the rural electrification ommission brought electric power to the countryside, aided by the construction of massive hydroelectric projects not only in the tennessee valley watershed, but on the columbia, colorado, and missouri, as well. to combat fraud in the securities industry, roosevelt oversaw the passage of the truth in securities act. in 1934, established the securities and exchange commission. as its first head, he shows -- set a thief to catch a thief, he said afterwards. y overwhelming majority, congress passed laws establishing labor's rights to bargain effectively, and the authority of the federal government to regulate hours and set minimum wage. an alphabet soup of public works agencies, the cwa, wpa, the pwa, not only provided jobs, but restored the nation's neglected infrastructure. between 1933 and 1937, the federal government constructed more than half a million miles of highwayed, 5,900 schools, 2,500 hospitals, 8,000 parks, 13,000 playgrounds, and 1,000 regional airports. cultural products employed and stimulated a generation. artists and writers, including such luminaries as jackson pollock,