A New WPA? What the Hell is That, and What’s in it for You?

It is difficult to read anything about our “economic crisis” without the nasty comparisons to THE GREAT DEPRESSION. Considering most of us know only what we’ve learned in history classes or from aged relatives, the concept is as far-removed from today’s consciousness as it is inconceivable. (Shoes? You had shoes when you went to school? We were so poor we didn’t even have feet!)

But if you look at the numbers of unemployed, economic growth, the BIG DUMP that the stock markets have taken – at least with respect to percentages – it’s hard to argue that something ugly isn’t going on. I’m guessing if we haven’t been hit with unemployment ourselves, we all know someone who has.

So what’s a country to do? Well, WWII notwithstanding, probably the single-most proactive step taken during the original Depression was for the government to create jobs. All kinds of good stuff seems to happen then, including people get to eat and keep their homes, and America starts to rebuild itself. Yea, there’s more federal debt – a trillion here, a trillion there, soon it’s going to start to add up to real money – but that’s pretty universally less of a concern now.

In the 1930s, this jobs initiative was the WPA or Works Progress Administration. From 1935 to 1943, the WPA created about eight million jobs. Yowza! And so it is again…President-Elect Barack Obama is proposing a similar program. According to U.S. News & World Report “90 percent of jobs will be created in the private sector; nearly a half-million jobs in alternative energy production (solar panels, wind turbines, fuel-efficient cars); lots of healthcare; lots of education; nearly 400,000 jobs from building roads,  bridges, schools and broadband lines.”

So what can you do to get ready? Start with staying informed. Regardless of your political persuasion, we’re all in the same boat and are going to have to count on government leadership to move ahead. Check out reliable news sources or go to the horse’s mouth at www.Change.gov. Updates on the jobs programs are there.

AND go to EmploymentCrossing.com, the only reliable employment website for access to these jobs as they become available. EmploymentCrossing.com post jobs located and screened by its hundreds of researchers – not job listings paid for by employers. Get real. This is how it’s done.

Look for updates here.