I came across an insightful documentary on KQED tonight and wanted to share it here. Why We Fight is not a new release (it has been out since 2005), but Eugene Jarecki did a great job in summarizing the fruition of President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s warning about the burgeoning military-industrial complex. The documentary is 90 minutes long and should be required viewing for all those interested in American foreign policy.
When we introduced you to “Inside the Meltdown” yesterday, the program brought you into the mess around 2007. The roots of the economy’s current struggles, however, run far deeper into the decade. After all, we didn’t get here over night.
Finally! I feel as though a great weight has been lifted off my shoulders. My attempt to educate my dear readers on the historical connotations in the recent (can I even say that any more?) economic stimulus bill will conclude and I can go on to much more interesting /controversial topics such asTwitter(?) and/or lighthouses.
But before I can go on, I want to impart my incredibly average sense of political, financial and social awareness into reviving the Civilian Conservation Corps, with a twist. As I mentioned in my overview of the program, this organization was formed to provide the masses of unemployed with jobs conserving our natural resources. Millions of man hours helped beautify national parks, prevent forest fires, and build bridges over Chorro Creek in San Luis Obispo, CA (thanks B, now make it rain in the donate box!)
All right, so you have suffered through my obvious adulation for the New Deal, you have gotten an all too brief synopsis of two of the more prominent programs, done a bit of research on the PWA and CCC yourself, and you are waiting for the money shot, right?What is The Camo’s point?Well as a strong believer in the old maxim; we can learn from the past, I am going to utilize the example set forth by the PWA and CCC in the 1930’s and adapt them to help with our current economic crisis.
One of my favorite New Deal programs (after you have taken a 400 level class named “America in the Great Depression, you are entitled to have a favorite) has always been the Civilian Conservation Corps or CCC.Something about serving this great nation while helping build trails in national parks, planting over 5 billion trees, or improving our national power grid made me want to strap on some hiking boots, don a flannel shirt, grab some heavy tools and help rebuild America from the ground up.Lack of hand sanitizer, fear of blisters, and uncertain exposure to new episodes of Lost inevitably lead to disavowing myself from such romantic inclinations, but for over 3 million hearty souls during the Great Depression, the CCC provided rewarding work, three square meals, and a stipend of $30 per month.
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