Previous |
Next |
December 26, 2008, 02:47 PM ET
Obama Economic-Stimulus Plan Could Fight Poverty
As President-elect Barack Obama develops his multibillion-dollar plan to stimulate the economy, nonprofit leaders should push federal, state, and local governments to use the money to pay for construction projects that help the poor, writes Angela Glover Blackwell, an anti-poverty activist.
Mr. Obama has proposed spending upwards of $300-billion to improve American roads and infrastructure; he says his proposal would create jobs and fight the country’s economic recession.
Ms. Blackwell, chief executive and founder of PolicyLink, a nonprofit group in Oakland, Calif., writes that the plan — if put together wisely — “could be one of the most successful anti-poverty programs the nation has ever seen.”
“First off, we must stop building more and wider roads out to far-flung exurbs. Instead, we need to fix the bridges, transit systems and roads we already have — especially those in low-income communities that have long been ignored in infrastructure spending,” she writes on The Huffington Post.
She also suggests that the incoming administration expand public-transit systems, build broadband communications in poor areas, and construct grocery stores in economically struggling neighborhoods.
During a meeting of large foundations this month, an expert on urban planning also encouraged philanthropies to make sure that infrastructure spending helped the needy.
What do you think? How can Mr. Obama’s stimulus package benefit poor neighborhoods? Click on the comments button to share your thoughts.
Add Your Comment
Commenting is closed.