A New Deal Response
By Guest Author: Max Page
At the April 14th virtual State House gathering of economists, MassBudget President Marie-Frances Rivera named the next contagion we could face — the contagion of austerity. She urged that the legislators not “switch to austerity mode” by accepting — even embracing — budget cuts, layoffs, and furloughs that are our usual, and mistaken, response to economic crises. To embrace that “austerity mode” will make the economic crisis worse, last longer and be more painful to the workers and families in the Commonwealth.
How do we fight this? MassBudget has been the state’s leading think tank arguing for investments in public education (pre-K through higher education), transportation, housing, and fair wages, based on rigorous research. The MTA has been proud to support this great organization for many years. More than ever, the work MassBudget does is essential to building a more just Commonwealth.
The research and advocacy MassBudget does will be key to fighting the austerity contagion. But I’d suggest another approach to make the argument against austerity a little more tangible.
Go outside and take a walk (keeping appropriate distance from others, of course).
If you pass a school or a post office, or walk through a park, cross a river on a bridge — you are probably benefitting from investments made during the New Deal of the 1930s.
In the midst of the Great Depression, the federal government finally (it dithered for a while, worried about deficit spending) launched a series of building projects on a scale never seen before, touching virtually every single city and town in Massachusetts and across the country. In fact, over a hundred schools were built or renovated through New Deal investments in Massachusetts. A hundred parks. A hundred post offices. Eight bridges. A couple of courthouses. Fifteen cemeteries. Each project meant jobs for workers, which meant money flowing back into the economy.
There were over 800 projects just in Massachusetts. You’ll quickly see a few hours disappear if you peruse the livingnewdeal.org website, where they continue to document all the many projects across the country shaped by the New Deal.
We are all reeling from this unprecedented event. While coronavirus is a uniquely all-encompassing disaster, the effects are familiar: businesses shut down, people out of work, wealth destroyed, a frightening future. Our experience of past downturns and disasters make clear that in the face of this crisis we must turn away from austerity and towards investments that protect people now and build for the Commonwealth we all want. We must demand this kind of response from the federal government. The state must also do its part by passing progressive revenues. But only the federal government has the ability to provide the scale of funds that are necessary.
Can’t be done? Politically impossible?
Just head outside and look around.
Max Page is a professor of architecture at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, a public education champion, and currently serves as Vice President of the Massachusetts Teachers Association. Max is also the former President of the Massachusetts Society of Professors and resides in Amherst with his wife, Eve, and their three children.
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