skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

PA Group: Let's Pass Economic Stimulus Package Quickly

play audio
Play

Monday, January 5, 2009   

President-elect Barack Obama is expected to meet with congressional leaders today to finalize details of a $1.2-trillion economic stimulus plan. Democrats hope to pass the measure shortly after Obama takes office.

Robin Stelly is the field coordinator for the advocacy group Penn Action, which supports swift passage of the plan. She says the economic crisis in Pennsylvania and across the country requires quick action.

"We have 2 million people, almost, in America, who have lost their jobs; 2.5 million have lost their homes. We have people who are hungry, we have people who are living on the street, and we can stop that. All we need to do is invest in the right priorities."

The stimulus plan will focus on job creation through long-term infrastructure projects instead of tactics to boost consumer spending. Stelly agrees with that strategy, saying job creation is the best type of economic stimulus, especially in Pennsylvania.

"The best way to get jobs in Pennsylvania and around the country is going to be to invest in infrastructure projects. We have 319 shovel-ready projects right here in Pennsylvania, and that's worth about a billion dollars that could be launched right into the economy if Congress approves the funds."

Some are concerned about this stimulus package boosting the federal deficit, but Stelly believes the payoff is worth it. She says the economy could start to turn around within a year, if the plan can succeed in creating about 3 million new jobs.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …


Organizations fighting wage theft said it harms affected workers and surrounding communities because the money withheld is not being circulated through the local economy. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

Environment

play sound

A farm group is helping Iowa agriculture producers find ways to reduce the amount of nitrogen they use on their crops. Excess nitrates can wind up …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021