REGARDLESS OF GOP LIES, STIMULUS MONEY DOES HELP LOCAL COMMUNITIES

You won´t get any of the real truth about the stimulus funds if you only watch the FOX Network and their "Faux News".

...GOP Senator Jon Kyl, telling one of his many "untruths".

It is disappointing that over the past weeks, those few middle-of-road or even the liberal radio talk hosts, have had to spend their time debunking the mountains of lies pouring out from the political right. Unfortunately, due to the mass of Republican and corporate owned electronic media networks, (about 10 to 1, right-wing talkers versus the "Lefties"), debunking is about all the liberal talkers such as Ed Schultz, Bill Press, Randi Rhodes, Rachael Maddow, Thom Hartmann and the others have had the time to deal with.

As an example, I noticed this week that there were multiple news clips being shown of the Arizona Republican Senator, Jon Kyl, being on one of the Sunday political news shows spouting his out-and-out lies about the stimulus. And of course, the show´s narrator once again, failed to question any of Kyl´s statements. (Of course, the GOP Senators usually tell the show´s hosts that if they are given tough challenges to their statements, they will then refuse to appear on the programs at a later date.) Therefore, we the people only get to hear what the Republican Senators want to say, not the whole or even the partial truth. (Unfortunately, it´s appearing that the Meet the Press host, David Gregory, has a long-row-to-hoe in order to reach the honest reporting level of the late & great, Tim Russert.)

The one big lie that the on-going "Republican Talking Points" keep stressing is that the "Stimulus package did nothing for the average working American." Or their additional statement that the stimulus did nothing for saving old jobs or for offering any new jobs. Also, their comments that the stimulus only had minimal effects on the country´s crumbling infrastructure.

These lies are presented, in spite of all the news clips where many of the country´s governors, both Democratic and Republican, (Including the California Republican Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger) have been seen in video reports stating that thousands of their state´s police, firemen, teachers and highway workers would have been laid-off without the federal stimulus payments for their states.

As a perfect example of what the stimulus has done for local communities, I received a notice this week stating exactly where the Recovery Act Funds have help my personal, small community of about 100,000 American citizens. Here´s an example of where that stimulus money went in my local area. And I´m sure this kind of situation was repeated across the country.

LOCAL STIMULUS FUNDS DISTRIBUTION:

EDUCATION:

3 Million just to my city´s unified school district to avoid teacher layoffs and for improving teaching and learning aides for at-risk students.

HEALTH CARE & CHILD CARE:

5.104 Million for improvements to facilities and services at our valley´s medical centers and for providing nutrition for the elderly.

ROADS & HIGHWAYS:

1.5 Million for the city's highway and road infrastructure improvements.

PUBLIC SAFETY:• $100,000 for local crime victim assistance programs.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING:

1 Million to the local housing authority for rehabilitating public housing facilities.

GREEN ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT:

9.37 Million for restoring wetlands, to new technologies for more efficient and renewable energy and for technology for reducing energy consumption.

Yes, everyone of these stimulus "investments" has either provided spendable income or it saved a job. Either of these actions helps people in general, which in turn, also helps a recovering economy. For the Republicans to continue to lie about the stimulus, just for the purpose of trying to improve their chances in the mid-term elections, not only shows "bad form", it´s disgusting and immoral.

Unfortunately, due to the poor "Citizens-United" US Supreme Court decision, the GOP will now be allowed to double their ad dollars for going after the Democrats using their "mountains of lies" in the mid-term elections. God help us all.

Copyright G.Ater 2010

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