Lisa Simpson
Mar 30,2010
In: Finance

Weaning Away America from War Culture to a Green one

It is time to put Americans back to the lead greening the planet profitably.

The Congress should set about seriously in modeling a green job stimulus programme taking the cue of Work Progress Administration introduced by the Roosevelt administration in 1935. It gave jobs to nearly 10 million people constructing, airports, schools, libraries as well as hospitals, water treatment plants, parks and bridges. Artists were engaged for mural painting in prominent public institutions like post offices.

Critics however are vociferous that America can ill afford another stimulus because of a deficit that is growing by leaps and bounds. But these same people hardly refer to the elephant stomping about in the inner chambers – an obese nearly $1 trillion budget that sucks up funds from much required daily needs.
The instance of housing can be cited. The Center for Responsible Lending reports that one congressional district experienced 7,000 foreclosures in one year – 2009. The forecast is that within the coming 4 years 25,000 owners of residential houses stretching from Los Angeles to the harbor will surrender to another wave of foreclosures.

If these foreclosures were frozen the localities would be saved. Instead of pouring money into no-bid contracts for the war in Iraq, the Loan Officer Corps could be set up to pay mediators to work out negotiations between the lenders and borrowers so as to keep more citizens in houses that are their homes. This would allow more of the counties to rake in more property taxes and more cities would become more solvent.

Recreation of the Civilian Conservation Corps, the New Deal Programme would employ 250,000 young men who would be engaged in each state to combat soil erosion and to plant trees. More teachers could be hired to give a kick off to War on Poverty Pre-School Programme initiated by President Johnson. Attention given to launching Nurses Now Initiative would go a long way in pepping up that sector.

An all out driving to save lives, to save minds, to save forests is about saving green. But from where is the money going to come? It will come if military budgets are slashed. Troops can be brought back home from the two war fronts – wars that are eating up trillions in Iraq and Afghanistan. Heavy fees can be levied on stock trading in Wall Street. Bank vaults in the Caribbean could be busted open. The Bush tax cuts on the rich could be repealed and the war on drugs entailing disgusting prison costs could be ended.
It is time to put Americans back to the lead greening the planet profitably.