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President Kucinich posted:I recommend a new kind of WPA. We already have an Army. The advantage of the WPA is that the build things, otherwise the Army fulfills the goal of baseline income and makework jobs just fine. Who would work for a new WPA that doesn't already work for the military, AmeriCorps or Peace Corps? Just expand AmericCorps funding and enrollment.
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Jul 23, 2015 21:21
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AreWeDrunkYet posted:Most people can't or won't abandon their families and support structures for a few years (military, Peace Corps) or are not in a position to give up a bunch of time to volunteer (AmeriCorps). AmeriCorps is actually paid work in most cases and does nearly everything you are describing. The main caveats are that it is only open to a limited number of people and there are time limits for how long you can be employed by them. As to the abandoning their families aspect, that was a reality under the WPA and CCC as well. People still have to move to where the infrastructure needs built, where the mining is done, or where the children need taught. Just expand AmeriCorps and Teach for America funding and drop the requirement that it be a short term. There's no reason to add an entire agency when government programs already do as much of what you're asking as their funding allows. Main Paineframe posted:The Democrats didn't cut nearly a million government jobs, institute a three-year wage freeze, and limit raises to 1% per year after that, just to turn around and start a massive federal jobs program paying decent wages. Austerity is still the order of the day. This is exactly right. The programs are already in place but the current government is decreasing their funding rather than increasing it.
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Jul 24, 2015 15:15
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AreWeDrunkYet posted:A "modest living allowance" is not a proper paycheck. It's meant to provide living expenses for young volunteers, not to support families. The WPA paid on average $40 to $55 per month depending on your source of information. That's less than the current minimum wage adjusted for inflation. I don't disagree with your point but the answer is still to increase funding for AmeriCorps so that they can pay more people more money. You don't need another federal agency, you need more support for programs that already exist.
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Jul 24, 2015 17:50
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