Obama's CCC
Obama signs service bill, says volunteers needed
"Calling on Americans to volunteer, President Barack Obama signed a $5.7 billion national service bill Tuesday that triples the size of the AmeriCorps service program over the next eight years and expands ways for students to earn money for college.
"We need your service, right now, in this moment in history. ... I'm asking you to stand up and play your part," said Obama, a former community organizer in Chicago. "I'm asking you to help change history's course."
"The service law expands ways for students and seniors to earn money for college through their volunteer work."
"The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a public work relief program for unemployed men, focused on natural resource conservation from 1933 to 1942. As part of the New Deal legislation proposed by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR), the CCC was designed firstly, to aid relief of high unemployment stemming from the Great Depression and secondly, carry out a broad natural resource conservation program on national, state and municipal lands. Legislation to create the program was introduced by FDR to the 73rd United States Congress on March 21, 1933, and the Emergency Conservation Work Act, as it was known, was signed into law on March 31, 1933. The CCC became one of the most popular New Deal programs among the general public and operated in every U.S. state and territories of Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands."
"Members lived in camps, wore uniforms, and lived under quasi-military discipline. At the time of entry, 70% of enrollees were malnourished and poorly clothed. Very few had more than a year of high school education; few had work experience beyond occasional odd jobs. The peace was maintained by the threat of "dishonorable discharge." There were no reported revolts or strikes. "This is a training station we're going to leave morally and physically fit to lick 'Old Man Depression,'" boasted the newsletter of a North Carolina camp."
I have a hard time seeing anything like the success of the most popular New Deal program ever happening today. Now that was an inspired effort; you can still see the effects of wonderous public works projects all over the nation. Think "Going to the Sun Road" in Glacier Park. But that was then and this is now. So think "Slopping Paint on a School in Devastated Baghdad" instead.
Back then it was mostly a rural country and people (including kids) were used to living hand to mouth with hard physical work. The nation was so destitute that even stringent austerity of work camps was a big step up. Today few urban americans understand physical labor and even though poverty is spreading it's a completely different kind of poverty with cell phones, fast food and internet.
But channeling Rooseveltian policies aren't going to work because the american population have a completely different kind of attitude now.
Then poverty was seen as personal failure and people accepted their lot, stood in the bread lines and went to work camps. They had no idea of the sinister forces in play and trusted the government. Now americans have a sense of smug entitlement mixed with distrust and hostility towards government. Very few are civic minded.
Bureaucracies now are bloated, wasteful and ineffective. Pardon me for not being able to juggle "volunteer" with "paycheck". And please pardon my cynicism but with AmeriCorps' dismally negligible effectiveness, all this is just more money for nothing and the chicks aren't even for free.
I wonder if Obama will continue the practice of using AmeriCorps members as crowds of official greeters for photo ops when air force one pulls to a stop on the tarmac. With all the money pumped into the program their boisterousness would be very tempting.
"Calling on Americans to volunteer, President Barack Obama signed a $5.7 billion national service bill Tuesday that triples the size of the AmeriCorps service program over the next eight years and expands ways for students to earn money for college.
"We need your service, right now, in this moment in history. ... I'm asking you to stand up and play your part," said Obama, a former community organizer in Chicago. "I'm asking you to help change history's course."
"The service law expands ways for students and seniors to earn money for college through their volunteer work."
"The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a public work relief program for unemployed men, focused on natural resource conservation from 1933 to 1942. As part of the New Deal legislation proposed by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR), the CCC was designed firstly, to aid relief of high unemployment stemming from the Great Depression and secondly, carry out a broad natural resource conservation program on national, state and municipal lands. Legislation to create the program was introduced by FDR to the 73rd United States Congress on March 21, 1933, and the Emergency Conservation Work Act, as it was known, was signed into law on March 31, 1933. The CCC became one of the most popular New Deal programs among the general public and operated in every U.S. state and territories of Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands."
"Members lived in camps, wore uniforms, and lived under quasi-military discipline. At the time of entry, 70% of enrollees were malnourished and poorly clothed. Very few had more than a year of high school education; few had work experience beyond occasional odd jobs. The peace was maintained by the threat of "dishonorable discharge." There were no reported revolts or strikes. "This is a training station we're going to leave morally and physically fit to lick 'Old Man Depression,'" boasted the newsletter of a North Carolina camp."
I have a hard time seeing anything like the success of the most popular New Deal program ever happening today. Now that was an inspired effort; you can still see the effects of wonderous public works projects all over the nation. Think "Going to the Sun Road" in Glacier Park. But that was then and this is now. So think "Slopping Paint on a School in Devastated Baghdad" instead.
Back then it was mostly a rural country and people (including kids) were used to living hand to mouth with hard physical work. The nation was so destitute that even stringent austerity of work camps was a big step up. Today few urban americans understand physical labor and even though poverty is spreading it's a completely different kind of poverty with cell phones, fast food and internet.
But channeling Rooseveltian policies aren't going to work because the american population have a completely different kind of attitude now.
Then poverty was seen as personal failure and people accepted their lot, stood in the bread lines and went to work camps. They had no idea of the sinister forces in play and trusted the government. Now americans have a sense of smug entitlement mixed with distrust and hostility towards government. Very few are civic minded.
Bureaucracies now are bloated, wasteful and ineffective. Pardon me for not being able to juggle "volunteer" with "paycheck". And please pardon my cynicism but with AmeriCorps' dismally negligible effectiveness, all this is just more money for nothing and the chicks aren't even for free.
I wonder if Obama will continue the practice of using AmeriCorps members as crowds of official greeters for photo ops when air force one pulls to a stop on the tarmac. With all the money pumped into the program their boisterousness would be very tempting.
posted by nolocontendere at 6:49 AM
2 Comments:
I am afraid that is all this is turning into -just another photo-op and the feel-goodness of the whole idea-when all is said and done we will have probably been better off without it!! although obviously I agree with your analysis of programs in FDRs era-best to you and the Mrs and all who comment here!!
Yeah Devin, it's sad but nothing can be done to fix our problems and it's just all PR when the government does anything. Hence the title of this blg.
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