Time for a new Civilian Conservation Corps?

[LuckyTheDog]

My favorite idea for job creation: Take about $40 billion to $50 billion out of the defense budget and elsewhere relaunch the Civilian Conservation Corps -- with the goal of creating 1 million $30,000-per-year jobs for people in their 20s.

Who is with me on this?

Background: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civilian_Conservation_Corps

[ck4829]

1. Yes. K&R.

[Lindsay]

2. Past time.

But the banksters and their friends won't like it.

[blondeatlast]

3. And the WPA to repair infrastructure. I'm all for it. nt

[white_wolf]

4. Maybe if we sent enough letters

we could get one of the more liberal members of Congress to introduce this as a bill?

[SammyWinstonJack]

6. All the repukes would shoot it down, screaming SOCIALISM!

[AlecBGreen]

5. absofrikkinlutely

I was just thinking this last weekend

[cilla4progress]

11. Stole the word right out of my mouth!

Been watching the PBS "National Park" series on DVD. Lots of great stuff in there @ CCC, WPA, FDR. Makes one nostalgic for when this country truly pulled together (although segregation still reigned strong in the 1930s...).

Maybe America's greater apparent homogeneity at that time was more conducive to a feeling of "we are all in this together"? Maybe as long as we didn't account for minorities, women so much, generally those who looked or were "different" from our picture of the "mainstream" - "the others" - unanimity of purpose was easier to achieve?

Just one of my operating theories....

This would seem to indicate progress - wrenching, as it is.

For example: I believe, and I would venture to say some segment of you all do, that this "huge division" about Obama, this extreme polarization, the radicalness and derangement of the birthers and baggers, stems from a jolting move FORWARD in having our first non-white American President. I imagine it would have been almost as wrenching had Hillary, a woman, won.

So, perhaps these are positive indicia and artifacts of true change in the wind....a small but significant paradigm shift!

[LuckyTheDog]

22. And, oddly...

... I think the Tea Partiers (at least some of them) would go for it.

[cordelia]

7. Yep

[elocs]

8. A nice thought, but the reality is that under the current Congress it will never happen.

I thought something like that might be done a couple of years ago when the Democrats held power in Washington. In fact I was sure that it would happen, but if it didn't come to pass then how can anyone who is remotely in touch with reality believe that the Republican controlled House would go along with cutting the defense budget by billions?

Republicans still hate FDR after all these years and would love to smack down anything reminiscent of one of his programs. One of their wet dreams would be to get rid of what is considered to be the crown jewel of the Democratic Party, along with quislings from our own party, Social Security and along with it Medicare.

[blindpig]

20. It didn't happen when the Democrats could have...

and in fact it ain't gonna happen as long as we have the ruling class in charge. Enough of them were scared back in the 30's for the New Deal to happen but today the conditions are different: there are no Reds.

[FSogol]

9. Yup. My Grandfather was in the CCC. It took a dirt poor coal miner kid and

launched him on a successful lifetime.

[Little Star]

10. I'm with you, it's well past time for these kind of programs. n/t

[stuntcat]

12. yes

too bad it's clearly Socialist if it's purpose is to help the poor, the environment, or especially anyone in the future. We will not set down the Selfish bs even for a little while.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

13. We took 20 times that amount and doled it out to political cronies and bankers

I saved the receipts, I want my money back.

[ehrnst]

14. GOP has said that it doesn't want young people "seeing the Goverment as an employer." (nt)

[RT Atlanta]

15. Couldnt agree more

I recommended a "State" version of this to Roy Barnes to be included as part of his campaign for governor last fall (here in GA).

Think about it: someone posted a thread on here a few days ago (with photos) of the abject poverty in much of Appalachia - surely, a CCC program could benefit communities like that with significant improvements (housing, water, utilities, transportation infrastructure etc.).

[demwing]

16. Exactly

Said something similar back in November:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=9494845

[Edweird]

17. Long past time. That and WPA - but you aren't getting one. Obama like Reagan more than FDR.

[Better Believe It]

18. K & R

[H2O Man]

19. Definitely.

It's past the time it should have started.

[kentuck]

21. No.

It has to get much, much worse.

I'm not sure this Administration believes in those types of government programs, anyway. They believe in taxcuts and subsidies to big business to get the economy going.

Personally, I think if they raised the minimum wage two dollars an hour, it would help to get economy jump-started. Eighty dollars a week. $320 dollars a month. $3800 dollars a years would be just what the doctor ordered.