By Tina Grazier
We’ve been experiencing “change” for about six months now so it’s only natural that “hope” should greet us in the second half of this historic presidency. Today A/P reported that $1.5 Billion in stimulus money will be spent in communities around the country to help the homeless get out of tents and into apartments:
* The Department of Housing and Urban Development plans to send the stimulus money to more than 500 cities, counties and communities for rent relief or other steps to prevent homelessness and assist those without homes. The funds are being distributed under a homelessness prevention program in the stimulus law to help millions of newly or nearly jobless Americans. * (underline mine)
While I realize this is a dream come true for our friend Libby, it won’t do a thing to help these people over the long haul. When the money runs out, as it surely will, many of the people being “helped” today will find themselves right back in the same tent…homeless and STILL without a job. You see the word “stimulus” has a particular meaning:
STIMULUS: something that rouses the mind or spirits or incites to activity : INCENTIVE
A stimulus package should rouse the people, get them producing and creating good jobs that last. Instead the money is being used for another purpose (found in that other word) which has a particular meaning:
DISTRIBUTE: divide among several or many : deal out : apportion especially to members of a group or over a period of time : ALLOT
These funds were sold to the American people as a package to stimulate the overall economy and create jobs. If they were going to just spend, spend, spend this money they should have said so right off the bat and called it something else: “Public Assistance Package” has a nice ring and it’s a hell of a lot more honest.
Yesiree, hope has come to America at last…but hey, it’s only a pretty word; don’t mean a thang!