“Stimulus” Money To Be Spent On Ending Homelessness
The Associated Press has a run-down of the hundreds of millions the various states are getting for anti-homelessness programs as part of the economic “stimulus” spending spree. I’m wondering how in the world anyone can suggest that such spending is in any way, shape or form an economic stimulus.
This money is likely going to be spent on more homeless shelters. More case workers. More counselors. More soup and sandwich meals. Now, we can perhaps argue about whether or not government spending on these things is really an effective way to diminish homelessness, but can we at least admit that this sort of social spending does very little in the way of actually creating jobs? Something our economy desperately needs right now?
If anything, it actually makes things worse by creating more government (shelters, case workers, etc.) that the taxpayers in these states must continue to fund going forward. That puts more strain on already stretched (and in most cases broken) state budgets.
In short, Obama is making things worse. Not better.
