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Published Wednesday, July 01, 2009 in Opinion

New Deal public works

For once in his do-nothing governorship, Sonny Perdue has latched onto a good idea. Bullet trains are fast and clean and will rocket America into the new century. Powered by magnets, they utilize cutting-edge technology to move people. Their speed is only limited by the power of the magnet propelling them, meaning next-generation trains will be able to take us faster than super-sonic jets. Trains can do all this without burning fossil fuels that choke our atmosphere and sully our green Earth.

Unfortunately they cost a lot of money -- but that's all right, as the payoff of our investment will far outweigh the cost, as steep as it seems to be. No private institution could raise the capital to build such trains, so the task falls upon the federal government.

Come on, people -- use your thinking caps. The interstate highways were inspired by Ike's experience in Germany. They cost an absurd amount to build and maintain, yet not only does their existence give jobs to thousands, but it also facilitates commerce in the private sector.

The U.S. economy is a symbiotic relationship between the private and collective. The private sector failed us, leaving the collective energies of the people -- as exercised by our federal government -- to step up and take charge. True, increasing debt does have the ability to mushroom out of control and cripple our nation. However, let us remember that at its core, money is imaginary and the treasury has the ability to manipulate it.

Simply put, the government won't derive much of the funds necessary for doing these big projects from tax dollars, but the printing press. This newly printed money represents the value Americans ascribe to the hard labor necessary to complete public works.

Thus, through a tried-and-true New Deal-style public works program, we can actually increase the wealth of our nation while alleviating the recession.

Buck Alford

Newnan