Moving Towards a People's Recovery Plan

There seems to be a lot of doubt these days from state and local politicians about whether or not to accept federal stimulus funds. Curiously, they didn't seem to have this same doubt when it came to sending more than $1 trillion dollars to Iraq and Afghanistan, or billions more to Wall Street banks. But more to the point, it's not the the job of these "elected officials" to decide whether or not to accept our money, the people's money!

After the loss of 2.6 million jobs in 2008 and an anticipated 2 million more during the first half of this year, the American people are finally in line to receive a small portion of these relief funds. Not only are these federal monies needed to help create jobs in our communities, provide food assistance, rebuild our infrastructure, reduce home foreclosures, and more--they are important because they offer the first direct relief to ordinary people.

President Obama has created a website that helps explain how these funds will be used, recovery.gov

Your Money at Work: The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will be carried out with full transparency and accountability -- and Recovery.gov is the centerpiece of that effort. In a short video, President Obama describes the site and talks about how you'll be able to track the Recovery Act's progress every step of the way.

These efforts are a good start and offer hope for millions of people. However, it's not enough to help the people on the lowest rung of the ladder. Victims of poverty will never rise "up and out of poverty" without a massive concerted effort by the government and the people.

Share your story about the economic crisis or your thoughts about how Recovery Funds should be used. As welfare rights says, "You get what you are organized to take!"