Tales of Our Times
By JOHN BARTLIT
New Mexico Citizens
for Clean Air & Water
Could Parties Craft A CCC Program?
By all accounts, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a splendidly successful government program launched amid the dire straits of the 1930s. A look back shows the CCC met many needs of the kinds being argued over in today’s different times.
Think of populations that are short of schooling and the skills to do needed work. Think of family units that are fractured by the need to find productive work. Think of lacking healthcare and basic food enough to work steadily. These conditions are not new.
A bill from President Franklin Roosevelt reached Congress on March 21, 1933, and a CCC act was passed 10 days later by voice vote. Those voices struck a deal worth trying. The program was for jobless unmarried men, 18-24 years old, from relief families. More than three million signed up. A quarter million blacks had groups of their own, as did World War I veterans and Native Americans. Ninety per cent had not finished high school
As the name says, the civilians worked on conservation projects, such as building roads, trails and structures on public lands; fighting wildfires and planting trees. Two hundred million CCC trees began to repair the torn landscape of the Dust Bowl. Admire the CCC workmanship nearby in Bandelier’s stone structures, carpentry and tinware, and in similar work in parks across the nation from Acadia to Yosemite. CCC camps were operated by the army, but were not military.
Work was hard and was 40 hours plus per week. Pay was $30 a month, of which $25 was sent directly home. Benefits included free food, housing, clothing, medical care, and work training. Over 40,000 learned to read and write in the CCC. The aims and the success of the CCC are told in compelling terms: “Its purpose was two-fold—conservation of our natural resources and the salvage of our young men.” The CCC ended in 1942 when World War II began. The CCC’s products of leadership, camp skills and work skills stand out still today.
The similar concerns of the nation in 1933 and today revive thoughts of the CCC. But the thoughts soon fade when we watch the current manner in Congress. Prompt actions by voice vote are out of style.
The buzz is easily guessed. Say a chief Democrat were to propose a version of the CCC. Republicans would reach for their packaged quarrels:
- “Taxing the job creators will pay the jobless to hike about and plant little trees.”
- “Business must lead the effort, for ample return.”
- “The jobless won’t sign up if it means hard work.”
- “Democrats push socialism.”
Now switch hats on the proposal. Say a chief Republican were to suggest a modern day CCC with roles for companies. Democrats would reach for their packaged quarrels:
- “Republicans are water boys for wealthy corporations.”
- “It is a greedy assault on minimum wage.”
- “A shabby scheme to cripple unions.” (Unions opposed FDR’s CCC bill.)
- “Republicans push militarism.”
In 1936, a Gallup poll asked, “Are you in favor of the CCC camps?” A huge majority, 82 percent of respondents, said yes, including 92 percent of Democrats and 67 percent of Republicans. Those findings were long before TV talk shows and social media were in the business of forging public opinion.
Our nation has gone through many changes since the CCC era, some good, some bad. What the two parties forget is that parties themselves switch core beliefs. In the late 1930s, the Democrats were the party preparing for war while the Republicans were urging neutrality. That’s a switch.
What about the CCC itself? Democrats hatched the idea to offer added benefits to sons who would step up to do the hard work. Today, any support that in return requires hard work from the able bodied sounds Republican. That’s a switch.
Political winds shift. The CCC was a widely popular action that aided the country and worked as well for “the salvage of our young men.” Our nation and our youth have similar needs today. Could parties again adapt a proven idea to regain the same advantages that helped so much in previous difficulties? Can improvements be recycled?
