Our Dem Response should be: 1) Accountability 2) New CCC

[crispini]

Our Democratic response to Katrina should be twofold: 1) Hold this admin accountable, and 2) call for a new Civilian Conservation Corps.

First, we should unsparingly and repeatedly hold the Bush administration accountable for their failure to properly organize FEMA, and their failure to react in a timely matter.

There have already been a ton of posts about this so I just want to make a few observations. I am already hearing people say that "you can't trust the government to take care of you." We need to ensure that people realize it's not simply 'government,' it is POORLY RUN government that caused the problem here. Inefficiency is inherent in every type of organization, public sector or private. Even businesses, large and small, include those who don't care, who will turn a situation to their own advantage, lie to get a contract, muddy the waters and play politics instead of doing the right thing, etc. It's human nature -- there are bad apples in every barrel.

But the bright light of an effective leadership -- and, better yet, effective MANAGEMENT -- cuts down on the cockroaches and red tape. The fact that the Bush administration appointed their inexperienced cronies to the THREE top jobs in FEMA -- well, that's just sad.

There is certainly plenty of blame to go around. Hold EVERYONE accountable, I don't care if you're a Dem or an R. But Harry Truman had on his desk, "The buck stops here," and this President certainly does not seem to believe in this principle. He seems to believe in "leadership" not "management" -- a sort of vague captaining of the ship of state, "hey, everybody go THAT way!" without any real understanding of the details of government. He is certainly no policy wonk, and SOMEBODY high enough up in power needs to understand how that complicated, many-levered machine which is government works -- so they can drive that car!

Say what you will about Clinton -- I know some people here dislike him -- if you read his book you will find a love of the details of government, a wealth of minutiae that he was interested in, a true policy-wonk-ish approach to governing. I, for one, think that THAT is the mark of a great President -- a good leader and a good manager too, able to shine the bright light into all of the corners and cut the red tape and make government WORK.

This is what happens when you get the adherents of Grover Norquist in charge. They WANT to break government, to make it not work. And they're in charge of the government, so they can. Break it, that is. And they have.

Second, we need to call for a new Civilian Conservation Corps to allow the PEOPLE of New Orleans to rebuild New Orleans.



The CCC was Roosevelt's answer to the rampant unemployment of the Depression. Over three million young men participated in the project to rebuild America's forests by planting trees and doing other public works projects. It was one of Roosevelt's most popular projects of the New Deal. There is a statue of a WPA worker at the lake near my house, to commemorate the camp that was there.

Obviously, the parallels are not perfect --the people of New Orleans who wish to participate would have to be trained and supervised (just as the CCC workers were trained and supervised). Jobs like this are more specialized than planting trees, and some jobs would have to be done by specialists.

The original CCC got a tremendous amount of help from the Army in terms of logistics, transportation, and support. Agriculture, Labor and the Department of the Interior all worked together to coordinate. The "new CCC" would be a similarly massive relief effort that would require a lot of planning and coordination. And, just as obviously, it would make the recovery process slower -- it's easier to hire someone who already knows what they are doing.

However, there are over 1 million people in metropolitan New Orleans, many whom have lost their jobs. A "new CCC" will aid in the massive unemployment that will surely ensue, and furthermore, empower the people of New Orleans themselves. And it catches the imagination, doesn't it?

The people of New Orleans rebuilding New Orleans.



If you agree, please keep this kicked, add your comments and suggestions, send it to the media, and call and write your representatives to ask for a "new CCC for New Orleans." It's the right thing to do.


Disclaimer 1: Now, do I think for a minute that the Bush administration will agree? No, of course I don't; they'll want to contract it all out to Halliburton. But is it the right thing to do? I think it is. So I think we should ask for it.

Disclaimer 2: The new CCC is not my idea; one of Olbermann's guests mentioned it the other day, but I've been stewing it around in my brain ever since and I really think we should push it.

[Papillon]

1. John Edwards just talked about a CCC type program on CNN

I was very happy to hear him say it. He said the people of New Orleans should be hired at a good wage to rebuild their community.

I remember my Dad talking about being in the CCC and how much his job helped him.


Edit: Didn't use spell check.

[O.M.B.inOhio]

2. They had CCC still working in my area until a pretty recently.

What happened to all that welfare-to-work talk? And why can we build public works in Iraq but it's so hard here. Now, if you read 1930's newspapers, you'll find that there was mocking opposition to CCC, WPA, PWA, etc. (I did research for a documentary on Depression-era reforestation programs in Appalachian Ohio) But in the end it proved ecologically, socially, economically wise to do it.

