"Follow the Money" -- Tracking Stimulus Spending

Recently, I joined ethnic media representatives from Southern California at a workshop designed to teach ethnic journalists how to track and investigate Recovery Act spending.

The event, called “The Stimulus Package and the Recession” was co-hosted by New America Media and Investigative Reporters and Editors.

This was timely for me, as I have been attempting to track stimulus funding in the Inland area. I have read about specific actions that claimed to have used stimulus funds – such as saving teacher jobs in Corona, and funding summer youth jobs in Riverside, however, I’ve had a hard time determining who decides how funds are spent, and how much goes to various geographic areas.

Our first presenter was Jennifer LaFleur, the Director of Computer Assisted Reporting with ProPublica a non-profit organization that bills itself as an “independent newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest.”

Jennifer introduced us to several tracking databases on the ProPublica site which track Recovery Act money, including a database with spending by state and county. She stated that one of the first findings when researchers analyzed the data, is that “there is no relationship between where Stimulus funds are spent, and where there are areas of high unemployment and poverty.”

So what are the determining factors for spending the $787 Billion dollars in the Recovery Act? Who determines how funds are spent?

I think that summer youth employment programs and saving teacher jobs are good uses of stimulus funds..but still I questioned: “How is spending determined and where do I find this information?

Jennifer suggested several online recovery databases created by the Administration, various agencies, and state governments. Some are more complete than others, and most only give top level information.

Another tip from Jennifer is --when all else fails--simply google the word Recovery after the agency or locale name. (I thinks she means “recovery act.” I googled Riverside Recovery and got a listing of substance abuse centers…however, when I googled Riverside Recovery Act -- I was led to a page on the city’s website with a summary of Recovery Act funding by categories.)

I’m still not sure who decides how the funds are to be distributed, but at least I can “assume” that the funding listing under Workforce Training is for the summer youth program (or can I?).

Food Stamps or Economic Development?

Next up, Jean Ross from the California Budget Project reminded us of the goal of the Recovery Act when it was enacted. “Let’s remember the purpose of the stimulus, “she said. “The goal was to jump start the economy by moving money to people as quickly as possible.” She suggested the purpose of the stimulus was not to remake society, but to get the economy moving. She stated the bill had “no specific policy goals.”

Diego Alvarez, Deputy Mayor for Legislative and Intergovernmental Relations for the City of Los Angeles, said there are many federal programs that were expanded as the result of the Recovery Act…such as the Food Stamp Program, the Earned Income Tax Credit, and unemployment benefits. “Many eligible people just aren't applying” he stated, suggesting “people might be embarrassed to apply or just don’t know they are now eligible.”

The ethnic journalists, who represented, Latino, Asian, Caribbean, and African-American communities in Southern California, were especially interested in learning ways to track stimulus spending in their respective areas.

Kokayi Kwa Jitahid, from the Community Coalition of South LA, said the questions he hears from residents of South LA concern economic development and health care. “The needs in our community are great,” he said, as he discussed the desire for Recovery Act dollars to reach the empty lots and struggling health clinics of his community.

Jean Ross stated the “the biggest chunk of the stimulus money, almost one-third, is going directly to the people” citing a government study that determined the best way to get the money moving is “to give it to a poor person.” Diego agreed saying the two highest returns on investment are funds spend on unemployment and food stamps, “For every $1.00 you spend on these programs, you get $1.73 back into the economy.”

Ruben Guerra, Chairman and CEO of the Latin Business Association, took issue with the way Recovery Act contracts are awarded. He said small businesses are not being included. He described an effort by California State Senator Gil Cedillo to create a resolution requiring 25% of stimulus funding to go to small business.

Another issue of paramount concern in a state with high unemployment rates is jobs. Nick Sifuentes, from the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy (LANNE) said his organization is monitoring “quality of jobs, not just the quantity.” He talked of the need for ‘job accountability’ to make sure newly created jobs aren’t temporary or low end in terms of pay..

Perhaps the understatement of the day came from Guerra who said the stimulus bill “didn’t shift the paradigm” for ethnic communities. We must still fight for our piece of the pie.

Sarah Binder of the Brookings Institution, an expert on how government responds to financial crisis, summed it up back in February in an interview with NPR:

"Because there is so much money here, and in so many different forms, there is no single pathway for the money to go out to states and localities…When this bill passes, a Niagara Falls of money will flow out of Washington and into the accounts of state highway commissioners, governors and legislatures, local school boards, county executives — even mayors."

Even with the best of intentions, the Recovery Act seems destined to leave ethnic communities behind unless they can access the funding. To do that, we have to know where to look.

"Don't Make Me Have to Put Down My Cane"

Seniors are getting a little fed up with not being taken seriously. They are ready to march and protest…just like in the sixties! Senior voices WILL be heard!

Check out this story of Senior protest in Los Angeles:

Police were called on a group of retirees who refused to leave Sen. Dianne Feinstein's West Los Angeles office until she talked to them about health care reform.

