Organizing for America | SJBerry's Blog: No One Said Change Would be Pretty

No One Said Change Would be Pretty

By SJ Brown - Feb 8th, 2009 at 3:13 pm EST

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Tags: action, change, congress, stimulus

Our Congress and Press are stuck in disbelief and we need to wake them up to the reality of Change. Change necessarily breaks things and, in the case of President Obama, it shattered the status quo. Conventional wisdom is waiting on President Obama to conform to the political reality that while "we the people" got him in office, "we the powerful and wealthy" really run the country. In fact, they are trying to nudge him into getting back to business as usual. I remember I tried to write a poem, like many, to express the Change movement and I couldn't find an ending:

I. Change Ignited

Change ignited knows few rules;

Invites the sparks to flame.

Change ignited purples the blues,

Transforms reds to confused hues.

Change ignited burns untamed

Fueled by hope and tenacity

Change ignited a healing flame,

Burns with unfamiliar name.

Maybe I was like so many are today, without clarity on what Change would look like. It ceratinly burns with unfamiliar name. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, HR.1 sounded familiar until you read it. Wow. I'm actually impressed that it will provide an investment in the America that voted for President Obama. Imagine that. Nothing is trickling down this time.

It will go to rural areas, Native American communities, all states, and invest in our communities.
It will underpin our safety net by adding to the Food Stamps Program and unemployment programs.
It is smart because it focuses funding on our future--children, technology, and energy.
It takes care of infrastructure that has been neglected for far too long. Infrastructure that supports our military, upgrades our energy delivery systems, ensures safe drinking water, and upgrades our government buildings.
It will assist communities to upgrade education-related infrastructures. I don't quite understand the PELL grant investment.
Highways, housing assistance, and transportation--all good.
Funding for a state stabilization fund. Now that is promising.
It will pay a larger percentage of programs like Medicaid. That is important because it takes some of the burden off of states. That frees funding in state budgets and allows them to pay its employees, like first responders.
There are a number of tax credits for businesses, individuals, and to states. I'm not sure how that works.
Health insurance for unemployed workers is expanded.
Then there is Health IT investment with the idea that it will reduce overall health care costs overtime. I hope they keep their eye on that on.

I'm sure I missed something but overall I think they did a good job. The needs of communities and states vary and HR.1 attempts to affect Americans across the board. We need to stand firm on change. We need to email our representatives and let them know that this time we are standing with the Obama Administration. We are standing with our governors and mayors. We are blue and red states. We are north and south and east and west. We are change and we are ready to break the hold of conventional wisdom. We do not need the John McCain, "the economy is fundamentally sound", rewind of old think. We need to take action to stop the loss of jobs and begin an reinvestment in our America. HR.1 is the first step.

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