[babylonsister]

13. From John Edwards:

Today, hundreds of thousands of Katrina's victims have no money, no jobs, no hope. The Labor Department says it will create some new temporary jobs, but it's not nearly enough for all these men and women. Work is what they want, and work is what they need.

We have done it before; we can do it again. But this time the vision is not coming from the White House, so it has to come from the people. It has to come from you. In response to the Great Depression, FDR created new opportunities for men and women to work through his alphabet soup of new agencies like the Works Progress Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps. Today, we've got plenty of government agencies, but we need to adopt the same simple idea as FDR.

That's why I want to reject the Republicans' failed philosophy of taking care of wealthy insiders at the expense of everyone else. I propose this New America initiative dedicated to creating good-paying jobs for Katrina's victims so they can get back on their feet, get the skills they need, and rebuild New Orleans.

Join me as I call for President Bush to create this initiative.

In the meantime, it's crucial that we continue to support relief organizations that are working with the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Here's a short list of such organizations. Please give what you can.
Red Cross
Hurricane Housing
NAACP
In this crisis we've seen how detrimental the failure of Presidential leadership can be. But even in this horrible tragedy we have an opportunity to make life better than it was for thousands of impoverished Americans along the Gulf Coast. You and I see these opportunities because we've always been looking for them. It's time that the President sees them too.

- John
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2077511

[crispini]

16. Great! Just right!

Signed. Direct link here.

http://ga3.org/campaign/new_america/step1.tcl

[crispini]

3. .

:kick:

[Gemini Cat]

4. My father was in the CCC

It helped him and countless young men during that time period.

Great idea!

[libnnc]

5. my grandfather was in the CCC

it kept his mother from starving.

big :kick:

[highplainsdem]

6. Love the new CCC suggestion. Recommended.

[crispini]

7. just another

:kick:

[libnnc]

8. kick for "Paw-Paw"

:kick:

[crispini]

14. I had a "Paw Paw" too!

:D

[AnnInLa]

9. YES! Public Works Projects

Public Works Projects put people back to work during the Great Depression.

This will be called "Communism" by those who want obscene profits to go to Halliburton and other friends of the administration.

kick kick kick

Please kick all week long! copy the original post and send it out to all your email contacts and post on every message board on which you post....thanks!

[AnnInLa]

10. Why rebuilding New Orleans "Blue" is so important

I had posted the following in another thread, but I think it bears repeating here in this thread: (Can we also get another nomination of Crispini's original post????)


Your points are well-taken....but, like another poster suggested, it's only been a week. There will be a plan from the leading local and nat'l Dems.

Vitter is an Extreme, RW, PNAC Repuke. He has vowed to replace Senator Landrieu with a Repuke in her next election, and has an organization on the ground in LA (financed by the nat'l Repukes) ACTIVELY focused on getting her out. He would like nothing better than deliver LA as completely red, with a repuke Governor and both repuke Senators.

IN ORDER TO DO THIS, he must turn New Orleans RED. In order to do this, he must control the voting population of the "new" New Orleans. In order to do this, he and the nat'l repuke party must control the RECOVERY effort of New Orleans. New Orleans is the only large solid blue area in Louisiana. New Orleans is the reason we have one Dem Senator (yes, a Centrist Dem, but the alternative is too horrible to consider.) South Louisiana is the reason we have a Dem Governor. (Yes, a Catholic-religious, Centrist Governor, but the alternative is too horrible to even consider.)

Louisiana is a schizophrenic state. In North LA, they are mainly Baptist, Pro-Big-Business, Conservative (hypocrites), but not necessarily PNAC worshipers. They vote according to "SOCIAL and MORAL and BIG BUSINESS values" and will NEVER abandon the repuke party. There is also a strong RACIST motive under the surface of everything that is done politically in North Louisiana.

South Louisiana is a mixture of the above Conservatives and mainly Centrist Dems. New Orleans has a small population of Progressive Dems, but with not enough numbers to defeat any Centrist Dem, at this point.

Repuke leaders in New Orleans, along with Vitter and the Nat'l Repuke Party will work hard to control the recovery aspect of New Orleans to ensure that the now dispersed Dem voters (1) do not return to New Orleans at all, or, 2. are totally marginalized and controlled by repuke "recovery projects." One of the reasons that Minimum Wage is being suspended in the area is to ensure that the repuke controlled companies in charge of recovery are able to bring in masses of workers from other parts of the country who owe no allegiance to Louisiana (and illegal aliens) and to discourage local people from returning to the area to work for a fair wage. Let them stay dispersed all over America, and their voting block is dissolved.

