American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009: YES WE CAN!
Disclaimer: I swear like a sailor in this and use A LOT of capital letters.
***Also, someone in the US Department of Justice has bookmarked my little blog. So if I suddenly disappear, you know why :)*** (That's a JOKE DOJ person, a JOKE; I'm glad you're here. And please, comment on anything you like.)
This post is a general overview of the bill. A primer, if you will.
I will post more detailed information on each section as I can, since I know a lot of people have VERY busy lives. So I will do my best to provide as much information as time allows as I work on my own thing (it's just my dissertation, that's all).
(Update 2/5/09: I have lists of funding for Titles I and II; and posted one today [Feb 5] for III and IV. Here's line by line for Titles V and VI added today, February 6)
However, as an American, it is your civic duty TO READ IT, TOO (when time permits; read it to the kids at bedtime :).
When we voted for Obama in November, only THREE months ago (TODAY!!!!), we made him a silent promise, too.
We promised to do our part.
If he fails, we fail.
AGAIN!
I have read so many people who claim NEVER again. Well, the time has come to walk your talk America.
We stood by for too long and let the politicians tell US how things were going to be.
And where oh where has that gotten us?
This is our moment to say: ENOUGH! THIS IS HOW IT'S GOING TO BE; AND IT'S GOING TO BE GREAT, F*CKERS!
Screw the newspeople and the politicians.
The GOP has been trying to pull the same Rovian psycho-crap on us, keeping us scared and stupid, just as they like us.
What they have been telling us is shyte. Complete and utter shyte.
And frankly, I think these ass holes have NO idea who they are fucking with.
We progressives have a lot of pent up anger (at least this progressive writing this post) at being told we're stupid, wrong, satanists, who want our women to have non-stop abortions, while LGBT folks turn people into LGBT people by getting married, and that WE want our country to fail.
Huh?
Two corrections to WRONG "information" being propagated about this legislation; I know there's more but I must limit this post to a readable length (and get to the point, sha!):
This bill will be effective NOW: not a year from now (yes, appropriations will take longer than direct spending, but it will be better in the long run).
There's no money going to A.C.O.R.N. Look at page 250. "Neighborhood stabilization program:" emergency assistance for the redevelopment of abandoned and foreclosed homes; construction of early childhood and development centers in these areas to promote regrowth and redevelopment.
Here's the truth:
America with everything we take for granted everyday being taken care of: clean water, safe food, safe, reliable public transportation, reliable, clean energy. The knowledge that we can keep our homes and feed our families and keep the doors to our small businesses open, KEEP OUR JOBS or change to a new job that is or will be created as a result of this bill.
The bill being contested by the GOP is one that will plant the seeds to start renewing our country.
Jobs, jobs, jobs
in construction.
in manufacturing.
in research and development.
in science advancement and development of emerging technologies.
in education and training.
in outreach to low-income communities.
Creating a greener America with cleaner power.
Helping farmers reprocess biowaste into energy.
Money for companies to develop advanced battery systems and advanced lithium ion sources for energy.
A safer America with:
Investment in port safety.
Restructuring our rail and water systems (in eco-friendly manners) to help us transport our goods and services.
Engineering projects to prevent flooding and minimize damage from natural disasters (Um, Katrina).
But it's even BIGGER than THAT: We are going to be in hurricane season soon. And if you recall, those seasons are getting longer and producing more fierce storms due to the little thing known as global warming.
A FEMA with the resources to relocate and retrain displaced workers.
Lodging for displaced people.
Loans for local businesses to rebuild.
School lunches for kids with safe food.
Programs for ending violence against women (legal, medical and social programs).
Major funding for WIC programs that need it so desperately.
Creating broadband access for ALL Americans despite class, location, or age.
Provisions for the use of manufactured products (like steel, and technology, and cranes, and bulldozers) MADE IN AMERICA. They don't get funds otherwise (there is a small exception, but it is unlikely).
The creation of an Electronic Health Records system that will streamline medical records and put in place a universal format for patient records and histories available anywhere. And the security to protect our right to privacy with those records. (HUGE penalties for f*ck ups.)
Money to protect small businesses.
IT'S all there, and MORE!
Oversight; quarterly reports to congress, rules and regulations about how funds are to be used and prohibitions on their use.
Transparency to the American public.
Yes, you read that right.
WE get to READ what they're up to and HELP KEEP THEM HONEST!
We dropped the ball with the frickin' banks. It was the whole "only-one-president-at-a-time" BS. Another failure by our former president that we will pay for for generations.
Yes, there are some fuzzy things about big corporations and some whacky thing about film rights as property deductions (strange). I will post on them as soon as I can.
I've been reading this document (all 736 pages of it) since about five PM yesterday. I've been taking notes and deciding how best to present it for you here.
What it boils down to is this:
This package isn't throwing money at problems, it's investing money in problems WE ALREADY KNOW HOW TO FIX, with workers and smart people and funding and stuff.
People get jobs-------->They get paid-----> We get new and better, enduring stuff-----> They spend their money on goods and services---------> American manufacturing is revitalized by all the projects---------> The government gets some money back in the form of taxes on income, goods and services------->More jobs get made--------> More people get paid---------> and so on.
Really, this is what I decided.
This package covers everyone, from small town and rural areas who need food and power and internet access, to cities who need better teachers and renovated schools, their canals and bridges inspected and repaired. And more firemen, policemen, support for our veterans, programs for better schools, better nurses, better everyone!
Programs to keep families of deployed armed service-people IN THEIR HOMES, and not thrown out on the street.
This is IT AMERICA!
WE ARE THE ONES WE HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR!
Do yourself and everyone you know and love a favor:
READ THE BILL.
Talk to people about it.
Provide them with information.
Encourage them to write or call their representatives and senators. I'll bet well over HALF of those BOZOS in Congress haven't read the WHOLE thing. Cherry picking. That's all that's been done and probably by staffers and NOT the legislator her/himself.
We can make this happen by having the TRUTH on our side.
THIS IS NOT ABOUT POLITICS OR PARTIES.
IT IS ABOUT US!!!!!!
And it's about effing time.
PS: I am offering my services for questions. I have read the bill and should be able to field queries about specific details (amount of money, etc.) But really, I mean it. YOU MUST READ IT YOURSELF.
Remember how it felt when we worked so hard to get Obama elected? Remember that feeling of pride you felt when he stood up in front of our great nation and took the oath of office?
Here's that feeling. It will ALL come flooding back. He needs us. And we cannot abandon him at his first first trial. If we do, EVERYTHING the GOP and the RWFN says about us is true.
And I for one, KNOW they are WRONG!
