Venita Peyton takes the Raleigh City Council and so-called community leaders to task over the “plan” to spend the stimulus money in her March 19th post on “Outside the Box” here.
Here is a sample, but the entire post is well worth reading:
Someone created a plan to obtain federal money to
fix the massive educational, moral and social problems that we
collectively caused. And this group of church and community leaders
need money to fix it.We used to call on Jesus at the first sign
of a problem. Now with the easiness of ANYBODY starting a church, we
purport to call on Him to say Thank Ya’ when we get what we want. Never
asking His permission in the first place.Isn’t that just like
government. A body that allows the creation of a problem so that they
can throw money at the ‘right’ persons in order to obtain a solution.Had I attended [the Raleigh City Council meeting] I?d have have voiced displeasure. Wrong, wrong, wrong.
Churches
have a moral duty to support family and community needs. We have long
known of, and pacified, parents who neglect their children. We baptize
the children of single parents and don’t require anything in return. We
watch large numbers gather in the dark on street corners and don’t
mumble a word. We support long distance busing so that we don’t have to
watch our kids walk the street during the day.Walkable communities for everyone. Except for Southeast Raleigh.Now we want federal bailout money in exchange for being inattentive and ineffective guardians of our youth?
…Stimulus money is not free money. All taxpayers have contributed to it.
Now a handful of leaders want the right to claim and spend it as they
please. Manic downtown Mayor Meeker slid this proposal into a committee
for additional dialogue. As if the majority of City Council won’t go
along during an election year.