Make no mistake, our Dem Governor, Blanco, is a Centrist Dem. Many of us in LA believe that, at heart, she is a Progressive, but given the population of LA, she can be nothing else and still represent all of her constituencies. Vitter and the repukes will use the hurricane to try to defeat her (or any other Dem's) effort to retain the governorship. As you can tell, the effort has already begun. Blanco was Lt. Gov under our former repuke governor, and has a stirling reputation in a state that has a history of corruption. I have never heard a breath of rumor against her character or honesty.

Make no mistate, our Dem Senator, Landrieu, is a Centrist Dem. New Orleans is the reason we at least have one Dem Senator at all. She is Pro-Choice (with restrictions), pro Oil Companies (ugh) but, knowing that many, many of the people in South LA make their livings from the oil fields, these DEM voters appreciate her siding with those monsters...how can they not, making their livings in the oil industry?

Hurricane Katrina has given Vitter and repukes the opening they have been looking for to turn LA completely red. You will see many, many attacks against Nagin (he is Black and a new Dem, and wants to lead the recovery of New Orleans), and against Blanco (she is now vulnerable due to the hurricane and a Dem), and against Landrieu (she is a Dem, and a woman, and a Senator who enjoys an amount of power and prestige in the Senate). You will see that attack take many forms...in the media, by word of mouth. You will also see the attack here on DU (I have seen it already.)

But, I am here to tell you that attacks on Landrieu, Blanco and Nagin are not in the best interests of the people of Louisiana. These Centrist Dems cannot NOW be replaced by Progressive Dems. The Progressive Dems do not have a strong organization in Louisiana right now...it is in its infancy. This does not mean that we will let these Dems "slide" on important issues. This doesn't mean that we will not lobby them and hold them accountable for their actions or votes. It means that, because of the hurricane, the repuke PUSH to get them replaced by CONSERVATIVE REPUKES IS ACCELERATED, so we are in the position of defending and supporting these Dem leaders. For now.

The Dem plan for recovery will come. For now, we in LA are in the position of keeping and supporting the Centrist Dems that we have or giving up the state completely to the ultra Conservatives. What would you do?

[RallyInDC]

11. They want Diebold in there. Make sure to keep diebold out....

you have no idea what lengths they are going to......make sure to keep the vote stealers completely out and beat them off at the pass....

http://www.votersunite.org ?

[crispini]

17. Very good post!

Thank you for your very important local view!

[losdiablosgato]

21. I personally have met 5 preople from NO

All have said they are never going to move back. They all work for the same company as me and have been moved to the Houston office. Everyone has put in papers to make that transfer permanent.

[crispini]

22. Of course, individuals should be free to make up their own minds.

And if they have a better opportunity elsewhere, more power to 'em. However, we should work on providing jobs in NOLA to those from NOLA who might want to return. I bet that the desire to relocate permanently, although appealing now, may start wearing off in time. Houston ain't no New Orleans, after all. :P

[AnnInLa]

12. bump

[RevCheesehead]

15. We need to get the word out on this!

Lots of older people around here are saying the same thing, because they know how the CCC saved people who were desperate for work.

Recommended, for a GREAT idea!

[FredStembottom]

18. Petition signed. Count me in!

THIS is the America I love - the one that says "let's find a way to let the people of NO help rebuild their own city".

Will that be more inefficient? Hell yeah! But we will be rebuilding (or even building for the 1st time) lives as well.

America for the many. :bounce:

[klook]

19. Mercy, mercy, mercy

I agree that this is a great idea, although I'm not sure it would be less efficient overall, considering the incredible cost overruns that are always part of any Halliburton project.

By the way, is your avatar the great Julian "Cannonball" Adderley? He's one of my faves, and this is most appropriate at the moment, since the people of N.O. are carrying a "Sack o' Woe." What they need is "Money in the Pocket" and, yes, "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy."

[FredStembottom]

25. The greatest jazz musician of them all!

IMHO.

When I'm not thinking it's Nat Cole (on piano).

Or...Pat Martino.

Or...Bobby Hutcherson.

Or...Herbie Hancock.

Or...Art Farmer.

Or...Alan Broadbent

Or.....................;-)

J "C" A is "Somethin' Else" !

[gkhouston]

20. yes, we need a new CCC

The infrastructure built by the original CCC needs to be refurbished, and there are people who need work, and I'm not talking blivet**'s cronies! The neocons will hate this idea, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't fight for it.

[WolverineDG]

23. kickin' for crispy 3!

A new CCC to rebuild NO is a GREAT IDEA!! :thumbsup:

dg

[Horse with no Name]

24. Howdy Crispini

Let me know what I can do.
Wonderful idea.