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Message from Sherrod Brown, Senator of Ohio, USA February 4, 2008
There is no doubt that our state is
facing economic hardship. In 2007, Ohio led the nation in the percentage of its
housing stock in foreclosure. Every day, more than 200 families in Ohio lose
their homes. Ohio’s six biggest cities are among the 30 hardest hit in the U.S.
Meanwhile, college costs are at an all time high and family income and student
aid have not kept up. In Ohio, between 2001 and 2006, the cost of attending
four-year public colleges increased 53 percent and the cost of attending
four-year private colleges increased nearly 30 percent. The price of gas at the
pump has doubled over these five years and home heating costs continue to rise.
During the same time period, the median household income in Ohio increased only
3 percent.
It is important that the economic stimulus package, first and foremost,
immediately confront the challenges Americans in crisis are experiencing. I
think the fastest and most effective way to assist Americans in desperate need
is by increasing funding for energy and food assistance programs, like the Low
Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and The Emergency Food Assistance
Program (TEFAP). I recently wrote a letter to the President and the Majority
Leader asking that money be directed to these programs in the stimulus program.
Secondly, the stimulus should directly address the sources of economic
instability to provide for long-term, sustainable growth. The largest drags on
our economy at present grew out of the mortgage and foreclosure crisis. The
crisis has not only stripped families of their homes, but also sapped property
values, dried-up tax revenues, limited loan availability, and eaten into the
bottom line of many household budgets. I have supported increased funding for
mortgage counseling and community redevelopment. By helping more families to
keep their homes, as well as rehabilitating those areas devastated and abandoned
by foreclosures, we can start reversing the damage that has so severely stressed
our communities.
Another potent stimulus mechanism is investment in our nation’s infrastructure,
which promotes economic growth and is basic to economic stability over time.
In the past, the federal government has successfully averted economic crisis at
the state level by investing in key public programs, including Medicaid and
social services such as foster care placement and child abuse prevention. These
investments are compassionate, consistent with our nation’s values, create jobs,
and help minimize the use of other welfare programs.
Most of the programs being debated right now include a tax rebate. If a rebate
is included in the final package, it must include more than just a select number
of households. I do not support the President’s proposed plan, because it would
leave out nearly fifty-million low-income and middle-income workers, as well as
seniors and other Americans who receive Social Security benefits.
Beyond acting with basic fairness, it is these Americans who are most
likely to put the rebate to immediate use.
Majority Leader Reid has indicated his intention of securing a stimulus package
by President’s day (February 18, 2007). I will keep your views in mind as this process moves
forward.
Sincerely,
Sherrod Brown