U.S. Civilian Corps.

Dan, in a comment to my post on Fargo, warned of creeping forced volunteerism by the Obama Administration.

This got me thinking of a conversation I had with my good friend Bruce, where I disputed that FDR's policies, in any way, ended the Depression. And it wasn't the massive spending for the War that did it either.

The Depression ended, or at least the unemployment caused by the Depression ended, when we took tens of millions of men out of the civilian workforce and gave them government jobs--with the Army, Navy, Marines and Army Air Corp.

So what about now? One way to take 3 million people out of the workforce, while simultaneously creating a huge force to build houses for the homeless, clean up parks and roadways, tutor failing children, man affordable day care centers, help at nursing homes and hospitals, run soup kitchens, coach kids' sports--and on, and on, is this-- "draft" every 18-22 year old in America for a year of Civilian Corps. Service.

Pay 'em a thousand a month. House them like an Army. Train them and use them to free up other local government assets, or do jobs we don't have the manpower or money to do.

Benefits?

It would make our kids grow up--too many are horribly immature upon college graduation.

It would pull newcomers out of the market, thus opening up jobs for people who have mortgages, bills, etc.

It could help kids become part of the larger American fabric, just like Army service does.

It could help ease government budget woes--and personal ones (for instance, free day care).

It could provide some useful training for those in specialties or without direction.

Cost? It you say $30,000 per for salary, housing, training, supervision, etc., we're talking $90 billion, or less than one-third of what we've spent on AIG.

Just a thought.

Police Outrage in Dallas

I would venture a guess that I support cops in about 98% of the controversies that hit the papers.

A few years ago, for example, my respect for Bruce Springsteen plummeted when he recorded that despicable, wholly biased, "41 Shots". I was at the Garden the night they recorded the song and I was one of many who sat silent. Springsteen made his money off of being the favorite of blue collar working Americans--and then has shoved it in their face in pursuit of a diseased liberal agenda.

That said, the cop who prevented the Houston Texan's running back Ryan Moats from seeing his dying mother-in-law should be fired--and it's too bad we don't publicly humiliate people anymore, like with the stocks or on a rail, because he deserves at least that, if not worse.

Check out this idiot. I can't tell whether race was involved, but I can tell you this is a person who shouldn't have any power or authority at all, over anyone or any thing. As did the police chief, I give the Moats' family huge credit for handling the situation much better than most of us would have.

Fargo Flood

I know this is a bit off the beaten track, but watching the coverage of the efforts to stave off flooding in Fargo, as the Red River rises to 41 feet, I was struck by two things:

First, there was a video of hundreds of people shoveling sand into sand bags. The reporter called the work "grueling". Sand was dumped in huge piles on the floor of an arena or stadium--then people were shoveling sand into white bags--and then hauling them, by hand, up and onto pickup trucks for transport to the river.

Why?

I cannot believe there isn't some kind of automatic-bag-filler available, together with engine-powered devices to lift the bags onto (and off of) the pickups. The process would have to be quicker, more efficient, and safer.

Sure, no town can be expected to buy and maintain that kind of equipment on the odd chance it might someday need it. But isn't that what FEMA should be doing? Wouldn't it make sense for FEMA to own and maintain that type of emergency equipment that could be airlifted in as needed?

And my second thought, as the reporter said the mayor had called for an additional 2,000 volunteers, was this--I've said it before, and I'll say it again-- I think we should have a standing, civilian, emergency corps to provide massive help in situations like floods, hurricanes. tornado-aftermaths, wild fires. A huge team of specialists who can help provide emergency manpower before and during a crisis, and help restore electricity and services in the immediate aftermath.

Sort of a civilian National Guard, but with personnel specifically trained to handle the challenges of natural disasters-- evacuations, sandbagging, firefighting, triage, provision of emergency shelter, power, etc.

The way we are reacting to these natural crises now is simply insane.

AIG Bonuses

AIG apparently paid over $140 million in bonuses to executives in the same unit that, in good measure, caused much of this financial meltdown.

Virtually everyone, left, right and center is outraged, and with good reason.

But, as with most of this mess, the fault lies as much, or more, with our elected officials than anyone else.

The Democratic Congress, at the request first of the Republican President and then his Democratic successor, has opened the treasury and thrown, indiscriminately, billions and billions of dollars, at economic conditions, both real and perceived, without any forethought whatsoever.

We can't do anything about the bonuses now. Too late. What should have happened was before any of the several bailout installments were given to AIG, the government should have demanded reforms--just like we conservatives have been calling for with the auto makers.

Everywhere you look, at every single one of these financial debacles, we see governement failures--on both sides of the aisle. The SEC, the Fed, the Treasury. Congress forcing banks to make bad loans, banking regulators not enforcing the few regulations remaining.

This is not a housing crisis.

This is not a banking crisis.

This is not a liquidity crisis.

This is a competency crisis.

I wrote early in the campaign that I wished one of the candidates would step forward and actually enforce the laws on the books--actually manage the governement. What we have seen, on virtually every level, is a lack of intelligence, forethought, managerial skill and plain old hard work. Our food and water are not safe; our kids' toys have lead. No one is enforcing the immigration laws (this is not a debate about what the laws should be--I'm simply saying that the laws that are there aren't being enforced.) Obviously the SEC is a joke. FEMA. Need I go on?

I think the economy came to a standstill in October, waiting for Obama to come in January with some answers--not solutions, but a setting of the new rules of the game. Unfortunately, his "team" stumbled badly, and so the crisis continues.

Competency. A competent warden of the public funds would have prevented AIG's bonuses, just like it would have placed restrictions on what the TARP money could be used for.

Competency. Is there any left in the U.S.?

Is anyone doing their job?