If YOU could....

Nearly 14 million Americans are unemployed and 8.5 million are desperately clinging to part-time work. The worst hit, accounting for 822,00 people, are in their 40s and 50s. After fruitlessly pursuing any kind of job for over two years, they have given up on looking - and on any future. Those deciding to start a business have been unable to get small start-up loans because banks are either hoarding reserves or fearing inexperienced, first-time entrepreneurs may cost them collateral if they fail.

For years, billions have been lavished on foreign economic aid - principally infrastructure - especially in this last decade. From 2001 to 2009, taxpayer monies have been spent on economic aid to 161 countries, including Uganda (over $2 billion); Somalia (over $7.3 million); and, incredibly, Russia (nearly $6.7 billion). Media coverage showcasing foreign road-and bridge-building projects and state-of-the-art schools and clinics has begun to outrage American audiences stuck with broken-down counterparts in their own backyards.

In the seven years of the WPA's existence - at a cost of $13.4 billion - almost every city and hamlet received some kind of project. It was to become the largest public-works program in history and it exemplified the greatest economic turnaround the world has ever known. A sampling of the WPA's accomplishments for those seven years is staggering. Among them were: see article for list

Private contractors also meant intensive lobbying pressures, time-consuming bid analyses, perhaps bribes and graft - and cost overruns so immense that Congressional bean counters would throttle the WPA in its cradle. And so, WPA projects were designed and supervised by the US Army Corps of Engineers. They taught construction skills to those raw recruits, mostly by on-the-job training. WPA-ers would work 120 hours per month for wages that were more than federal relief checks, but far less than union scale wages or a locale's prevailing pay.

Now, let's imagine that the president and Congress decide to resurrect the WPA - especially considering the 2012 election. That they quickly inaugurate WPA-II and split it into two divisions: deployed military and able-bodied civilians. That they follow most of the blueprint below for operations: see article

Funding: With the winding down of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, a portion of Congressional appropriations to both the DoD and the State Department would be shifted to underwrite WPA-II expenses that previously were dedicated to foreign infrastructure and economic aid. This would include salaries of all DoD participants, including payroll for deployed military.

The State Department would shift funds from most of its foreign-aid programs and much of the $3 billion presently earmarked for the Baghdad Embassy security forces.