CA professor, students propose project for Gulf Coast region

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina and the government's failure at every level to respond effectively and humanely, one San Jose State University professor and 40 students have proposed the Gulf Coast Civic Works (GCCW) Project. In short, its aim is federal legislation to put 100,000 Katrina survivors to work rebuilding their community. Drawing on the successful precedent of Great Depression programs such as the Civil Works Administration, the Works Project Administration (WPA) and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), the GCCW Project would provide living wage jobs, create housing, restore a sense of hope and empowerment, and restore citizens' faith in government's ability to help when help is needed most. The WPA "built the basic infrastructure that we operate and use" today, Dr. Scott Myers-Lipton said. During its eight year life-span, over 600,000 miles of road, 5,900 schools, 2,500 hospitals and 13,000 playgrounds were built or repaired. The Golden Gate Bridge and Camp David are among the more famous construction projects built by WPA hands. The CCC planted three billion trees while employing 500,000 men ages 18-25. The GCCW Project could similarly transform New Orleans and surrounding areas and do it effectively. Giving participants a $12 per hour wage, estimated labor costs would be $2.5 billion while materials are estimated at $625 million for a total cost of $3.125 billion. According to the Congressional Budget Office, that's far less than one month's tab for the Iraq War. Myers-Lipton also notes that while corruption has plagued rebuilding efforts in Iraq, "similar large-scale civic projects have operated in the United States with little to no corruption." Participants would be trained to rebuild schools, playgrounds, levees and other public spaces. The project, though, is not just about physical restoration but about rebuilding faith in government. "The social compact between citizen and government has been badly torn" he says. "As citizens we have various responsibilities [e.g., vote, pay taxes, sit on juries and defend our country]; at the same time the government has responsibilities, and one of them is to respond effectively when its citizens are in crisis." Picking up on the urgent need for government participation in the project, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), in his first major policy speech as chariman of the Homeland Security committee, said: "I grew up on a street that was created as a result of the WPA, just like millions of other Americans. The CCC was critical to building our nation during the New Deal.… We need something similar for the Gulf Coast region. We are exploring how this can be done in a responsible and fiscally responsible manner." At the state level, Myers-Lipton is hoping that a nationwide groundswell of public support will push city council members and legislators into action. State Representative Jeanette Mott Oxford of Missouri will be introducing a non-binding resolution no later than Feb. 22. The resolution will highlight the past success of the WPA, speak about the devastation inflicted on the region, the need for putting Katrina victims to work, and the disparities of race and class in the region. Oxford has some personal motivation as well. Both of her parents were beneficiaries of WPA and CCC programs and, as Oxford says, they believe "FDR saved their lives." At the grassroots level, students from all over the country are gathering signatures for a petition they will deliver to Congress sometime in early May. Dubbed "100,000 Signatures, 100,000 Civic Works Jobs" it's an effort by the students to keep the issue of rebuilding areas devastated by Hurricane Katrina front and center in the national consciousness. Warren Wilson College will be among many hosting a "National Post-Katrina College Summit" from Apr. 9-14. Among other issues, students will discuss the debilitating social conditions still present after the storm and will support Xavier and Tulane students holding a "Jazz Funeral for the death of Apathy" in the French Quarter. For more information on how you can participate go to www.solvingpoverty.com or talk to Janet Jones at Warren Wilson College at jjones00@warren-wilson.edu.