaired or improved 9,688 existing playgrounds? 

According to KaBOOM, a national non-profit that works towards more play & playgrounds for children, outdoor activities help children stay physically fit, improves their social development, and "is a factor in improving attention, attitudes, creativity, imagination, memory, and so many other skills critical for learning."

The New Deal offered Americans an affordable way to enjoy music

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

The WPA's Federal Music Project performed concerts all across America. The concerts gave lower-income groups an opportunity to enjoy music at an affordable price. For example, 25 cents in 1938 (the price shown on the poster above) would be about $4 today.

The concerts also gave unemployed musicians an opportunity to ply their trade. Like so many of the New Deal programs, it was a win-win situation. Additionally, some WPA orchestra's continued (in some manner or another) even after the WPA was closed down in 1943 (click here, and download "History" pdf for an example). 

What do wild pigs and wildfires have in common? Both could be handled more effectively with a new WPA and a new CCC.

Above: Millions of wild pigs are roaming the United States, causing all sorts of havoc. These pigs "devour crops, uproot pastures, destroy wildlife habitats, spread disease to humans and animals, kill trees and even knock over cemetery stones." Public domain image, courtesy of Wikipedia.

Above: A news report on the fire threatening Yosemite National Park. The fire is causing problems for businesses near Yosemite that rely on vacation & tourism dollars. The fire has also caused California Governor Jerry Brown to declare a "state of emergency for San Francisco 150 miles away because of the threat to the city's utilities." Original link to video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7UuWweNVOc. 

With respect to the wild pig problem, it has been noted that "Trapping and shooting are the primary means of eliminating wild pigs..." and "They are here to stay and its going to take a huge concerted effort to get the numbers under control" (see "U.S. Wild Pig Problem Irks State Officials").

Interestingly, the WPA and CCC engaged in various types of pest control and, right now, there are about 26 million Americans who wish they had a full-time job but can't find one (see http://njfac.org/).

With respect to the Yosemite fire, part of the problem is that the fire is difficult to get to (see, e.g., here), and there is a lot of dry wood and vegetation to fuel the fire (see, e.g., here).

Interestingly, the WPA and CCC engaged in all manner of fire prevention and firefighting, including the construction of access roads, the removal of dead & dry vegetation, and the building of thousands of miles of firebreaks. And, right now, there are over 4 million Americans who the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics classifies as "long-term unemployed."   

What a shame we don't have a WPA and CCC today, to help us address these large numbers of wild pigs and wildfires. Our unemployed sit on the sidelines, losing hope, and our Congress twiddles its thumbs.

Do you like to go fishing? Then you might want to thank the CCC and WPA

(Image courtesy of Wikipedia and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.)

All across the country, the CCC and WPA built, repaired, or improved fish hatcheries. Then, these fish hatcheries were utilized by the CCC and WPA (and many are still utilized today) to stock fish in local waterways.

In Tennessee alone, the CCC boys stocked over 1.8 million fish. (Roosevelt's Forest Army: A History of the Civilian Conservation Corps, by Perry H. Merrill, 1981)

In South Carolina, the WPA and CCC worked together to build the Walhalla State Fish Hatchery (click here).

So, if you like to go fishing, you might want to thank the CCC and WPA. 

  

The Reverse New Deal: Punish Workers, Punish Children, Punish Infants

During the New Deal there was an effort to help workers, children, and infants. Today, however, the story is quite different. For example, a large budget cut to the Head Start program is closing the door to 51,000 children and 6,000 infants (see "Head Start hit with worst cuts in its history"). Head Start is a 50-year-old federal program "that promotes the school readiness of children ages birth to 5 from low-income families by enhancing their cognitive, social and emotional development" (see here).

In addition to children and infants being kicked away, "The cuts include a shorter school year and shorter school days, as well as laying off or reducing the pay for more than 18,000 employees nationwide...(other cuts) eliminated medical and dental screenings and bus routes" (see here).

This type of cruelty isn't the only option. For example, here are some ways that the New Deal helped workers, children, and infants: 

Above: A WPA work project in Frederick County, Maryland, 1937. Through job programs like the CWA, WPA, NYA, and CCC, well over 10 million unemployed Americans were given job opportunities. We're still using many of the schools, bridges, airports, parks, etc., that these workers created.

Above: A WPA poster promoting the health benefits of breast feeding. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

Above: A WPA poster promoting better & cleaner housing as a way reduce infant mortality. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

Above: A WPA art class for children, in Baltimore, Maryland. The WPA hired unemployed teachers to instruct children in various courses. Photo courtesy of the University of Maryland College Park Archives.

Above: A WPA poster promoting child vaccination. The WPA offered health & dental clinics for children, administered vaccinations, and hired unemployed nurses & pharmacists to help low-income families. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.  

Considering that income inequality in America is worse than any other developed country, and that the U.S. has lost over $3 trillion in revenue to illegal tax evasion since 2001, and that multi-national corporations are using tax havens to avoid taxes, and that taxes on the super-wealthy are historically low, why are we balancing the budget on the backs of those who can least afford it?

Welcome to the Reverse New Deal, where our corporate-bought federal government punishes workers, children, and infants. Meanwhile, the top 1% keeps raking in the dough but only creates low-paying, short-lasting, stingy-benefit McJobs.