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Letter to the editor

Column

Readers really like CCC, WPA suggestion

By Barbara L. Fredricksen, Arts and Entertainment
Published March 8, 2008

Gosh. Not since I wrote about my late cat Bustopher Jones II four years ago have I received so much response to a column.

This time, it was a piece suggesting that instead of the federal government's issuing checks to most of us to (supposedly) stimulate the economy, the feds should use that money to resurrect the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Works Progress Administration. Instead of a one-time spurt, such programs would create jobs and art and make an ever-expanding difference for everyone.

I got boxes full of e-mail and snail mail in agreement, many of the letters with stories from readers about their own days in the CCC or the WPA.

"I was born during the (Great) Depression, and my uncles were in the CCC, and we had food because my mother worked for the WPA," wrote Gerrie Hoefer of Brooksville, in lovely, back-slanted penmanship.

"I spent 6 months in the CCC in the state of Washington in 1940, so I speak from personal experience," wrote Robert E. Smith of Hudson. "The Great Depression was not easy to cope with for many people, and these programs were of great help. Thank you for writing a timely and thought-provoking article."

Sandra and Bill Buckingham, whose e-mail address starts out "wardnjune2" (a reference to the Cleavers, you think?), wrote, "It was so refreshing to read in print what my husband and I have so often expressed to each other. We are in our 70s, and most people think we are silly to think that programs that worked in the '30s and '40s could work today. But why not? Certainly it makes more sense than some of the other ideas that have been suggested. And it would have a lasting effect for years to come."

Barbara Sherwood remembers reading about some of the projects that were done here in Florida.

"It certainly would, as you point out, give many, many unemployed workers the opportunity to work for a salary to support themselves and their families, as well as refurbishing and upgrading so many areas of our country that have fallen victim to time and tourists, particularly older facilities that even a fresh coat of paint would lift visitors' spirits, and to create some new, wonderful art work for us all to enjoy,"she wrote.

Many people telephoned me, both at work and at home, wanting to talk more about the idea and asking how they could help get the ball rolling.

To paraphrase one of the presidential candidates, one person stands up, then a few more, then a whole lot more, and before long, everyone is standing up, and good things start to happen.

If these letters and calls are any indication, there are a lot of people ready to start standing.

I always knew it

A brief item in My Favorite Newspaper awhile back confirmed what I have always suspected: "Cat owners are less likely to die of a heart attack or stroke than people who don't own cats."

A University of Minnesota study of 4,435 people showed that cat-less people were 30 to 40 percent more likely to die of cardiovascular disease than those with cats. (The same doesn't hold true with dog owners.)

The big question the study didn't answer is, "Why cats?"

Is it because we cat owners get a lot of exercise chasing the cat around trying to put in its ear medicine?

Or because we are accustomed to having the cat pounce on us unexpectedly, day and/or night, so sudden shocks don't cause our arteries to harden?

Is it the cat's soothing purr that makes us feel calm and serene? Or is it simply observing the calm, serene cat that makes us feel tranquil?

I suspect it starts with the basic personality of people who choose to live with cats (you never, ever "own" a cat, for heaven's sake). We're often pretty laissez-faire people, more into "live and let live" than "obey my rules." No rational companion of a cat would everexpect obedience.

At the same time, the cat is relatively undemanding and self-sustaining, so you never get your knickers in a bunch rushing home to take one for a walk or let it outdoors to take care of its business, and we all know that knicker-bunching is hard on the heart.

So, when it comes to cats and cardiovascular strength, it's probably not cause-and-effect, but the other way around.

[Last modified March 7, 2008, 22:03:26]