- Expanding the FAFSA Pell Grant program at a time when a frozen credit market is preventing millions from going to school is an absolute necessity. I've always said, if they banks don't lend to students and the U.S. Government refuses to bail the students out, our economy will never recover because there won't be an educated people to push its recovery. That is why I support $15.6B to the Pell Grant program. Impoverished people used to rely on loans as well as government aid to go to school but this crisis has taken away their loans.
- Within education is the $56B in state aid that Sen. Collins and Sen. Nelson agreed upon (Nelson implied that the cut was not for himself but for Collins, Snowe and Specter on the Rachel Maddow Show). This will prevent layoffs of teachers and might be used to also prevent layoffs of police and firefighters. It will save (or create if people have already been laid off) a great deal of jobs.
- $26B will go to local school districts. Not to belabor the point, education spending is stimulative.
Healthcare
- Doctor's handwriting used to be a joke...until it started causing 7,000 deaths per year. $19B will go towards smart technology in our healthcare system. It will save money too and the more money we save the more people will get to see doctors based on need rather than money.
- $2B will go to preventative healthcare.
- Something similar to the 1994 Clinton Healthcare bill is required to save businesses money. If businesses did not have to worry about healthcare costs, they'd be laying off a lot less people and we would not be as far in this recession as other parts of the world like Japan.
Welfare Relief
- There is no more stimulative thing we know of than foodstamps. They're guaranteed to be spent, they create jobs in the retail sector and they keep people from going hungry in the United States...something that should never happen. $20B will go to that program to "defray" rises in food prices.
- $13.6B will go directly to families to help them through the housing crisis...Pres. Obama just discussed that topic today.
- $4.8B will help the unemployed find jobs and train workers.
- What's missing here? A four month extension of unemployment benefits from 12 to 16 months. The Republican Senators did away with it...hopefully Maine doesn't have too many unemployed or Sens. Collins and Snowe will have a fun time explaining that decision.
Public Sector
- As mentioned before, fiscal relief will go to states for the purpose of education spending.
- $4B will also go directly to law enforcement officials local and state.
Other Economic News
Some other healthcare related news...the New York Times reported late Wednesday that Gov. Kathleen Sebelius is the top choice to be Secy. of Health and Human Services. No, she never received a free car or driver from a friend who never told her she had to pay taxes on it. Don't worry about it. She brings eight years of experience as Insurance Commissioner of Kansas to the department. Obama has reportedly decided on her aides say. But we still need a commerce secretary...hmm...Gov. Corzine (D-NJ)? Mayor Bloomberg (I-NYC)?
It may have been a photo-op, but it was a great symbol. Just after the bill was signed into law yesterday, a Missouri bridge project began as the first project to be financed by the President's stimulus package.
Pres. Obama has also unveiled a $75B plan to aid homeowners.
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