In todays society we would still be having public comment periods, and lawsuits to see if the CCC would be allowed to do anything.

O for the good old days when the government provided everything. The past seen through rose colored glasses again.

A terrific story about an often-forgotten New Deal program that actually had supporters on both sides of the polical fence in its day. Despite the distortions of todays so-called "historians" the CCC weathers the test of time very well; don't believe it? Visit a national park or national forest and see for yourself. Those who knock the CCC do so because of a political bias against the New Deal as an overarching program or policy. Fine, say what you want against the New Deal, but you won't convince many people that the CCC was part of the problem - not if you tell the truth about it like this article does. As for a new CCC for today - forget it. Kids are sissies now and they'd end up sitting in camp getting in touch with their feelings instead of working.

The CCC was the one New Deal measure which was all FDR's. Other measures were pressed by others and other interests, but the CCC was FDR's own, showing the quality of "that man's" heart.

This could never happend today. Any inovative program like this could never succeed with all the partisan bickering that takes place today.

It doesn't matter how good the idea is or which side came up with it, as soon as a plan is proposed it becomes the oppositions goal in life to insure that it fails. That's just the way we are today.

It would be a great thing for the federal government to invest money is something similar to this for at-risk youth today. Certainly a better investment then making up reasons to start wars with other countries who did not attack us, spending billions in the process, and getting hundreds of thousands killed or severely injured.

Do we really want the government to be providing everything? All FDR's programs were really just about taking huge amounts of tax money and giving it back through jobs. Why don't they just let us keep it in the first place? The CCC might have given some jobs to some very needy people but it also took a lot of money from other people that would argue they needed it just as badly. Don't be fooled by the propaganda that the government is "creating" jobs and growth; they are only redistributing it. I don't know about anyone else, but if I earn a paycheck, I want to decide what I do with it. If I want to give it away, then let me choose. Charity is great but not when done by the government. At least if I do it myself, I am a better person for it. When the government forces me to do, I get nothing. FDR's programs did a lot of things that we should be doing for ourselves--that's true freedom!

To Jennifer: What you say is only true if the country is at or nearly at full employment. At the start of the New Deal, that was not the case.

Lew, we like to believe all the propaganda from FDR and his friends that he got us out of the depression. In reality, he didn't. How can redividing the same amount of money--or printing more which only causes inflation--really help? What would really help is to minimize the government which would then allow everyone to keep most of their money. This would encourage growth in the economy thus stimulating REAL job growth giving all those out of work a chance at employment. A ballooning government and increased debt is what got us into the depression; more of the same won't really get us out.
Whenever life starts to look a little stressful our first reaction is to have the government take care of us. I, for one, would like to be an adult and take care of myself. The government's only real purpose should be protecting us from other countries and other people. Freedom really does work if we would only give it a try. That's how our country became so prosperous--a free market; not social programs.
I would challenge you and everyone else to read Bastiat and Adam Smith--it is an amazing eye opener!

Lew, we like to believe FDR got us out of the depression. In reality, he didn't. How can redividing the same amount of money--or printing more which only causes inflation--really help? What would really help is to minimize the government which would then allow everyone to keep most of their money. This would encourage growth in the economy thus stimulating REAL job growth giving all those out of work a chance at employment. A ballooning government and increased debt is what got us into the depression; more of the same won't really get us out.
Whenever life starts to look a little stressful our first reaction is to have the government take care of us. But it's only real purpose should be protecting us from other countries and other people. Freedom really does work if we would only give it a try. That's how our country became so prosperous--a free market; not social programs.
I would challenge you and everyone else to read Bastiat and Adam Smith--it is an amazing eye opener!

Lew, what would really help is to minimize the government which would then allow lower taxes so everyone could keep most of their money. This would encourage growth in the economy thus stimulating REAL job growth giving all those out of work a chance at employment. A ballooning government and increased debt is what got us into the depression; more of the same won't really get us out.
Freedom really does work if we would only give it a try. That's how our country became so prosperous--a free market; not social programs.
I would challenge you and everyone else to read Bastiat and Adam Smith--it is an amazing eye opener!