Obama to funnel federal aid to five impoverished areas

[mystery-ak]

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/194727-obama-to-outline-anti-poverty-proposals

anuary 08, 2014, 07:00 am
Obama to funnel federal aid to five impoverished areas

By Amie Parnes

President Obama will announce on Thursday that five areas across the country will benefit from the so-called "Promise Zone Initiative," a government program that will assist impoverished areas through tax incentives, housing assistance and education grants, a White House official said.

During an event set to take place at 2p.m. in the East Room, Obama will highlight the five zones, which include San Antonio, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Southeastern Kentucky, and the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.

The president is expected to be joined by representatives and community leaders from each of the five areas, according to the White House.

Obama first announced the initiative last year during the State of the Union address and the announcement is a "critical step forward" in making good on that commitment, the White House official said.

The “Promise Zone” programs are designed to use a mixture of private and public investment to address communities suffering from persistent poverty and blight. Under the program, the Department of Education would spend millions to improve schools and career services in a bid to drive down unemployment. The initiative also includes federal dollars for  the redevelopment of distressed assisted housing in high poverty neighborhoods, as well as criminal justice grants to address crime and violence.

Under the plan, private companies that invest in the communities could also be provided tax breaks for hiring workers and building stores, factories, or offices. Federal officials will also help local leaders navigate access to government funds.

On Tuesday, White House press secretary Jay Carney said the program was “something that we think is a significant help economically, and it’s something this president supports.”

The remarks come amid a broader populist push by the White House ahead of the Jan. 28 State of the Union address.

In the coming weeks, Obama is expected to spend a significant amount of time laying out his ideas for addressing economic equality --including raising the minimum wage to $10.10, according to senior administration officials.

Speaking at the White House on Tuesday, Obama said that in 2014 lawmakers needed “to make sure that this recovery leaves nobody behind.”

“We've got to help our businesses create more jobs.  We've got to make sure those jobs offer the wages and benefits that let families rebuild a little security,” Obama said.

[rangerrebew]

Detroit isn't on the list?  It might be since the mayor is not longer a democrat he thinks the city will rebuild on its own. :broc:

[jmyrlefuller]

Detroit isn't on the list?  It might be since the mayor is not longer a democrat he thinks the city will rebuild on its own. :broc:

Curiously, no Rust Belt areas are on that list, and they need the most help of any area.

Unsurprisingly, one on the list is an Indian reservation.

[mountaineer]

Unsurprisingly, one on the list is an Indian reservation.

I did a summer internship with the Department of the Interior about 30 years ago. My boss was a fellow who had worked many years with Indian tribes in Oklahoma. He seemed to be apolitical, or maybe I was at that stage of my life, but I clearly remember his saying that the Indians had (taxpayer) dollars lavished on them, and all they did with the money was buy liquor and the most tricked-out pickup trucks they could find. He said you could drive by any Indian dwelling, and it was a run-down shack with no plumbing, but a big honkin' truck out front.   

[jmyrlefuller]

I did a summer internship with the Department of the Interior about 30 years ago. My boss was a fellow who had worked many years with Indian tribes in Oklahoma. He seemed to be apolitical, or maybe I was at that stage of my life, but I clearly remember his saying that the Indians had (taxpayer) dollars lavished on them, and all they did with the money was buy liquor and the most tricked-out pickup trucks they could find. He said you could drive by any Indian dwelling, and it was a run-down shack with no plumbing, but a big honkin' truck out front.   

I live about six miles from a reservation border and know what you mean.

The local tribe decided a little over 100 years ago to lease out some of their land to non-natives; that leased land is now known as the city of Salamanca, New York. You can't buy land in most of Salamanca unless you are native; you must "lease" that land and pay an annuity to the tribe (which gets distributed to the enrolled members in quarterly checks), in addition to property tax on land you don't own (the natives are exempt from property tax). On top of the annuities, enrolled natives (it's based on maternal lineage; most of my native friends have paternal lineage so they get nothing) figured out in the 1990s they could avoid paying state excise taxes and opened up a huge line of smoke shops and gas stations. There are a lot of insanely rich people on the reservation and a lot of poor people who live off the annuities and whatever government handouts they can get. It is a perfect illustration of government dependency.

