Rebuild America: Solving the Economic Crisis Through Civic Works [Paperback]

In Obama's America public works is once again a part of the national dialogue. Today it is offered as a solution to the economic downturn and to the public infrastructure crisis. This timely book examines the reasons for the economic crisis facing Main Street, and connects them to why the nation has structurally deficient bridges, weak levees, poorly maintained dams, and dilapidated schools. The book goes on to analyse the history of US public works, updating lessons from the New Deal, to understand the most effective way to organise a modern US civic works project, based on a civic works pilot project for the Gulf Coast. One chapter features new contributions by Howard Zinn, Angela Glover Blackwell, and other leading scholars and thinkers weighing in on how an US civic works project might solve our economic, infrastructure, and environmental crises.A history of US civic works, including an analysis of how they might solve the economic, infrastructure and environmental crises.Progressives will applaud the call for federally run employment programs to put millions to work and rebuild America. & Policy wonks, political scientists, and New Deal fans will love this book.
Library Journal

In Rebuild America, Scott Myers-Lipton convincingly lays out the case for a public works offensive, and also points to the civic value of engineering an economic recovery around social investment. Everyone should read this book, and one American in particular should take it to heartBarack Obama.
Robert Kuttner, coeditor for the American Prospect and author of Obamas Challenge: America's Economic Crisis and the Power of a Transformative Presidency

Welcome to the New Era of Progressivism! Scott Myers-Lipton offers some solutions to many of Americas most nagging problems. An important and well-written call for action.
Douglas Brinkley, author of The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gló