"Environment" was always a dirty word among politicians. It was an issue they simply didn't want to deal with because it wasn't 'emotional' enough or 'sexy' enough to stir voters. Who wanted to talk about mountains of trash littering the nation's landscape? Who wanted to embrace those 'tree huggers' who believed a rare spotted owl's life was worth saving more than a land developer's opportunity to make a million dollars on a new housing addition? Who cared about global warming? Who had time to separate their trash and take it to a recycling center? How could anyone get worked up about an invisible hole in the ozone layer?
The earthquake in Los Angeles and the hurricane that ripped up the east coast created more environmental problems as rescue workers tried to dispose of all the debris. If there was ever a time to change America's attitude toward environmental issues, it was now. Many communities, prompted by the sheer magnitude of the problem, finally implemented recycling programs that forced residents to separate plastics, paper, metal, magazines, aluminium, newsprint, glass, tin, phone books, and all other recyclable materials. Heavy fines were imposed on those who didn't recycle. Restaurants that used to throw their used cooking oil down the drain were now selling it as an alternative fuel to farmers or truck drivers who could easily convert their vehicles; the only negative was that their vehicles now emitted the smell of french fries instead of the gasoline fumes most people were used to inhaling.
"Infrastructure" was another dirty word politicians avoided. Washington knew the nation's infrastructure was crumbling, but no one inside the beltway wanted to sound that alarm. Again, it wasn't an emotional issue like abortion, gay rights, Social Security reform, or tax cuts. It was difficult to arouse people about the dangers of a dilapidated bridge. Much of the current infrastructure had been built in the late 1930's as part of the FDR's Works Progress Administration (WPA). In an effort to create jobs for Depression-weary society, Roosevelt put three-and-a-half million people to work building 78,000 bridges; 700 miles of airport runways; 116,000 new public buildings; 130 new hospitals; 650,000 miles or new roads; 4,383 new schools; and 9,000 miles of new sewer lines. WPA workers planted 24 million trees, and created 8,000 parks.
Roosevelt's approach was to "percolate-up" economic growth by funding projects which put money directly into the hands of the people who did the work. Ever since Ronald Reagan's "trickle-down" theory, Presidents had funneled federal funds into the greedy outreached hands of CEOs at Bechtel, Halliburton, and other government contractors. The bulk of the money went into the pockets of the owners and executives of those companies; what 'trickle' was left wallowed into the wallets of the workers, usually at minimal wages.
On Thursday, June 12, 2008, Colin Powell and John McCain appeared before the O.U.T.R.A.G.E. televison cameras to announce a new environmental initiative designed to help get the unemployed back to work while, at the same time, helping to restore much of the nation's infrastructure that had finally collapsed from O.U.T.R.A.G.E. bombings, a deadly earthquake, and a string of hurricane damage unlike anything that had ever struck the United States of America. Powell called on the corporate and scientific communities to work together to quickly create new technologies that would rebuild America in short order. 'We did it during World War II," McCain argued, "we can do it now to rebuild this great nation." Assembled with Powell and McCain were noted scientists and entreprenuers who had some unusual ideas. One Michigan man had already developed a slurry made up of human waste, garbage, and debris that could be used to pave roads. He claimed it not only was cheaper than cement or asphalt, but it was more environmentally-friendly, and this concoction would be resistant to constant maintenance since weather and other elements couldn't cause potholes or other damage. A scientist from Massachusetts displayed his idea for a new building material that could easily be manufactured from the mangled debris of aluminum siding, wood, roofing, and drywall that now littered many communities. Agaiin, it was not only safer for the environment, but it was less costly to manufacture, and had been proven to sustain high winds, severe flooding, and other natural disasters.
At one point during the telecast, Powell asked the assembly why these products had never come to market before. The impish reply from the group could best be summed up in one sentence: the huge national conglomerates didn't want anything to do with products that lasted longer. Planned obsolesence was a part of American industry. Having to replace houses, highways, or headphones frequently was good for business.