This story out of Huntsville, Ala., illustrates the bone-headedness of our current administration when it comes to stimulating the economy. Millions are being spent on preventing homelessness, sent to sketchy agencies that do next to nothing that has any real effect:
The City of Huntsville announced Friday that almost $530,000 in federal stimulus money will be distributed to five local agencies that assist the homeless.
At a meeting of the North Alabama Coalition for the Homeless, city community development specialist Turkeesa Coleman-Lacey said the money would be divided this way: $150,000 for the Family Services Center, $150,000 for the First Stop homeless day center, $125,000 for The Pathfinder residential drug rehab program, $75,000 for Crisis Services of North Alabama and $29,697 for NACH’s homeless management information system.
What in these operations will stimulate the economy? How much of this stimulus money will be spent at local businesses instead of for overblown salaries and outrageous overhead? How many jobs will be created with this money? How many homeless people will find homes and become productive? Very few, truth be told, because these agencies have a vested interest in the continuation of homelessness.
If our elected officials really wanted to stimulate the economy, if they really understood how to do it, they’d take that nearly $1 billion of stimulus money and give it back to hard-working, taxpaying citizens in the way of a tax rebate. Put it in the hands of people who will invest it and spend it, not into the hands of bureaucrats who have a vested interest in nothing changing. It’s money down a rat hole.