Los Angeles police Sergeant Rich Brunson said Thursday that police lured the group of seven outside somehow, then locked the building's doors behind them.

Brunson had said earlier that eight people were being taken into custody, but corrected himself after getting new details from officers on the scene.

A spokeswoman for the 55- to 87-year-old activists said they arrived at Feinstein's office around noon and remained in her conference room more than six hours.

Feinstein spokesman Gil Duran says staff offered the retirees an in-person meeting with the senator during a Los Angeles visit next week but that they demanded to speak with her immediately.

Bet there will be a lot more of this in the months and years to come!

For more visit the blog Grayroots Showing.

Ethnic Media Call for Immigration Reform

This editorial was written by and produced in association with New America Media (www.newamericamedia.org), a national association of ethnic media, and was published by ethnic media across the country to bring attention to the urgency of immigration reform.

The White House and members of Congress must move quickly on enacting a just and humane immigration reform package that will reunite families, reinvigorate the economy, and remove the term “illegal or undocumented immigrants” from the dialogue in this country. Ethnic media, which reaches over 60 million adults in the United States, calls on Congress to move decisively on immigration reform because there are few issues as important to the nation's well-being as an overhaul of the inefficient, inhumane and economically debilitating immigration system. More importantly, we are also urging our readers and viewers to contact their Senators and Congressmen and let them know that immigration reform must be a national priority.

The immigration system is broken not just for 12 million undocumented immigrants, but also for specialized workers blocked from joining the American economy because of narrow quotas, and mothers and fathers and brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens who must wait for years before being reunited with their families.

Our nation needs comprehensive immigration policies that will replace a broken system of raids and roundups with one that protects all workers from exploitation, improves America's security and builds strong communities. It’s time to end the division between workers, which has allowed big business to exploit both sides. Clearly, working-class citizens and immigrant workers have much in common – dreams of better homes, education for their families and quality healthcare. There is more that brings us together, than separates us. United we can be a strong force for change, changes that that bring more workforce safety and humane conditions.

Immigration is often portrayed as an explosive, divisive issue. In reality it's not. Since the repeal of the national origins quota system in 1965, which discriminated against certain immigrants, a consensus has been building towards an immigration system that respects the country's core values. These include economic opportunity, equality under the law regardless of ethnic background, and an embrace of the world's most innovative, energetic and ambitious workers.

Now, with the country facing serious competition from workers abroad, it's more important than ever to create a world-class immigration system. It's good for families, good for communities and good for America.

New America Media, Commentary, Staff

Too Much? Obama Tackles Health Care

Those who say the President is taking on too much, remind me of a group of parents from my kid's school a few years back. They complained that the third grade teachers were assigning too much homework because they expected the students to spend at least 20 minutes a night completing assigned work. Of course, these same parents were concerned with reading and math levels at the school, and some even suggested that foreign-born students were bringing the scores down!

There comes a time when you have to get your priorities straight! With my parents, 'too much homework' would have been an oxymoron! Homework came before all other activities and I was expected to complete it...even if I had to stay up late on occasion (of course, this was usually when I left some work to the last minute...I got punished a lot for this :)

Telling the Obama administration to not tackle our health care problem, is like telling a drowning man to stop trying to get his head above water!

Health care challenges are 'killing us' literally and figuratively. Every family is either struggling with this problem, will be struggling with this problem, or knows someone who is.

We can't afford to get sick, and the American economy can't afford for us to get sick... the way the health care industry currently operates.

Money being spent on escalating health care costs, can't be spent in retail establishments, at car dealerships, for college education, to pay mortgages and debt, to buy gas, ...or most importantly, SAVED!

Doing nothing and watching millions more Americans give up on trying to pay for health care, will only cost us more in the future as they show up at hospital emergency rooms.

I am wondering....who are these people opposing health care reform?

Surely not American families who can't afford rising premiums, deductibles, and co-pays.

Surely not employers who are also faced with escalating costs to insure workers.

Surely not the unemployed who are praying for a job before their COBRA runs out (if they can afford COBRA.)

And, surely not our aging boomers and seniors, some of whom have to choose between food and medicine.

Even with everything on his plate, President Obama has to reform health care to prevent an America full of sick and bankrupt citizens.

One Hundred Days of Hope: Go Back to School

(first published April 29)

Our President tells us to go back to school. He tells our children to FINISH high school and continue on with college or vocational training.

In his February 24, 2009 address to the Joint Session of Congress, President Obama stated:

“…we must address is the urgent need to expand the promise of education in America. In a global economy where the most valuable skill you can sell is your knowledge, a good education is no longer just a pathway to opportunity – it is a pre-requisite.

Right now, three-quarters of the fastest-growing occupations require more than a high school diploma. And yet, just over half of our citizens have that level of education. We have one of the highest high school dropout rates of any industrialized nation. And half of the students who begin college never finish.

