Don’t Be So Quick To Point The Finger: An Investigative Article
.
January 26, 2010
Filed under Uncategorized
It seems as if the economy has been in a slump for as long as people can recall. It seems as if no one can turn on the radio or television without finding out that thousands more Americans have lost their jobs or that the government has had to bail out another struggling business to keep the drowning economy afloat. It has become routine for people to live in fear of losing their jobs at a moment’s notice. People aren’t sure how to stop the souring economy, and as uninformed, thoughtless accusations point blame on some such senator or Mr. So-and-so Representative the real healing is being overshadowed.
Government stimulus money has been a phrase prevalent in the typical modern American’s life. Government stimulus packages sent to American families and government stimulus money sent to institutions to liven the economy are just a couple examples of the President’s attempt at single-handedly turning the economy around. More than likely you, yourself, have received some money from the government in hopes that you would spend it all which would in turn create more jobs. How successful these New Deal inspired tactics have been in creating jobs and bettering the lives of citizens has been controversial; there have been claims of miscounted jobs, input errors in statistics, and “bizarre criteria” for what constitutes a job created.
Feel like you can’t trust the sources? Here are the up to date statistics pertaining to general and education-related stimulus spending broken down.
Starting with some general background information, the stimulus plan that the president pushed for was estimated to cost about $825 billion in total which, in the words of the president, would “Not only [create] jobs in the short term, but [spur] economic growth and competitiveness in the long term.” However, some political analysts (and opponents of the bill) suggest that that amount is expected to grow. The main argument against the proposed bill is that it will end up becoming a large burden on taxpayers.
-One third of the $825 billion will be in the form of tax cuts, mainly targeted at lower and middle income Americans, a strategy also aimed at pleasing the Republican Party. The other two thirds will be invested in such areas as infrastructure and of course education.
-As of November of 2009, approximately 640,000 jobs (reported by the recipients themselves) have either been saved or created by this stimulus money.
-Minnesota ranks 15th overall in states which have created the most jobs. Because of the more than 14,000 jobs made or saved, Minnesota’s unemployment rate has dropped to 7.3%. Strictly in terms of a state’s unemployment rate, Minnesota ties for 14th place along with Maryland and Hawaii.
-The 2009 American Recovering and Reinvesting Act passed by congress presents Minnesota with money for education in two portions.
-$1.13 billion will be allotted to Minnesota education through the United States Department of Education.
-$816 million will be given to the governor Tim Pawlenty who will distribute these funds to areas he deems necessary. Funds could possibly be given to local school districts, public colleges and universities, or used as financial aid for students.
-444 full time teaching jobs have been created in St. Paul schools alone from stimulus money allocated to public schools. 364 additional full time jobs have been generated in Minneapolis public schools as well.
-Additional grant funding through the federal stimulus package is helping lower-income students pay for college. According to Pro Publica Inc., a non-profit organization that tracks where stimulus money is going, stimulus funded grants are keeping the enrollment rate steady. Public institutions will receive a majority of these grants to help their students.
-The Saint Paul School District alone has received almost $50 million in grants.
As you can see from the above statistics, the government issued stimulus money has had a profound impact on jobs in the nation as well as jobs locally. Whether or not the consequences will be healing or harmful to our economy in the long run has yet to be seen. A common misperception is that once the president has been elected to office, he has the power to magically turn the economy around in a couple of days. What’s wrong with this is that the president doesn’t hold as much power in office than many people think. The real body of government that is responsible for passing these laws is congress. So if you are not pleased with the way things are going in this country, call up your congressman and tell him or her what needs to be done, and don’t be so quick to point the finger!
If you are interested in learning more about what is going on with stimulus funds go to www.recovery.gov.
Last 5 posts in Uncategorized
- What To Do This Summer...?! - June 1st, 2010
- Ladies Golf Update! - May 19th, 2010
- Athletes: Foods that Prevent Cramping! - May 18th, 2010
- Softball Update - May 14th, 2010
- Mr. Erickson and Ms. Griffin Receive Grant to Travel Overseas This Summer - April 30th, 2010
Loading ...
Comments