The stimulus money is earmarked for programs not unlike the WPA programs (after the Great Depression), except this time we are releasing it not as large government work programs, but as a means for jobs and training. Some funds has gone to what have been coined "shovel ready" programs. There is also a lot of money going to educational and training programs from K-12 to college and vocational training programs. Some of that money is going to private companies who partner with a government entity and some is going to state and local employees. In fact it is keeping our fellow Nevadans at work in basic industries such as police, fire, teachers, and highway construction workers. We should be grateful that Senator Reid has provided opportunities (not earmarks) for us to apply for grants to help stabilize the economic situation in Nevada.
As a long term Nevadan, I care about the future of our state. I have dedicated the last 15 years of my life "giving back" by teaching at our local community college. For the last 6 months I have also assisted our school's external funding and grants office so I know something about the stimulus funding.
The grants are very competitive. The process is rigorous not because of the difficulty of writing the grants, but because of the complexity of filling out government applications and because the turn around time is typically no more that a few weeks. This means organizations that don't have a full time grant writer have little chance of winning these funds. That's why I'm helping our college grant writer at this critical and urgent time.
If each American got a share of that initial total it would have been a little over $2500 ea. vs. saving someone's job or giving them the training they need to get a job. Teach a person to fish. I vote we stay the course. To see where stimulus funds are going in Nevada or any state go to: http://www.recovery.gov
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