Looking back at the WPA

One of the things it seems people fear is the idea of another WPA where real jobs are not created, that's the focus of this Newsweek article not to dismiss the work that was done in many parts of the nation that had purpose, but some of the jobs that could be considered not more than "busy work":

In our nation's capital, more than 100 men were paid to scare off pigeons. In Brooklyn, men and women worked as fire hydrant decorators. And in Boston, the government sponsored a project to make fish chowder. Indian tribes were paid to create new totem poles and other artifacts. "Rhythmic dancing"--whatever that means--was also sponsored, as was craft-making, or what the Boy Scouts might have called "boondoggling." In fact, the term "boondoggle," meaning any job or activity that is wasteful or trivial, was inspired by just these sorts of WPA projects. The best example from the FDR years? Government-funded research on the production and efficiency of safety pins.