Is This the Goal of the Obama Administration?

Detroit Free Press:  Cobo a scene of desperation

The economic tsunami washing over metro Detroit swept its casualties to the doors of Cobo Center on Wednesday in the form of 35,000 people so desperate for help with mortgage and utility bills that threats were made, fights broke out and people were nearly trampled.

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City officials said a total of about 65,000 people over the past few days have gotten applications -- due next Wednesday -- for a share of $15.2 million in federal stimulus money to help people avoid foreclosure or quickly rebound from homelessness.

If this his not Obama's goal, what is he doing to prevent this result?

Over-stimulus - Irresponsible Budgeting, Nothing New

NY Times - States Awash in Stimulus Money to Weatherize Homes

Ready or not, states are getting a tenfold boost in federal money to weatherize drafty homes, an increase so huge it has raised fears of waste and fraud and set off a scramble to find workers and houses for them to repair.

An obscure program that installs insulation in homes and makes them more energy-efficient is distributing $4.7 billion in stimulus funds -- dwarfing the $447 million originally planned by Congress this year and the $227 million spent in 2008.

That is enough to weatherize 1 million homes, instead of the 140,000 normally done each year.

President Barack Obama said pouring money into the program would lower utility bills for cash-strapped families, provide jobs for construction workers idled by the housing slump, and make the nation more energy-efficient.

''You're getting a three-fer,'' Obama said. ''That's exactly the kind of program we should be funding.''

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In addition to receiving an infusion of stimulus money, the program was expanded to cover families making up to twice the federal poverty level, or $44,100 for a family of four. Also, the average amount that can be spent per house was more than doubled to $6,500.

The funding for New York is going up from $20.1 million last year to $395 million. California's share is soaring from $6.3 million to $185.8 million. Virginia's is going up 23 1/2 times, from $4 million annually to $94.1 million.

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In Texas, the state's share is increasing nearly 60 times, from $5.6 million to $327 million. To spend the money efficiently and on time, state officials decided to go beyond the community organizations that normally distribute it and route $100 million to large cities.

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States are hurrying to find qualified weatherization workers and caulk-ready homes.

Wisconsin set up weatherization ''boot camps'' to train workers. West Virginia used to give new workers on-the-job training but is now looking to move to classrooms and online.

Alabama plans to train home builders in how to bid for weatherization contracts. Russell Davis, vice president of the Alabama Home Builders Association, said builders who once had no interest in weatherization contracts now see them as a way to keep their crews busy.

In many states, qualified homeowners are already on waiting lists. But some states don't have enough recipients signed up.

''We are out of clients. We need clients bad,'' said Cade Gunnells, weatherization coordinator for three counties in central Alabama.

Let's see. Get more people used to receiving free services by moving the line above the poverty level. No budgeting on this, so there is an over-allocation of money. States have more money that they know what to do with. Obama is trying to bankrupt the country. Straight up.

Silencing Dissent - Part of the Stimulus Plan

AP - White House Turns Up Heat on Arizona Senator

The Obama administration is firing back at Sen. Jon Kyl for calling for an end to economic stimulus spending, and it's aiming where it hurts the most — at home in Arizona.

The White House on Tuesday released letters from four cabinet secretaries to Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, a Republican, citing Kyl's comments and outlining transportation, housing, Indian education and other projects in his home state they said would be eliminated if the senator has his way.

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John McCain, the state's senior senator, backed up his colleague: "I strongly support the comments of Senator Kyl and call on the administration to retract its threat against the citizens of Arizona."

The president of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry also came to Kyl's defense, posting a column Tuesday on the chamber's Web site under the headline: "Don't Bully Arizona."

"It is one thing to joust with Senator Kyl over his position, but it is an entirely different matter for Cabinet secretaries to write letters to the chief executive of a state and threaten funding if support isn't provided," wrote Glenn Hamer.

So this is how you silence dissent.