Building and Needs of A Destroyed Economy

It just occurred to me what great training Habitat for Humanity could have been for the FDR style of rebuilding the economy. When my parents got out of college in the '30's, they found jobs with a CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) dedicated to providing jobs while giving training and providing help in building communities. Bridges, roads, the Riverwalk in San Antonio, the Providence RI zoo, all owe their existence to that depression ending effort.

I just built my first houses, and it's a handy set of skills I didn't have before. There are improved communities in Casablanca, Chile, and throughout the U.S. as well, because of Habitat builds. Interestingly, I just found out that in early September, John McCain canceled a scheduled appearance at a Habitat event. Bad associations for the 'fundamentals of the economy are sound' candidate, I guess.

How could McCain maintain his sense of press victimization against the backdrop of people building homes for people who look forward to being able to one day say, "I know exactly how many homes I own! One! Just the one!"

But another part of the reason McCain canceled the outing is because last night, his campaign went out of its way to slag community organizers, defaming them for not having any "actual responsibilities." Habitat For Humanity, as it happens, is one of the biggest brand names in community organizing -- they maintain a massive network of individual donors, are capable of mobilizing an equally impressive volunteer base to contribute labor to the cause, and have a global reach. It's not a bad idea at all to associate one's own brand with Habitat's. But after last night, I have to imagine that McCain would have found it difficult to face the community organizers of Habitat For Humanity.

I am a proud member of the DangerousHFH, an institution that builds homes for people. I also can offer skills in growing your own veggies and some rather rusty sewing skills, things my mother taught to city dwellers 'relocated' to the countryside where they could live on a better standard than they had as unemployed cityfolks. This may be a promising situation for this country's future.

Later today I will have some pictures for you, and I am proud of them, too. No one asked after I got back, but all my thumbs survived. Ha.

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A note of caution for leaving cats while you go on a trip: happily, I filled the tub with some water and filled a few spare bowls. They had never done this before, but my cats turned over the cooler of water I always leave for them. The backup, which I felt silly about at the time, turned out to have been essential and possibly life-saving. They are happy to have a bowl filled regularly again, but might not have survived if I hadn't left all the extra water sources.