Putting America Back To Work: The Rebirth of the Works Progress Administration

In the 1930's President Roosevelt created the National Recovery Act (NRA), which included the Works Progress Administration (WPA). This was originally was designed to put unemployed Americans back to work. What came out of it was the single largest Infrastructure project this nation had ever seen. Through the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), rural America was given cheap electricity in a time where they would have waited years before the large electrical providers would have ever considered giving them service. These work projects included highways, dams, navigable waterways, buildings, and parks. Originally set up as busy work, the WPA, was funded by Americans to benefit Americans. Now, we are 70 to 80 years past the onset of these projects and little has been done to keep them going. Many Dams in the Tennessee valley are long over due for improvements, or renovation, sooner or later, we will suffer from this lack of substantial care. Many states are not capable or willing to expend the necessary funding to properly care for them. The private sector has all but priced government out of the picture. It is time to take an organization such as the Army Corps of Engineers, and develop it into a National Corps of Engineering. This Corps would take over public works projects, administer and maintain them. The Corps would be made up not only of administrators, but engineers and construction workers. This would provide a workable force, who would not only regulate, but do the actual work, and would not be susceptible to the fluctuations in market price. Thus preventing private contractors the opportunity to get rich on bureaucratic delays and cost over rides. Since the federal government would be handling Interstate highway and bridge construction, like they do on dredging projects on America's waterways. Dams, would also fall under these considerations, and perhaps the generation of power and distribution of same should fall under these constraints, making power generation a business of America, along with sewage and water distribution, relaxing the need of individual monopolies in our neighborhoods and cities. Another advantage of this would be electrical rates would be leveled out and everyone would be paying a fair price (as long as we keep an eye on the government to ensure they don't rip us off.....).