[Scottftlc]

"mix of public and private investment"

They've been feeding us that line for 3 decades. 

[olde north church]

I did a summer internship with the Department of the Interior about 30 years ago. My boss was a fellow who had worked many years with Indian tribes in Oklahoma. He seemed to be apolitical, or maybe I was at that stage of my life, but I clearly remember his saying that the Indians had (taxpayer) dollars lavished on them, and all they did with the money was buy liquor and the most tricked-out pickup trucks they could find. He said you could drive by any Indian dwelling, and it was a run-down shack with no plumbing, but a big honkin' truck out front.   

How many reservations did we build in Germany after WWI?  For Spanish in Cuba or Puerto Rico?  You lose the war, you get with the program.

[Rapunzel]

I did a summer internship with the Department of the Interior about 30 years ago. My boss was a fellow who had worked many years with Indian tribes in Oklahoma. He seemed to be apolitical, or maybe I was at that stage of my life, but I clearly remember his saying that the Indians had (taxpayer) dollars lavished on them, and all they did with the money was buy liquor and the most tricked-out pickup trucks they could find. He said you could drive by any Indian dwelling, and it was a run-down shack with no plumbing, but a big honkin' truck out front.   

this is true... 

[rangerrebew]

I did a summer internship with the Department of the Interior about 30 years ago. My boss was a fellow who had worked many years with Indian tribes in Oklahoma. He seemed to be apolitical, or maybe I was at that stage of my life, but I clearly remember his saying that the Indians had (taxpayer) dollars lavished on them, and all they did with the money was buy liquor and the most tricked-out pickup trucks they could find. He said you could drive by any Indian dwelling, and it was a run-down shack with no plumbing, but a big honkin' truck out front.   

Sounds like the ghetto to me.

[Rapunzel]

Sounds like the ghetto to me.

I don't know where you live, but if you have ever driven across the Navajo Reservation here in AZ this is exactly what you see.  They live in the middle of nowhere in hogans and flimsy houses or trailers with tires on the roof (to hold the roof down) and their power comes from propane.  You see washers and dryers rusting in the yard among the sheep and horses and new pickup trucks parked in front of the house.  The reason for this is due to rules the Federal Government places on them...  sometime back around LBJ and his great society someone noticed the Indians driving new trucks every year - purchased with their yearly stipend from the government - and they noted they were living in these flimsy homes on the reservation without things most of us in the city take for granted so they said new rules are going into effect... you can only buy a new truck if you have things like washers, dryers, refrigerators, etc... so the Indians went to town (Flagstaff, Gallup, Albuquerque) and they purchased the required items, took them home and sat them in the yard and then bought their new trucks.

Frankly I think everyone should take a look at our reservations - they are perfect examples of socialist society.

[flowers]

I don't know where you live, but if you have ever driven across the Navajo Reservation here in AZ this is exactly what you see.  They live in the middle of nowhere in hogans and flimsy houses or trailers with tires on the roof (to hold the roof down) and their power comes from propane.  You see washers and dryers rusting in the yard among the sheep and horses and new pickup trucks parked in front of the house.  The reason for this is due to rules the Federal Government places on them...  sometime back around LBJ and his great society someone noticed the Indians driving new trucks every year - purchased with their yearly stipend from the government - and they noted they were living in these flimsy homes on the reservation without things most of us in the city take for granted so they said new rules are going into effect... you can only buy a new truck if you have things like washers, dryers, refrigerators, etc... so the Indians went to town (Flagstaff, Gallup, Albuquerque) and they purchased the required items, took them home and sat them in the yard and then bought their new trucks.

Frankly I think everyone should take a look at our reservations - they are perfect examples of socialist society.

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