America Needs Jobs – and Congress Ain’t Gittin’ Done!

I noted today in a blog posting on the unemployed that in order for America to get back to work, we need a plan.  Apparently, the GOP held House and the Democratic Senate seem woefully ignorant or unwilling to do that.  We need politicians who have a vision and who have a plan to address this problem and we need them now.  That, however, is an entirely different can of worms and can best be addressed in 2012.  For now, I would like to offer up a plan to put America to work that even the GOP should like.  (I should say that I am an accountant by experience and education, so much of this may be seen as financial slight of hand, and I make no bones that this is so.)

In our country today we have 14.1 million unemployed and growing.  This number does not reflect the nearly 12 million who are underemployed or have given up looking for work or who no longer receive unemployment benefits.  This means that approximately one-quarter of our workforce is not working, and that number is growing exponentially if the GOP continues to have its way.  We need a plan, and one that can be permanent, not temporary, and can benefit not only the country as a whole, but all factions of our economy at all levels.  Please read the plan through in its entirety before you react, since there will be parts that on their face may seem unfair, but which later in the plan are clearly not.  Be patient and try to see the plan as a whole, long-term program that will benefit Main Street, not necessarily harm Wall Street, and help millions of Americans rebuild this nation.

Part One:  Job Creation

I propose that four work programs be established:  A Public Resources Program; A Natural Resources Program; An Energy Development Program; and an Expanded Americorps Program.

The Public Resources Program is along the lines of the WPA of FDR history.  It will rebuild our roads, build a high-speed rail system across the nation, rebuild and build new public schools, refurbish buildings held by HUD, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and FHA to create new low-income housing and inner city homesteading programs, maintain our public highways, and refurbish or build new government buildings. This program would also incorporate putting teachers back to work in public schools in low income districts to improve the quality of education currently available in lieu of federal government education subsidies to cover such expenses. The base will start at $15.00 per hour, which is what is required for an average standard of living today.

The Natural Resources Program is similar to the CCC of the 1930s.  It will work at maintaining our natural forests, state parks, and local parks.  It will also work with farmers to create local food resources, allowing farmers to continue to be food competitive and organic in food production, by providing farm labor with housing at government expense instead of agricultural subsidies.  It will also create restoration projects of land that has been over farmed or subjected to clear cutting or other industrial uses so that the land can be put back into our farm system or into other natural habitat programs for conservation purposes.  It will NOT work to build pipelines or develop the depleting of natural resources for private industry.  The base will start at $15.00 per hour.

The Energy Development Program is not unlike the TVA of the 1930s.  It purpose will be to build a new energy grid made up of localized or regional micro-grids using alternative power resources which can be disconnected without affecting the nation’s grid as a whole in case of power outages.  As the new grid comes online, the old grid will be phased out and the workers will work at the safe, environmentally sound dismantling of old plants and equipment.  The base will start at $15.00 per hour.

An Expanded Americorps Program (Yes, I can hear Michele Bachmann screaming now) will include new components.  Each group of young people, ages 16 to 24, will be assigned to work with one of the other three programs as apprentices.  (This program will be entirely geared towards creating a future of trained professionals to continue the above three programs.)  They will be required to complete a GED or High School Diploma while in the program, and if they are college students, they will be eligible for an expanded Pell Grant if they work with the program one semester for every three in school towards their degrees.  (This has the advantage of getting low income students into college as well as giving them practical experience that they can pair with their degrees in the future.)  These young people will be provided with a salary of $10.00 per hour and housing if necessary on job sites.

These are the general parameters of the programs.  Now on to the nitty-gritty of this program.

Part Two:  Changes to Unemployment, Food Stamps, and other GOP Demons

Many of things that the GOP and Tea Party crowd want to eliminate are currently being overused, not because they are not good programs or the people using them are lazy.  They are being overused because they were never set up to handle the demand we see today for their services.  Top of the GOP hit list:  unemployment benefits; housing vouchers; food stamps; TANF.  All programs that work for the unemployed, low-income, and underemployed.  Basically 99% of Americans these days.  This program I am suggesting will make the GOP happy little campers, it gives them political cover with their owners and constituents, and it allows them to say that they eliminated these programs, while actually funding their replacement programs.

