We need a new deal for Appalachia and Ohio
We need a New Deal for Ohio and Appalachia.We Ohioans like to take care of our own. As citizens, community organizations, and public officials we do what we can. But the problems we face are bigger than we can solve with only local resources, and unmet community needs have only grown during the pandemic. Our communities need safe daycare and recreational options for our children, affordable housing, broadband access, accessible clean energy infrastructure, living wage jobs, drug treatment programs, and more. The Federal government says, “We can’t fund those needs. It would cause runaway inflation and bankrupt the country.” But after spending trillions, there has been no bankruptcy, no runaway inflation. Our capacity to fund community needs is far greater than we thought. The money is there. We have seen it in the 2008 crisis and now again in 2020. In dark times, we move toward the light. We question what now appears untrue. We glimpse a new possible, a “new deal.” |
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A New Possible Future
In 2020, the Federal government CARES ACT supported some community services and supplemented unemployment compensation for millions of people at $600 a week. Great, but what if that had been a federal jobs program, locally administered and aimed at community needs? What real changes could this community investment have created? Safe recreational opportunities for our children, strengthened schools, employment for thousands in rehabbing and building safe affordable housing, extended broadband access, and more.
Can we do all this? Yes. We need to do more and we need to address climate change too. The possibilities, while not unlimited, are certainly greater than anything we had ever imagined.
Explore the possibilities with us.
The Green New Deal is NOT just a solution for climate change. It is a systemic approach to federal funding that invests in our communities, making a better world for all of us.
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For four Saturdays in October we met on zoom to learn and discuss. Public officials, economists, students, citizens and community activists from Licking, Perry, Muskingum, and other counties will come together to re-imagine a new community. We are working on plans alongside over 100 other groups in Appalachia who have endorsed ReImagine Appalachia's Blueprint to demand investment in our communities, no matter who wins the election. For any questions or further discussion join our Facebook Page or contact Allen Schwartz with the Newark Think Tank on Poverty at [email protected] or 937 515 6461. |
This program is brought to you by the Think Tanks on Poverty in conjunction with Reimagine Appalachia.
Additional Resources:
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We are a broad and inclusive coalition of individuals and organizations based in Appalachia. Reimagine Appalachia was born out of a broad recognition that the economy has not been working for most people and places in the Ohio River Valley. In response, a diverse set of economic, environmental, and community leaders, and grassroots organizations, came together to find common ground and build the future we want to see—a 21st-century economy that’s good for workers, communities, and the environment. click here |
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In the depths of the Great Depression, President Franklin D. Roosevelt promised the American people a “New Deal.” Over the decade 1933-43, a constellation of federally sponsored programs put millions of jobless Americans back to work and helped to revive a moribund economy. The Living New Deal is documenting that massive legacy to the country. Because New Deal public works were rarely marked, the era’s contribution to American life goes largely unseen and unappreciated. Now the Living New Deal is rectifying that oversight – for historians but especially for the American people. click here |
Living Wage CalculatorFamilies and individuals working in low-wage jobs make insufficient income to meet minimum standards given the local cost of living. We developed a living wage calculator to estimate the cost of living in your community or region based on typical expenses. The tool helps individuals, communities, and employers determine a local wage rate that allows residents to meet minimum standards of living. |
Top 10 Things Stephanie Kelton Wants You to Know About the Economy
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