Posted on 09/18/2005 2:09:26 PM PDT by lunarbicep
INDIANOLA, Iowa - Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards called Sunday for a return of depression era jobs programs to rebuild the hurricane ravaged Gulf Coast.
Edwards said those programs would give new hope and money to victims of Hurricane Katrina as well as rebuild shattered cities, such as New Orleans.
He used the Work Products Administration as an example of a depression era program that built parks, bridges and other facilities that are still being used.
"We ought to have a new WPA like was used during the depression to create jobs, and we ought to bring those folks who have been displaced back into New Orleans to rebuild their city," Edwards said. "Give them a decent wage and decent benefits. That's the way to help rebuild New Orleans they way it should be built.
"Not just rebuild the city, but rebuild people's lives," he said.
Edwards spoke to more than 1,300 hard-core Democratic activists at Sen. Tom Harkin's annual steak fry, just outside Indianola.
Since the last presidential election, where he was nominee John Kerry's running mate, Edwards has opened a center for the study of poverty issues at the University of North Carolina.
He is traveling the country, making the case that the nation needs to face the growing level of poverty. He's made four stops in Iowa, where precinct caucuses launch the presidential nominating season.
Edwards said Hurricane Katrina has focused the nation's attention on poverty, because so many victims of the storm are poor.
He said that attention gives the country's political leaders an opportunity to make progress on the issue.
"The real issue is, in this window where people are paying attention, will we have leadership that sustains the effort?" Edwards said.
Edwards criticized President Bush's response to the storm, saying it showed a lack of understanding of the poor in America.
"He has consistently shown a lack of understanding," Edwards said.
He said a Bush relief proposal would give victims money in bank accounts that most don't have.
"He's talking about putting this money into people's bank accounts," Edwards said. "Most of these people don't have bank accounts."
Edwards said Bush also has suspended laws that require that the prevailing wage be paid on reconstruction projects.
"That's insane," he said. "What these people need is a decent wage. It's the reason so many of them are living in poverty to begin with."
Edwards has left little doubt that he's interested in another run for the Democratic presidential nomination, and being the keynote speaker at Harkins' steak fry was a plum assignment.
It's one of the largest Democratic events of the year, and allows Edwards to rebuild contacts he made during the 2004 campaign.
In his fiery speech, Edwards said the war on poverty takes Democrats back to their roots.
He said 1 million people have slipped into poverty in just the last year, a decline in living caused by Republican policies.
"We don't need another Republican party," he said. "We need to be Democrats because this party gives voice to people who have no voice, and they never needed it more than they do now."
Harkin has held his annual steak fry for 28 years and he echoed Edwards theme, pointing to the haunting images of the poor living in misery.
"I'll say this about Hurricane Katrina ... it opened our eyes," Harkin said.
Lt. Gov. Sally Pederson, who also heads the Iowa Democratic Party, said the momentum started by the steak fry is badly needed because the party faces a tough round of elections next year, including defending the governor's office.
Edwards said he'll be back often and that his theme won't change.
"Katrina has focused the country's attention on an issue that doesn't just exist on the Gulf Coast and New Orleans, but it exists all across the country and we need to take this window opportunity and act."
Don't get me wrong, I am not for restarting the W.P.A.
People today aren't poor when compared to the truly poor of the day and age of the original W.P.A.
My Father told me that he would have literally starved if it hadn't been for that job with the W.P.A. He had nothing.
He was a tenant farmer and the owner had to let him go because the owner was having his own hard times.
Unlike people today though, he did not demand or expect government to rescue him but was forever thankful that it did by providing him a job. Yes, it was a form of a government hand out but he did work.
No. What will happen is that the federal governmnet will confiscate whatever it deems excessive wealth, and then write very lucrative contracts. Companies will pay workers X dollars an hour, and charge the government 2X or 3X/per hour.
Pimps gotta eat, too.
I was young during depression but well remember WPA. Times were very difficult.
I was mainly agreeing with you......those who are TRULY poor, need help.....those who "feign" poorness, do not!
Sounds like DOT jobs today. When I go by road construction sites, there will be signs out saying "Men Working", yet when you go by there will be 15 guys and 1 (one) will be working and the other 14 standing around watching. I have often wondered if this is due to union activity where it really is a one man job yet union rules require all of the rest to be there to verify the workers tasks are done to union spec and he is supervised according to union rules.
I say your eyes and ears and the good fellows you mention are to be believed.
John Roberts is just what the doctor ordered. His integrity, calm and clear thinking is as apparent as the whiskers on my cats and the wagging tail of the dog.
;-)
Yes..and if he's got problems getting city employees to come in to work, they should be fired. Apparently, Nagin keeps incompetents, such as himself, on the payroll.
Headline should be:
Edwards calls for return of Depression
John should look to Europe for that, they are at our old great depression level in unemployment in many countries and the programs that got them there are the ones Edwards wants to start up here.
He can look at the mistake elsewhere rather than duplicate them on our soil. :-)
The title should read: (John) Edwards calls for return of depression
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