'Great opportunity to create opportunity'
By RODNEY BROWN, T&D Correspondent Monday, March 23, 20099 comment(s) | Default | Large
S.C. Sen. John Matthews Jr. says the federal stimulus funds are the key to turning around his district.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act represents the largest spending bill in the nation's history.
House Majority Whip James Clyburn has incorporated in the stimulus bill, "The Sustained Recovery Act."
The legislation is designed to recognize areas that have remained below the poverty level over a span of three decades.
Recognized as "communities in crisis," they would be first in line to receive stimulus funds designated for job creation, education, health care and infrastructure repairs.
On a trip to Washington recently, Matthews met with congressional lawmakers to address the needs and concerns of his district.
"Our state and a lot of rural counties in Orangeburg are very poor," Matthews said. "We are in a crisis. We don't have time for theory or arts."
According to the S.C. Budget and Control Board, from 1980-2000 nearly 30 percent of Orangeburg County residents lived in households with income below the poverty level.
"This is a great opportunity," Matthews said, "to create opportunity."
Clyburn on CNN said stimulus funds are to be targeted for "the poorest counties along the I-95 Corridor, a poverty-stricken region of the state most famous for its dilapidated schools."
Matthews' District 39 includes Bamberg, Colleton, Dorchester, Hampton and Orangeburg counties along the I-95 Corridor.
"The I-95 Corridor represents the poverty belt of the state," Matthews said.
The senator's plan:
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Create jobs by investing in projects surrounding Lake Marion to improve and transform the water and sewer infrastructure in rural towns including Holly Hill, Vance, Eutawille and Bowman.
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Weatherization of mobile homes to bring down energy cost and energy waste.
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Increase affordable homes in the area.
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Reset mortgage payments for homeowners facing foreclosure.
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Support established social programs already in place and create better and more efficient programs in areas including education and health care.
Matthews, a retired principal and businessman, places a strong emphasis on education and opportunity.
As to continuous cycles of poor economic conditions in his district under his leadership, the senator said Orangeburg is suffering from "brain drain."
"We're losing our best and brightest and keeping our dropouts," he said.
"Put a child in a better home, better school -- the child is better. We have to build the county value system around them. This is how we curtail brain drain and rescue our communities from the grips of poverty."
There has been stiff resistance to the federal stimulus legislation. Some members of the GOP label it as welfare. S.C. Gov. Mark Sanford is trying to reject a portion of the money designated for South Carolina.
And Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., has said: "Using an economic crisis to extend government's reach into health care and weatherization is not a way to build bridges between parties. As currently written, this bill represents the worst act of governmental theft in our nation's history."
Matthews' response: "Today race matters, but poverty matters more."
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T&D Correspondent Rodney Brown is a student in the Mass Communications Department at Claflin University.
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cherokee wrote on Mar 30, 2009 3:16 PM:
When can someone classified as middle class (making from $25,000 and $100,000 a year) afford housing this expensive? Oops, I forgo -- some lenders lent money at a sub-prime level with a balloon payment at the end. Maybe the lender has called in his loan!
There was a time that lenders multiplied ones yearly salary times 2.5 ($25,000 x 2.5 = $62,500) to determine the limit amount of the purchase. Thus a "middle-class worker" could afford a house between $62,500 ($25,000) and $250,000 ($100,000). Been there and done that. "
norwegian wrote on Mar 30, 2009 10:40 AM:
norwegian wrote on Mar 30, 2009 10:37 AM:
rump wrote on Mar 27, 2009 3:25 PM:
The debt was incurred long before Sanford became Governor! He wants to Balance the Budget! But the 19th century legislators we have do not want that. All they want is PORK. "
sic&tyrd wrote on Mar 23, 2009 9:28 PM:
Claflinbro wrote on Mar 23, 2009 9:26 PM:
Homer13 wrote on Mar 23, 2009 3:57 PM:
The Post and Courier reported that the Sanford's are selling their home located on Sullivan's Island. They report that Charleston County records show that the house was purchased by the Sanford's in 1997 for $482,500.00. Please explain how taxpayers paid for this house? "
claflinbro wrote on Mar 23, 2009 2:57 PM:
sic&tyrd wrote on Mar 23, 2009 9:09 AM: