To GOP Governors: Don't Give Your Constituents a Raw Deal

As part of the New Deal, under the Works Progress Administration, a controversial program known as the Federal Writers Project was created. At its height the Federal Writers Project employed 6,686 writers. Many considered this to be a waste of federal funds desperately needed in other areas of the economy. Out of this project, though, a great wealth of American folklore was captured in writing for the first time and many great writers of the twentieth century found their own voice. More importantly, the WPA and its programs such as the Federal Writers Project kept hundreds of thousands of Americans employed during a time where steady employment was a desperate need for many Americans.

Over the weekend at the National Governors Association winter meeting in Washington, a handful of GOP governors continued to assert their intention to fight over stimulus spending slated to be given to their state and are claiming they will not accept many provisions of the bill. I cannot help, but think about the WPA and Federal Writers Project when I hear such claims. For I believe you can put much of thinking over the stimulus plan into two schools of thought. The first supported mostly by Democrats, progressives and some moderate Republicans such as California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger believe the stimulus plan will work by giving relief to many Americans, build infrastructure and jump start our economy. The other camps comprised mostly of conservative Republicans represented by the rising star Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana believe that the stimulus plan will not work, is wasteful and places too cumbersome of a burden on state and local governments to comply with federal law.

The most optimistic estimates put us on the path of recovery early next year. Whether it is the stimulus, monetary policy or economic self-correction it appears more than likely things will continue to get worse over the next few months or year before they get better. During this coming year state budgets will continue to plummet into the red like we have seen recently in California and Kansas in order to keep up with raising unemployment and Americans even in the most insulated states will continue to lose their jobs. Suppose the second camp is right and the stimulus will not fix the economy. The stimulus though will certainly put hundreds of thousand people, if not more, to work almost immediately in order to build infrastructure and research green technology. In addition bill provisions will keep unemployment and other federally mandated, state funded services going.

Regardless of which camp you or your governor fall under, the need for relief and at least interim employment measures is clear. New Deal projects such as the WPA are believed by many to have helped pull the United States out of the Great Depression. Others believe these programs had no real effect on our economy as a whole and World War II alone was responsible for pulling us out of the Depression. Either way it is indisputable that New Deal programs provided relief to many who needed it and allowed countless families to survive the Depression.

GOP governors need to learn the lessons of the New Deal. The stimulus package may have flaws and perhaps the view that it will not work is correct. As the economy worsens and states hemorrhage money, political ideology must be couched and action must be taken. Regardless if GOP governors take issue with the bill, they have the responsibility to accept the funds on behalf of all the recently unemployed and struggling citizens of their state. Let your political and ideological concerns lead you to ensure this money is spent effectively in your states, but do not let politics stand between economic relief (and perhaps recovery) and your constituents.

My Message to the STAND Leadership Team

I made this for the STAND Leadership Team, but everyone is more than welcome to see it. While I made it with that collective group in mind, I feel this way about practically all my friends in the anti-genocide movement and even many of those outside of it. I included my "transcript" but I didn't follow it strictly.

I just got an e-mail from Charlotte and it almost brought me to tears. I think it was notes from our the last o-team call I was on, it was o-team answers to what they like about me. I have been meaning to make a video for all my STAND friends and like many things I have put it off over the last 2 months. After reading this e-mail, I knew I couldn’t wait any longer.

I love you all more than you will ever know. I mentioned this at the NSC, but after my father passed away when I was 11, it always felt like I was searching for a home and this search for a second family was always behind my decision to join an organization. In college I began to join causes and do things purely out of passion for the objective.

Even though I came to STAND out of my desire to grow as a member of this movement and to have biggest impact I could in order to help end genocide, I was greeted by the warmest, most intelligent and most passionate group of my peers I think I could ever have met outside of my home chapter. You truly have become that second family I have always consciously or subconsciously looked for.

I have been blessed with the insanity of activism and because of it I have had the opportunity to organize people, plan events, raise money and advocate for causes in the past. While I had a lot left to learn and still do, when I joined STAND I had already gained a lot of invaluable experiences. STAND provided me with so much more than how to plan a successful event or lobby legislators, it provided me with a cause that I can own and that owns me. The work I did in high school and freshman year was important and I still feel a lot of passion for those causes, fighting genocide has made me feel far more empowered and fulfilled than I could ever imagine being. I know I don’t have to explain too much that fighting genocide isn’t just something I feel is important in my heart or rationalize as necessary in my mind, but a synthesis of those two urges.

I think for that reason, no matter how awkward I can be and how short of time I’ve known most of you, that I feel so strongly connected to all of you. STAND might be where we come to help end suffering in Darfur, but I believe with all of myself that STAND is where many end up finding their home. I was and would be a committed activist, but STAND has allowed me to grow up and focus my activism.

I’m rambling and eventhough I typed this out, I’m having trouble expressing what I want to express. All I can do is say thank you to all of you for becoming my friend and working together on this cause we all care deeply about. Many of you came before me and laid the groundwork, welcomed me warmly and helped retool me for this cause. Others of you joined at about the same time or after me. Thank you for being my support, my family and colleagues in this struggle. We all get frustrated, but I know together we can keep it up and that our efforts are helping, will help and will ultimately be successful.

I’ve kept in contact with most of you, but please please please do not let us venture too far away from one another. I will do my best to keep on pestering you guys from my g-chat addiction. We’ve done some amazing things together and regardless of where all end up, I’m sure our connection will continue to be one that brings about joy to one another and ideas that will change the world.