Category: government

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One In Nine Americans Receiving Food Stamps.

As of this past June, over 35 million Americans are receiving food stamp assistance from the Federal Government. That amounts to 1 in 9 Americans who need help in putting food on the table for their family, which is a pretty scary statistic. And while I realize that there are some who abuse the system (as with anything else, there are always people who take advantage), it really bothers me to know that there are that many people who just cannot make ends meet. Friends I know in major cities talk about the increase in the amount of homeless families they are seeing by the side of the road begging, and the fact that there just aren’t any jobs available, or that they themselves have been unemployed for quite some time. News pundits like to say that things are starting to show signs of recovery (and they might for some), but we obviously have a long way to go when 1 in 9 people are in need of food assistance. What are you seeing in your town? What are you hearing? Are jobs becoming more available or more scarce? Has there been an influx of the homeless on street corners near you? What’s the scoop in your city?

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government
16
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Using Cash For Clunkers, But Against The Stimulus?

Yesterday on Twitter I was having a conversation with someone who asked a very interesting question – “I wonder how many people who were always against the stimulus are now turning in their clunker for a $4,500 gift from the government?“. I think it’s an important question to ask, as if you are against stimulus money, why would you take some of it? After all, the less you take, the less the debt might be from it. The Governors of Texas and Louisiana, at one point, said they weren’t going to take the stimulus money – but then Gov. Bobby Jindal (Lousiana) proceeded to present a check for slightly over $500,000 in grants to Vernon Parish. Jindal made no mention of the source of the money during his presentation. Instead, the large ceremonial check proclaimed the source of the funds to be “The State Of Louisiana, Office Of The Governor.” He took the stimulus money he had been railing against just a few days before and presented it to this parish, on TV, as if it was from the Governor himself. Isn’t there something seriously wrong with this picture? I mean, this is exactly the kind of question I am asking about this cash for clunkers deal; is it OK to constantly try to derail and put down the stimulus, but then take advantage of it and add to any possible deficit that comes from it? How about being for the bailout of big banks, but not for car makers or the unemployed?

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government
6
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How Is Stimulus Money Being Used In Your Town?

As you probably know, I just got back from a cross-country and back road trip. I drove all the way to the east coast from New Mexico, with each way taking about 3.5 days. On the way east I took I-80 all the way to upstate New York, where I jumped on I-90, and on the way west I took I-70 (just for some different scenery!) – and I hit a lot of construction on all 3 highways…most of which was being funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. How did I know this? Because at every construction site, on every closed lane, and for every bridge closed for repairs (including the Mississippi), I came across the signs telling me so. They look like this:

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government
16
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Wall Street Using Bailout To Stage A Revolution?

I just finished reading this entire article in Rolling Stone and…wow. I don’t agree with 100% of everything that is written in it, but it sure takes a hard look (from a different angle than most of us have been looking) at the banking crisis, government involvement in said crisis, and the AIG debacle. I recommend everyone read all the way through it, and then we can discuss here in the comments as I would love to hear your thoughts on this. Here are some excerpts that really hit me:

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government
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What’s In The Economic Stimulus Package For You Other Than Cash?

I get at least a few emails a week asking for more details about the economic stimulus package, so I figured I would go looking for a couple more examples of how it will be affecting you. I already wrote about the cash and paycheck aspects of the stimulus, but there is much more to it than just that.

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government
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