Make Social Change A Reality

On Wednesday evening, the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate came to an agreement about the Economic Stimulus and Recovery Package , which will tally $789 billion dollars in total, and hopefully give much-needed aid to states, local municipalities, working people, families, and some individuals who have been hit hardest by this Great Recession. The bill, which President Obama has been urging members of Congress to agree upon and push through all week long, emerges with much controversy still surrounding it, even among some seasoned Democrats who were unhappy with the outcome of Wednesday’s inter-Congressional talks. Some of these lawmakers feel that too much money was taken from education and social programs as a way to strike a compromise with the Recovery Package’s detractors. Nevertheless, the bill is ostensibly set to move forward in Congress and may even be on the President’s desk - ready to be signed, sealed, and delivered - by as early as Friday. As I described in Par...

Among many Americans, especially lower-income women and families, hopes are high for the economic stimulus and recovery package, which now feels long-anticipated in the run-up to President Obama and the 111 th Congress’ transition to power . In the swirl of rumors and speculation that bind new expectations for modern economic stimulation with social recovery reminiscent of FDR’s New Deal , many advocates for women and families have been weighing in heavily and hoping to affect the economic policies that are currently being considered in Washington. This week, predictions were rampant in the mainstream political discourse about what the outcomes of the House debate on the economy would look like, and whether or not the resulting legislation would make the everyday needs of women visible again. Today, the US House of Representatives passed an economic stimulus and recovery package , which carries with it a total cost of $819 billion dollars . Although the recovery package now makes its...