One of Rep. Michele Bachmann's (R-MN) favorite talking points is the myth that the federal government cannot create jobs. And I thought she herself received a paycheck from the government! Evidently, she has never heard of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) either. And that's too bad because some prominent economists have been suggesting that we should try a modern version of the WPA.

What was the WPA? Here's how Alicia Munnell (SmartMoney Blogs) described it:

The WPA was authorized in 1935 and, during its first five years, it employed about 2 million people — almost 4% of the labor force — per month. Most of its money was spent on operational activities, such as construction, repair, and maintenance of highways, streets, roads, and public buildings, recreational facilities, public utilities, as well as conservation works. But roughly 20% was spent on community service, including education, libraries, museums, art work, public health etc.

Just think, a contemporary WPA could target both unemployment and America's crumbling infrastructure simultaneously.

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