Tag: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

The U.S. economy lost nearly 600,000 jobs in January, bringing total losses in the past three months over 1.5 million — more than the entire population of Philadelphia. If there ever was a good time to mend the tattered U.S. social safety net, it's now. While unemployment benefits and food stamps remain relatively uncontroversial, basic welfare continues to be neglected by the general media and vilified by the right. And as of this moment, a responsible welfare program is needed more than at any point since the 1930s.

Details are slowly dribbling out on the key differences between the House and Senate versions of the proposed stimulus bill. But one thing remains true: One man's pork-barrel funding is another man's life-sustaining job.

The group gathered at a cafe in downtown Golden continues discussing the stimulus plan. 7:45 p.m. - Jobs, jobs, jobs, the group agrees. The Denver Health...

Continuing the liveblog with a group discussing the stimulus plan at Higher Grounds Cafe in Golden. 7:15 p.m. - Reilly recounts some stories from Saturday...

In the past few days, organizers using My.BarrackObama.com have put together dozens of meetings throughout Colorado in living rooms, basements and coffee shops to discuss the economic stimulus package moving its way through Congress. Is the Senate plan too heavy on tax cuts or are proposed spending cuts too tame? Will the eventual legislation restore $40 billion originally intended to help states close widening budget gaps or will fiscal hawks demand more cuts? Will Democrats accept a slimmed-down stimulus package in order to claim bipartisan support, even if not a single House Republican voted for it the first time around? These and more questions will be discussed across the country in coming days. Sunday night, we'll see what a group of Jefferson County voters have to say as we live-blog an economic recovery meeting at a coffee shop in Golden.

My.BarackObama.com has launched its first grassroots initiative since the inauguration to add some much-needed political muscle — and with any luck a much-needed dose of common sense — to the push for the economic stimulus package. Dozens of local stimulus bill discussions for everyday folk have been scheduled throughout Colorado over the weekend and into the week ahead of a congressional conference committee that will hammer out a final compromise. Check out a gathering near you or stay tuned to our liveblog at one event this evening beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Fifteen days before taking the oath of office, President-elect Barack Obama met with congressional leaders of both parties to take their temperature on a proposed economic stimulus package. Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.), the Republican whip in the House, suggested that the president put the text of the finished stimulus online for Americans to prod and investigate. The president agreed.

The smart folks over at the Bell Policy Center have some suggestions for nascent U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet who's wrangling a compromise within the $900 billion federal stimulus bill a mere three week after his swearing-in.

Lumped together, the House [PDF] and Senate [PDF] versions of the economic stimulus plan number some 1,400 pages, roughly the equivalent of the complete works of Shakespeare. And some of the language is just as artfully crafted.

The version of the stimulus bill currently being considered by the U.S. Senate contains nearly $14 million more in transportation infrastructure funding for Colorado than the version passed by the House last week. Some lawmakers say that's still not enough. Calling the final figure “a moving target,” CDOT spokeswoman Stacey Stegman on Monday provided an analysis that showed the Senate version would make available $425.7 million for state transportation infrastructure projects, while the House version comes in at about $412 million.