It was a holiday week from June 29 to July 5, 2009 plus there were two foreign trips. One by Vice President Biden to Iraq and the President traveled to Russia at the end of the week so attention was focused on international affairs. There were a few things that happened that could have a positive impact on homelessness and poverty. They include:
- Again there was more talk about health care reform including a town hall on July 1, 2009. This, as always, gets the grade up to a D as a starting point.
- It was announced that the Department of Education is working to simplify the Financial Aid Application for college--a good step to help more people afford higher education.
- There was a "Making Home Affordable" tour including a HUD announcement to make the eligibility broader so that more people can take advantage of the program. More borrowers should be able to join the program in order to avoid foreclosure.
- This does not have much to do with poverty, but it is helpful. They posted the salaries of everyone working in the White House on the site. So, by the way, Valerie Jarrett and Rahm Emanuel both Special Assistants to the President make $172,200 while those poor souls who have to read the mail as correspondence assistants make only $36,000. I like having this information easily available.
- They also posted more stories about how the stimulus dollars are working including a story about Youthbuild in Louisville Kentucky.
- There was more discussion in the weekly address about continuing the effort to reform education.
- Finally, HUD announced the tax credits awarded to 26 states to address affordable housing needs in the local community. Ohio taxes advantage of the tax credit program, and Cuyahoga County gets a piece of the $1 billion released during the week.
Brian
Posts reflect the opinion of those who sign the entry.
No comments:
Post a Comment