New Jersey Sen. Lautenberg says it’s time for a new WPA

[robertpaulsen]

Source: The Raw Story

Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) isn’t taking last week’s failure to pass President Obama’s jobs package lying down. Instead, he’s got a bolder plan in mind: create a new Works Progress Administration.

“It’s apparent that there’s a lot of need out there, and it’s apparent that there’s a lot of works out there,” he told Raw Story in an exclusive interview. “We’ve got millions of people looking for work,” he added, and his plan has “the immediacy factor” that other plans — including the President’s — lacks.

“The President’s plan — and, by the way, we wouldn’t have minded if it passed, I voted for it — has a lot of good things… but it doesn’t have the immediacy factor ,” he said.

Lautenberg’s legislation, called the 21st Century WPA Act, wouldn’t be exactly like the WPA that gave Lautenberg’s own father a job during the Great Depression. Rather, it would award funding to projects that would give jobs to people unemployed for more than 60 days; have a continued economic benefit after their completion; and would devote a “high” portion of each dollar spent to employee pay. The legislation suggests — but does not limit departments to — a variety of projects, including the construction of water treatment plants, schools and firehouses, highway repairs and maintenance, building weatherization and trail maintenance.

Read more: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/10/18/new-jersey-sen-lautenberg-says-its-time-for-a-new-wpa/

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About time!!!

[leveymg]

1. A 21st Century New Deal and a New GI Bill for All Americans would be better than road construction

If you need to go back to school to finish that degree, the Gov't will pay for it. If you need a small business loan, same thing. That's how this should work, not just more traffic cone construction zones.

[demosincebirth]

3. We need jobs,

[robertpaulsen]

10. It's about time for that, too! n/t

[No Elephants]

19. I agree, but please see Reply 18.

We have had the obvious solutions that FDR created before our eyes since Paulson made his frenzied round of Sunday morning political talk shows, touting the need for an IMMEDIATE bailout to stave off a second Great Depression.

Apparently we prefer tax cuts, keeping Glass Steagall repealed, and heading our government agencies with corporate shills.

Damned if I can figure out why. But "follow the money" always seems to be good advice when trying to parse government actions in the U.S., probably government everywhere, in fact.

[abelenkpe]

2. finally! nt

[Bill McBlueState]

4. yes!

Let's do the things that worked before.

We also need a new Woody Guthrie.

[msongs]

5. and keep war profiteer corporations out of it pleasssssssssssse nt

[red dog 1]

9. Bonehead & the tea-baggers who control the House will never go for it!

[slipslidingaway]

6. Still think Kucinich's WGA is a good idea ...

then again he is crazy, the corporate media told me so.

:evilgrin:

[JDPriestly]

7. I wish someone would get the numbers of the PhDs, MAs and

folks with professional degrees (including teaching), and math and science skills who are unemployed or underemployed at this time. It is very large, and Congress is not dealing with that problem.

But it is obvious that the powers that be know that the problem this time is not lack of skills or education, it's just pure lack of jobs. Normally, when unemployment is high, the Congress institutes job-training and education programs. Not this time. So this fact is known, but not adequately covered by the media.

That this problem is being ignored is an extremely serious matter because our scientists, our technicians, our teachers and other professionals are the innovators of the future.

We are abandoning our most talented, the best and brightest in our country.

And why don't we invest in them? in their ideas? Because we are too busy fighting wars that expand the Cheney, Bush and Obama empire.

We the people have to take charge.

[rucognizant]

14. Don't forget the Artists.

our profession is almost nonexistant thanks to the non profits. USPO used to be a place to go fir stap design...........brochures for almost everything.not to mention murals. a tradition that goes back to the cavemen.

[rucognizant]

15. typo

used to be a place to go for stamp design..........LOL & I am drinking coffee no less!

[JDPriestly]

17. I don't understand your post.

Why have artists lost work due to the USPO?

[Kingofalldems]

8. Kick and Rec

[Historic NY]

11. We need something to fix our infrastructure & put food on the table....

WPA CCC - the old thing worked then and will work now.

[lib2DaBone]

12. Nationalize the FED..start re-building America...

you will have massive opposition from the right Wing Wall Street Crowd....

But we must re-build America or we will cease to exist. Wall Street and the Bankers and the Repukes just don't get this.

[Laelth]

13. self-delete. n/t

-Laelth

[Sirveri]

16. We would need to repeal a Reagan era Presidential Order banning it.

But otherwise yes, it's a good plan.

[No Elephants]

18. Sorry, the DLC and PPI recommended the infrastructure bank, not a new WPA.

http://www.dlc.org/ndol_ci.cfm?contentid=254880&kaid=85&subid=108

http://www.dlc.org/ndol_ci.cfm?contentid=254871&kaid=85&subid=65

And with an odd definition of "infrastructure" that includes privately-owned nuclear power plants, right along with bridges, to boot. http://www.dlc.org/ndol_ci.cfm?contentid=254709&kaid=85&subid=65

FDR would never make it in today's Democratic Party.

The DLC, PPI, Third Way and No Labels would consider him toxic and extreme. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Labels

Only Republicans (except for the Tea Party) and conservadems are credible now.

Oddly, all Republicans, other than the Tea Party seem to be acceptable to the center right crowd, but corporatist conservadems are the only Democrats that seem to be deemed non-extreme. :shrug: