Volunteers toil, but Gulf still a mess

Strong mention for the Gulf Coast Civic Works Project by BARBARA SHELLY, a columnist at the Kansas City Star.

Everyone is doing amazing work on this project which will help Gulf Coast residents…keep up your efforts – you capture the imagination of the nation. Pass it along. Call your Congress person. Plan your College Summits. Gather your Petitions. You are poised to change the nation.

Download the pdf [click here] or visit the web version [click here] Here's a quote:

It’s no wonder Bush got an earful when he visited New Orleans and Biloxi, Miss., last week. People want help with affordable housing and access to medical services. And they want jobs.

A call is building among students, clergy, civil-rights leaders and others in the Gulf and around the country for an effort that’s being called the Gulf Coast Civic Works Project. It proposes a public-private partnership that would hire 100,000 Gulf residents at decent wages to build homes and facilities needed for vital services.

The concept’s similarities to the Works Projects Administration, which put people back to work during the Great Depression, make it anathema to the stated philosophy of the Bush administration, which is to shrink the role of government while encouraging free-market forces and the volunteer sector.

But 18 months into a disaster of enormous magnitude, the limits on the market’s effectiveness and volunteer capacity are painfully apparent.

Only the federal government is big enough to step in and get the job done. It would restore a lot of people’s faith in their nation to see it take that step.

Amen Sister.

Posted by Diane ML