Quick Wikipedia Summary:
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28.[1] The CCC was a major part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal that supplied manual labor jobs related to the conservation and development of natural resources in rural lands owned by federal, state, and local governments. The CCC was designed to supply jobs for young men and to relieve families who had difficulty finding jobs during the Great Depression in the United States.
In the US, we have many infrastructure programs falling to the wayside such as old and failing city water systems, electrical service, and outdated public transit.
I understand the maasive ammounts of money and coordination has to go into a project like this. But to me, introducing a program like the defunct CCC would allow struggling Americans to have a steady path of employment throughout the nation. More money in the workers pockets, less unemployment, and an improved society afterwards. This to me seems like a win win win, what am I missimg here?
Yes, a lot of infrastructure is fucked and needs replacing. Bridges, pipes, roads, dams, energy grids, all of it. We also need a lot of new infrastructure to have renewable energy and prepare for climate change related problems.
The program could also help people that need work or are under employed. It may be a question as to how much of an improvement this work might be for the under employed but any work would probably be better for the unemployed.
There’s currently a program that is similar but not a 1:1 copy. The AmeriCorp. It’s a stipend based program that you “volunteer at a nonprofit” but are paid at the end and qualify for health insurance.
Thank you for bringing this to my attention!
Hi @Upvotes_Kills_Birds ! Really glad to see someone testing out the discussion thread format in our magazine!
Will you please edit your title so that it starts with ‘Discussion:’ to help differentiate it from other submissions to news/opinion pieces?
The mod team is finalizing our magazine’s side bar rules, but our approach to moderating Discussion threads is going to be an “enter at your own risk” caveat, so having those spaces clearly marked helps communicate to users that they should expect opposing views in the comments more than some news items may invite.
Thank you kindly!
Edited.
I think thats a good plan, especially while the sizes of the community is still smaller and more manageable.
CCC, WPA, or any semblance of the alphabet soup of new deal programs focused on improving the infrastructure and getting people to work is something I believe this country desperately needs. For all the reasons you stated but another important factor; it can help Americans get a new found sense of pride in their country and a sense of community.
I remember reading about how the new deal programs boosted pride among Americans who took part in these programs. A sense of pride that was needed to fight WWII.
While a modern version of this would be amazing, I can’t help but show the same skepticism that has been said here in regards to corruption and issues that would inevitable come up. It’s a totally different political landscape than it was in 1933.
IMO we should have 4 years compensatory service after highschool either in the military or civilian services. Housing, food, medical, and pay provided during service (like the military). College paid for when finished, and or you come out with a trade certificate.
My cynical view is that, even with the best intentions, this would become a shell of a service that somehow exploits workers for the benefit of the rich. I feel like someone would weasel in language to again widdle away the native populations land or rights.
I would love to pretend I live in a world where I trust the government enough to do something like this, because we all recognize the need for so many activities. Thousands of hands can make light work of many things.
I really like your comment that thousands of hands can make light work of many things. I realize that’s where my position on the mayter was; Were aware of so many infrastructure problems going on and systems failing and we continue to react instead of stop the problem at it source to stop it from escalating.
If we don’t upgrade our electrical grid to account for more AC load that WILL increase with climate change were in for a very bad time littered with preventable deaths.
