Informative and interesting. Our family often camped in the Sierras and frequently found CCC camps near us. As I recall, the CCC crews were rooting out an evasive plant. It is not unusual for me to find something in your articles to which I can relate. Thanks, Annette.....and thanks to the geographers of the world who keep it real!
Thanks, Annette, for a very timely and necessary piece about the past and the economic value of building solid (made-to-last) infrastructure. You make me feel proud to be a Democrat and remind me why I am one.
It's amazing how governments fail to recognise that the best way to stimulate and grow an economy is through good infrastructure and public projects. They provide employment, provide benefits for years to come, and in most western world countries the vast majority of materials used will be locally or nationally sourced avoiding imports. All of this stimulates the economy.
As long as the finances are well managed and 'mates rates' contracts are avoided, they provide the best value per dollar/pound spend there is.
Here in Britain we still benefit from some of the early altruistic industrialists who built schools, housing, hospitals, libraries, parks, theatres, and even entire towns for their workers. Many of these places are in use today. I don't have to go far before I see a Victorian school still in use.
My advice to anyone in government is to look back on history, learn from it and see what has really worked.
This is great stuff. So much of the political polarization today can be traced back to vehement opposition to the New Deal by industrials who were INCENSED about being taxed to help fund the New Deal. Even today, some of the mission statements from Conservative think-tanks (Cato, Heritage, etc.) clearly state that their ideal is to go back to a PRE-New Deal America. It's fascinating.
There's a terrific book by Princeton historian Keven Kruse called ONE NATION UNDER GOD--HOW CORPORATE AMERICA INVENTED CHRISTIAN AMERICA. He charts how businessmen and religious leaders joined together in the 30s in opposition to FDR and the New Deal. Businessmen, of course, didn't believe their companies should be taxed in support of social programs. At the same time, they convinced religious leaders that the New Deal represented an existential threat to Christianity in America. After all, if the government helped the poor, sick, and destitute, they were effectively "replacing" the church and that had to be stopped at all costs. This union of corporations and conservative religious leaders has convinced generations of Americans that government is evil, unions are bad, and that all social programs (including SS and Medicate ) should be abolished lest we turn into godless socialists. We are now seeing the results of decades of this indoctrination from the coalition of conservative business and religious leaders. The book helped me understand why some of the poorest and most destitute in America continue to vote against their own interests. They've been hearing about the evils of government from their first childhood sermons and being anti-guv'mnt has been internalized as a major part of their religious identity.
Anyway, sorry to go off topic. It's wonderful to learn about The Living New Deal and its aims. Thanks for focusing on such an important and transformational era in American history!
I love your obsession with the New Deal, Annette. It’s absolutely not misplaced. I had no idea so much of the infrastructure of California, the state I’ve called home for most of my life, was a result of FDR’s policies. My personal favorites are the incredible WPA murals in San Francisco’s Coit Tower, which we visit every time we stay in the city by the bay. I’m excited to learn about the Living New Deal. I just hope there’s a fix for the gargantuan potholes that threaten to engulf our small car every time we travel on the Pacific Coast Highway here in SoCal. We clearly need a NEW New Deal! I look forward to whatever you want to write about FDR or anything else!
This is fascinating! The interview with Dr. Walker was great. I'd never heard of the CCC before this, to my great shame. It sounds like a great thing to be involved with ...
Informative and interesting. Our family often camped in the Sierras and frequently found CCC camps near us. As I recall, the CCC crews were rooting out an evasive plant. It is not unusual for me to find something in your articles to which I can relate. Thanks, Annette.....and thanks to the geographers of the world who keep it real!
Thanks, Annette, for a very timely and necessary piece about the past and the economic value of building solid (made-to-last) infrastructure. You make me feel proud to be a Democrat and remind me why I am one.
Good luck with that!
I loved this interview.
It's amazing how governments fail to recognise that the best way to stimulate and grow an economy is through good infrastructure and public projects. They provide employment, provide benefits for years to come, and in most western world countries the vast majority of materials used will be locally or nationally sourced avoiding imports. All of this stimulates the economy.
As long as the finances are well managed and 'mates rates' contracts are avoided, they provide the best value per dollar/pound spend there is.
Here in Britain we still benefit from some of the early altruistic industrialists who built schools, housing, hospitals, libraries, parks, theatres, and even entire towns for their workers. Many of these places are in use today. I don't have to go far before I see a Victorian school still in use.
My advice to anyone in government is to look back on history, learn from it and see what has really worked.
This is great stuff. So much of the political polarization today can be traced back to vehement opposition to the New Deal by industrials who were INCENSED about being taxed to help fund the New Deal. Even today, some of the mission statements from Conservative think-tanks (Cato, Heritage, etc.) clearly state that their ideal is to go back to a PRE-New Deal America. It's fascinating.
There's a terrific book by Princeton historian Keven Kruse called ONE NATION UNDER GOD--HOW CORPORATE AMERICA INVENTED CHRISTIAN AMERICA. He charts how businessmen and religious leaders joined together in the 30s in opposition to FDR and the New Deal. Businessmen, of course, didn't believe their companies should be taxed in support of social programs. At the same time, they convinced religious leaders that the New Deal represented an existential threat to Christianity in America. After all, if the government helped the poor, sick, and destitute, they were effectively "replacing" the church and that had to be stopped at all costs. This union of corporations and conservative religious leaders has convinced generations of Americans that government is evil, unions are bad, and that all social programs (including SS and Medicate ) should be abolished lest we turn into godless socialists. We are now seeing the results of decades of this indoctrination from the coalition of conservative business and religious leaders. The book helped me understand why some of the poorest and most destitute in America continue to vote against their own interests. They've been hearing about the evils of government from their first childhood sermons and being anti-guv'mnt has been internalized as a major part of their religious identity.
Anyway, sorry to go off topic. It's wonderful to learn about The Living New Deal and its aims. Thanks for focusing on such an important and transformational era in American history!
I love your obsession with the New Deal, Annette. It’s absolutely not misplaced. I had no idea so much of the infrastructure of California, the state I’ve called home for most of my life, was a result of FDR’s policies. My personal favorites are the incredible WPA murals in San Francisco’s Coit Tower, which we visit every time we stay in the city by the bay. I’m excited to learn about the Living New Deal. I just hope there’s a fix for the gargantuan potholes that threaten to engulf our small car every time we travel on the Pacific Coast Highway here in SoCal. We clearly need a NEW New Deal! I look forward to whatever you want to write about FDR or anything else!
This is fascinating! The interview with Dr. Walker was great. I'd never heard of the CCC before this, to my great shame. It sounds like a great thing to be involved with ...