Unemployment:  States currently offer between 12 and 26 weeks of unemployment benefits, with the feds providing the emergency extension monies up to 99 weeks.  This plan would eliminate the federal programs and require states to pay up to 9 months of benefits.  At that time, if a person has not found a job, they must sign up for one of the work programs and start drawing a paycheck or go hungry, unless they can prove a severe medical disability, in which case they would go on Social Security Disability.  Since we have so many 99ers currently, they would be the first hires, followed by people who have been unemployed more than 9 months, and finally those who would be coming off of the 9 month benefit program.  People who have been underemployed would be able to join at anytime.

Food Stamps:  Currently food stamps are given to those who are in need of TANF services automatically, who live below a specific level of the poverty line, and many retirees.  Under this program, food stamps would be available while a person is receiving unemployment benefits (other cases would be dealt with under other programs, such as Social Security) only.  Once they are deemed eligible for the work programs, they would receive one month’s worth of food stamps, and then their food stamp benefit would end.  At the pay rates set for each program they would be earning enough to feed themselves and their families again without assistance within one month.

TANF:  Currently these benefits are limited in duration, often create a slave worker force of parents working multiple jobs to keep their heads above water, and often do more harm than good.  I would suggest that this program be eliminated completely.  In its place would be the worker and education programs here; with no time limits on how long you remain in the program.  At the pay rates listed, a person can support a family comfortably.  The only payment that would be carried over is child care coverage so that parents can work and be assured that their children are safe.

Housing:  We have millions of homeless in this country as the result of foreclosures, job loss, and returning from war.  The U. S. government, state and local governments have millions of acres of land and empty buildings in inner cities that generate no income for the government at any level.  As part of these programs, there would a homesteading component for low income and homeless families.  In exchange for farming land in rural areas (including building eco-friendly homes) or rehabilitating buildings in inner cities to use for housing as well as small businesses and schools under these work programs, participants would be deemed homesteaders who in addition to their pay would be working for ownership of their homes.  This program would cost the government less than its current costs of voucher programs, low income housing projects, and temporary housing options combined, and would generate more income over time than current BLM land fees or the costs of keeping the buildings vacant.

Medicaid/Medicare:  Under these programs, a person would receive a paycheck from which would be deducted taxes, Soc. Sec., and Medicare payments, as well as child support if owed.  Instead of providing private insurance to workers and their families, while they are unemployment they would receive Medicaid coverage paid by their home states, but once they are working under these programs, they go into the Medicare program.  For a family of four to be covered under Medicare would cost less per month than private insurance, and once they are employed again in the private sector they would fall under the current health care reform act.

Part Three:  After the Work Program

While these programs would be permanent as an alternative to unemployment insurance, they are not meant to be permanent work for many people, especially professionals who were making well above the pay rates here.  For that reason, this program also has a component for helping people leave it.  Many of those who will work in these programs will want something different over time, especially as skills change or improve.  For that reason, this program will also provide business incubators, in rehabilitated buildings, where workers can come during their time off to develop plans for small businesses or career changes.  The program will create collaborations with local banks and communities to help workers advance into new businesses by offering them low cost start up loans; business planning services, mentoring, and guidance; access to low cost business locations; and resources as needed to get a business successfully started in their communities.  People in the homesteading part of this program will be encouraged to develop multi-use facilities in rehabilitated inner city buildings so that their home and their businesses are within the same building or within walking distance of each other, while rural homesteaders will be given help in developing organic sustainable farms with strong local market outlets.

In short, this program would allow us to cut out many programs that the GOP finds abhorrent, while helping Americans get back to work.  It would improve our infrastructure, lead us towards energy independence, insure a safe healthy environment and food sources, improve our tax base so that we can address national debt honorably, give people a helping hand not a handout, and allow us to train the next generation of Americans not only in skills, but in appreciation that by pulling together we can build our way out of a bad situation.  (It doesn’t hurt that the GOP gets the sense of cutting out programs that they hate, even if the money is merely changing bank accounts.)  Now all we need is people to actually run for office who will back such a plan.  Any takers?