Aldermen: Look To Depression-Era Programs To Boost Employment
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A pair of Chicago aldermen are suggesting the past may provide a path to future employment, for millions of young men and women who still cannot find jobs.
As WBBM Newsradio's John Cody reports, Ald. Emma Mitts (37th) said Depression-era programs such as the Works Progress Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps might well serve as a model for dealing with unemployment rates at 20 per cent plus among African-American teens in Chicago.
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"At this time in our country, when things are going downhill, we need to look back. We need to talk about how to go back and create jobs – actually there would be programs in place like the CCC and the WPA – to be able to go and help these young folks," Mitts said.
Meanwhile, Ald. Howard Brookins (21st) said he would urge President Barack Obama to think out of the box, and go back to days of yesteryear, to put people back to work.
"When this country was stagnant, there were WPA streets put in our areas – some of which are still there and are in desperate need of repair," he said.
Mitts and Brookins noted that in their time, the WPA and the CCC put some 10 million people to work.
