With close to one million people losing their unemployment benefits tomorrow why not form another WPA like Roosevelt did during the depression. Most people would rather wortk than draw I believe.
Could it work again?
I think things would have to get much worse before they tried that again. Conservatives would shit a brick.
If dumping lots of money into public works was the answer to an economic downturn, Japan would have recovered years ago.
Let’s see… millions unemployed, 1000’s of miles of railroad tracks rotting, what’s a country to do?
But yeah, the GOP would rather endorse interracial homosexual marriages first.
(and a little bit of art on these concrete slabs we call buildings wouldn’t hurt, either)
And for the economists - yes, the public works projects did NOT cure the depression - the massive deficit spending incurred in WWII did. The public works did, however put food on the tables of those who needed it - and that was sufficient justification. IMO.
Hee. My grandma, who was born at the turn of the century and who was “there” during the Great Depression, invariably referred to the WPA with a ladylike chuckle as the “We Putter Around”.
Just a tiny historical side note. 
happyheathen wrote:
Not to mention all the great things WPA workers constructed or created, many of which we still enjoy today. National Park improvements…artwork…furniture…etc., etc.
Considering that the current welfare programs in the U.S. basically pay people for doing nothing, I’d consider something like the old WPA Projects to be a major improvement.
Waaaaaait a minute – the Great Depression had ended by the late 1930s. The U.S. didn’t enter WWII until 1941!
Very doubtful…first the trade unions would raise holy hell, the OSHA would be involved and shut down the work sites. Then those on the WPA would want health insurance and paid vacations and possibly a retirement program in place. I don’t think in these times the taxpayers can afford it. Maybe it is more affordable to let them stay on the dole…too bad but I think it is true.
Boy, haven’t our politicians done a wonderful job.
**Troy McClure ** writes
What did these bridges have to do with the WPA? Everything I’ve ever read about them tells me they were built with municipal?bonds,and contractors in an open bidding process.
Better check your history again. While the stock market had largely recovered, the misery of the GD continued well into the 1940’s. Despite FDR’s massive collection of “alphabet soup” agencies – WPA, PWA, NRA, CCC, TVA, and on and on – the average American saw little improvement until the feds pumped the entire treasury and then some into the private sector to fund WWII.
Actually, it is my understanding the Great Depression ended because of WWII, but larger poor economic conditions did not subside until after WWII.
Perhaps this is the Bush thinking - a war with Iraq will turn around this country economically, put people to work, get a few enemies out of the way and pay off his fat cat friends.
Since OSHA is also a government agency, the New WPA could have laws exempting it from the more stringent OSHA requirements.
Um … WPA employment isn’t supposed to be permanent. It’s supposed to be crappy, low-paying work, designed to keep you off the street but also lousy enough to encourage you to go out and find a “real” job when one becomes available. The people on the WPA dole could “want” health insurance and paid vacations and pensions until they were blue in the face, but if they don’t get them, what are they going to do? Quit?
I would think the republicans would much rather pay people to do something than to just take checks. Here in NC they are cutting back on parks and such because they can’t pay people to man them. It seems to me that there are lots of things the government could put people to doing.
Well I’ll be damned, you’re right. Can we all just pretend I knew that?
As a kid I was told that the WPA did projects like dig a hole one day and fill it up the next. Everyone said that the CCC boys were much more productive. In the south, we can thank the CCC boys for planting kudsu.
Back during Jimmy Carter’s administration unemployment was over 10% or approximately twice what it is today. As a good loyal Democrat with a Democratic congress, he did not consider a work program like WPA. Why not? Could it be…?
If you want to piss someone off, tell a person over the age of 80, that the depression was over in the late 30’s. 
I’d much rather fund an illegal Federal Works Program which required welfare recipiants to work, than fund an illegal “Federal unemployment benefit” whos recipients are just sitting home on their asses.
BTW, are we still in that mild recession from a couple of years ago? I dont think so, being that the statistics indicate the economy is growing.
Also, did the States pass a Constitutional Amendment to allow the FedGov to spend money on “unemployment benefits?”
Oh goody, another Bircher has joined the group…