This is a prescription for economic decline, because we know the countries that out-teach us today will out-compete us tomorrow. That is why it will be the goal of this administration to ensure that every child has access to a complete and competitive education – from the day they are born to the day they begin a career.”

The President went on to remind us of our responsibility as parents to “open the doors of opportunity for our children.” Citing his own experience as a dad, he reminded parents they must:

• attend parent/teacher conferences
• help with homework after dinner
• turn off the TV if necessary
• put away the video games, and
• read to their children.

Obama has challenged all Americans “to commit to at least one year or more of higher education or career training.” The President’s goal is by 2020, America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world.

Start studying and tell your children what President Obama says: “….dropping out of high school is no longer an option. It’s not just quitting on yourself, it’s quitting on your country – and this country needs and values the talents of every American.”

Linnie Frank Bailey

One Hundred Days of Hope: PLEASE Fix Healthcare!

This President hopes to go where no President has gone before….he hopes to fix our broken health care system.

If you’ve ever gone to one medical establishment, and seen one
doctor, and subsequently received 40 bills from ten providers….then you know the system is broken.

If your health insurance premium is more than half your mortgage or rent …then you know the system is broken.

If you have to decide between medicine and food…then you know the system is broken.

Guess what? Our health care system is broken!

One of the primary causes of bankruptcy in this country is huge medical expenses, and most Americans are only a slip and fall, or car accident, away from financial insolvency…even if they HAVE medical insurance. Let’s hope this Administration can tackle this behemoth once and for all and allow many Americans to rest better at night.

So what is the Obama-Biden plan in a nutshell?

1. Americans can keep their current insurance if they are happy with it. Nothing will change and premiums may drop about $2500 according to the Administration’s site www. whitehouse.gov. However, new options will be available.
2. For Americans that lack insurance, there will be a National Health Insurance Exchangeaffordable private insurance options, as well as a new public plan based on benefits available to members of Congress. with
3. Providers will be required to cover pre-existing conditions when you sign up for new coverage.
4. Small Businesses (which provide most of the employee-sponsored coverage in this country) will receive a Tax Credit to help provide affordable health insurance to their employees.
5. There will be caps on malpractice insurance fees charged to doctors.
6. The cost of medicines will be lowered by allowing the importation of safe medicines from other developed countries.
7. Catastrophic illness costs will be reduced for employers and their employees.
8. There will be lower costs for businesses by covering a portion of the catastrophic health fees they pay. In return, they must lower premiums for employees.

There’s more (visit the site) including making use of technology to streamline medical record keeping and supporting preventative illness measures. (The Administration hopes these measures will help defray the cost of health care reform).

The bottom line is WE ALL need affordable health care and we can no longer bury our head in the sand. Everyone has a vested interest in making this work. Providers want to make a profit, employers want to stay in business, and we the people want affordable coverage for our families and ourselves.

The question is—given the aging of the boomer population, and increasing health care costs—can the country afford to not go forward with Obama’s health care reform?

Linnie Frank Bailey

One Hundred Days of Hope: Barack Obama - Man or Messiah?

This week we join journalists, pundits, leaders, and citizens who are reflecting on the first one hundred days of the Obama Presidency. This week’s blogs will discuss how the Administration’s policies will affect everyday Americans in the following areas: Healthcare, Education, Jobs, and Housing.

However, today we address the criticisms so often hurled against Obama supporters by those who oppose the Administration. These oft-repeated barbs include “kool-aid drinkers” “sheep” and, the most frequent, which says supporters believe Obama is the second coming! The venom espoused by some of the President’s critics leads one to think if he did walk on water they would complain about his shoes!

As a person of faith, I can assure you that true believers KNOW who their Savior is, and it is not a mortal man. What Obama does offer is a return to the hope for a better tomorrow, and a unity in purpose, that has been the cornerstone of America for many years. It is a sentiment expressed by many of the nation’s Presidents:

George Washington – “The name of AMERICAN, which belongs to you, in your national capacity, must always exalt the just pride of Patriotism, more than any appellation derived from local discriminations.”

Abraham Lincoln – “Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any one thing.”

Franklin D. Roosevelt – “We have always held to the hope, the belief, the conviction that there is a better life, a better world, beyond the horizon.”

Harry S. Truman – “America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination, and unbeatable determination to do the job at hand.”

John F. Kennedy – “The American, by nature, is optimistic. He is experimental, an inventor and a builder who builds best when called upon to build greatly.”

Ronald Reagan – “There are no great limits to growth because there are no limits of human intelligence, imagination, and wonder.”

William J. Clinton – “Big things are expected of us, and nothing big ever came of being small.”

Barack Obama –“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”

One hundred days of HOPE -- patriotism at home, respect from abroad, intelligence and truth in action, ambition and forward movement to meet our challenges…not a bad start for a mere man.

Linnie Frank Bailey