Reviving America

 

 

First, a few facts:

1)      Unemployment has hovered just below 8% for several years

2)      America’s homeless population has grown exponentially

3)      Hundreds of thousands of houses and buildings stand empty and in need of repair

4)      Enrollment in Food Stamps and subsidized housing have risen to all-time highs

5)      Government spending and waste have grown to outrageous proportions

6)      The “Official” National Debt is $17 Trillion, while the “Unofficial” (and probably more accurate) National Debt is estimated at over $70 Trillion

7)      The American Economy is on the verge of collapse.

I think it’s about time we address these issues and look for meaningful and workable solutions.

In my opinion things like Food Stamps, Section 8 Housing, Stimulus checks, and other such entitlement and subsidy programs should only be temporary, stop-gap measures, not life-style choices.

If the government truly wants to help they need to provide ways and incentives for people to get out from under the effects of joblessness, under-employment, homelessness, and subsidized living at taxpayer expense.

It has been done before, and I believe it can be done again. Let’s take a quick look at the past to find out how we can revive America and bring her back to greatness once again.

        In the 1930’s America was in the depths of the Great Depression. Unemployment was around 25%, 85 thousand businesses went bankrupt, Two-million men became homeless and wandered the streets. Schools closed, homes and farms were foreclosed, and even mobsters like Al Capone opened soup kitchens to help feed people. For many the “Hoover-stew” they got from a soup kitchen was their only meal for the day.

        To combat this President Franklin D. Roosevelt created the Work Projects Administration (WPA). The WPA employed over 2million people per year during its eight year existence. Through  programs like the Civilian Conservation Core (CCC) and others the WPA built, rebuilt, and refurbished bridges, roads, buildings, parks, and cleaned up slums and landing fields. In all it supplied jobs to over 16.4 million people and did over 1.4 million projects.

        The man in charge of the WPA, Harry Hopkins, said. “Give a man a dole and you save his body, and destroy his spirit. Give a man a job and you save both body and spirit.” I for one think Mr. Hopkins was absolutely right, and I think the time has come once again to revive the WPA but with a few changes.

        My idea is this, unemployed persons who wish to receive government assistance such as Food Stamps and Section 8 subsidies would be required to work a minimum number of hours per week based on the amount of the assistance received. For instance, a person receiving $640 per month in Food Stamps at a rate of $12 per hour would be required to work a minimum of 54 hours per month or 13 hours per week at a WPA job. Section 8 and other benefit payments would be calculated the same way and worked in addition to any other hours.

        WPA projects could include anything from cleaning up the city parks and sidewalks, to refurbishing houses and buildings that could in turn be used to help house the homeless. With the advent and popularity of Urban Farming people could work there and help raise food that could be used to stock “Soup Kitchens” where they could also get a meal. 

        In addition to working for the benefits they receive people would also be able to work additional hours for actual pay. There is always something that needs to be done somewhere and to this end the government could provide temporary workers to businesses at government expense or at a 50/50 split of the cost. This would help the business by cutting expenses and giving them extra capital to reinvest. The temporary employees would earn money to help provide for personal expenses which puts money back into the economy and stimulates growth.

        Carpenters, electricians, plumbers, and other trades persons who are out of work could be put to use in refurbishing houses and buildings. Unskilled laborers could work alongside them in apprenticeships so they could learn a skill that would eventually provide a valuable trade in the future.

        The WPA of the 30’s even employed 40,000 artists to paint, produce performance art, and many other things related to what they did. Entertainment is an important aspect of human existence so a modern WPA would need to do the same if necessary but I think Hollywood has a pretty firm grip on the entertainment industry so we should probably leave that to the experts.

        Maybe I’m an optimist. Maybe I’m a bit naïve. But I believe in and have faith in my fellow Americans. We have come together in the past and I think we can do it again. If we would take the initiative and set aside our cultural, political, religious, and personal differences I truly believe we can revive this country and its economy.

        America has her problems and difficulties just like every other nation. We have prejudice, hatred, bigotry, and more than our fair share of idiocy. We have made mistakes and at times acted more like a bully than a guiding light. American pride has at times gone too far. Yet in-spite of all of our short-comings I still believe in America. I still believe in Americans.

        America was at one time considered the greatest country in the world and to me she still is. There is no other country you can go to and succeed like you can in America. There is no other country that will accept you as one of her own like America. No other country that will give you the same rights and privileges, as one of her native born citizens like America.

        My dream is to see America begin anew. For Americans to be just that, Americans.

        Let us try a new “Great Experiment”. For a time let’s drop the hyphens that separate us and just simply be Americans. Let’s put aside the animosity, hatred, bigotry, jealousy, politics, and religions that divide and keep us at each other’s throats. Let’s simply be Americans.