by Loren Adams - February 22, 2009
Genie was already out of the bottle when Franklin Roosevelt
took office. Depression, in fact, was what led to the generational power-shift,
not some personality contest. FDR could have lamented the economic melt-down,
focused on the obviously dismal predicament, and faulted his predecessor incessantly
for the nation’s ills. He didn’t.
It was difficult to see silver-linings in 1933, as it is in
2009. The outlook appears bleak; solutions are hard to find, and when some are
courageously proposed, partisan bickering shoots them down before they’re
allowed out the gate.
The FDR example should be followed, ‘We have nothing to fear
but fear itself.” Obama should focus the nation’s attention, not on unemployment
figures and whole industries shutting down, but upon what can be done. “Yes we
can” is a very fitting slogan for these times.
Boulder Dam and the Golden Gate Bridge were built in the
Depression, roads and highways were constructed from Atlantic to Pacific, WPA
and CCC erected lodges, cabins and recreational facilities still standing
today, and America was allowed to see progress in the midst of the worst
economic crisis in its young history.
What are the positives Obama should emphasize?
TECHNOLOGY. America is still the prime generator of
technology. Since “necessity is the mother of invention,” these are the best of
times for fresh innovations and inventions. More is accomplished, in fact, with
a hungry belly than a full.
NEW HIGH-SPEED RAIL. Hubert Humphrey proposed it in 1968;
Nixon shot it down. But it’s the answer to much of our transportation needs.
The airline industry is overwhelmed, even in down times. High-speed rail
systems would alleviate most of the overburdened air traffic and save energy at
the same time. Regional travel (300 miles or less) would be faster by rail than
by air. Airlines would be more advantageous for long-distance (300 + miles).
RE-TOOL DETROIT. Electric cars and vehicles fueled by a new
generation energy are in order. Detroit needs overhauling. There’s no reason it
should die, but just reborn. America’s love affair with the automobile is not
the culprit; the fuel chosen was. And that can and must be changed. New sexy
cars and trucks [using earth-friendly fuels] are the desirable effect of
change.
STEM CELL and NEW MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS. There’s no excuse
why America can’t. The resources and intelligence are here, not some far-off
land. With the reformatting of the nation’s healthcare system (universal and
affordable), the U.S. can increase life-spans, implement effective prevention
programs, and get America off its ass for a change. John Kennedy emphasize
physical fitness; Obama should too. Prevention is the best medicine, and we all
need to return to health. It’ll not only stimulate the economy, it’ll stimulate
a positive attitude, necessary to overcoming a depression.
HIGHWAYS, BRIDGES, DAMS. Why not rebuild the Interstate
Highway System? Rebuilding our infrastructure means the nation is looking
forward, not backward.
NATIONAL PARKS and RECREATION. The nation needs to set aside
more wilderness lands and rebuild park facilities for visitors’ enjoyment. The
park system has been called “America’s Treasure.” How true.
Re-establishing practical regulations for the banking, real
estate, insurance, and investment industries is, of course, in order.
Republicans de-regulated us into Depression in the last century and this, and
it took a change of power to reverse course.
But also labor laws need to be revamped for the 21st Century. How labor is treated determines the pace of recovery. The more people
able to make purchases, the stronger the economy. It’s that simple fact of
economics that never changes.
I look forward to a change of tone from Washington.
Beginning with President Obama. 