Bring Back Depression Era PWA to Address Severe Job Crisis in America

I believe the ARRA of 2009 was just the beginning of what is needed to turn this nation's economy in the right direction. As many of you are all too aware--the stimulus never reached the lower tiers of the economy. Banks are not lending and economic growth is nowhere near where it should be.

It is notable that poverty has made an unwelcome comeback and it is a social condition becoming more entrenched as each week passes. I have posted Paul Krugman's Op-Ed piece in the NY Times; I agree that the Obama administration was too cautious in projecting what was needed to make an economic recovery. I fear not only a lost decade as what gripped Japan in the 1990s; I fear a lost generation due to a lack of economic opportunity.

We as a nation are not creating the value we are capable of. We lack leadership on this issue as this administration attempts to find its bearings. We have become too bogged down in the health care reform argument; we were promised this would be completed during the summer.

As a result; jobs--which are a key ingredient to economic recovery; are no where near what is needed. The administration stressed this past week that 690,000 jobs had been saved and/or created. In 2008, 2.4 million jobs were lost. Another 1.9 million jobs were lost the first nine months of 2009. The unemployment rate for October, 2009 is 10.2%.

While there is some slowing of new filings for unemployment, clearly, more needs to be done to create jobs at a faster pace. Rather than "encourage" banks to lend to small business; the administration must enforce lending to get our economy moving again. We must direct work toward the non-profit sector; much like the "make work" Public Works Administration during the New Deal. Montana non-profits are bearing the brunt of the recession--they are strapped for cash and are forced to cut services at a time when these vital services are needed most.

Tribes are lacking critical infrastructural needs as the result of eight years of neglect; the stimulus must be expanded to meet tribal challenges on and off the reservation communities. Non-profits can play a unique role in meeting the needs of urban and rural job and economic development. This administration must move faster and quicken the pace toward recovery. As we are seeing these tough times deepen every day--it is clear that there cannot be a "jobless recovery." Please share your ideas!