A Stimulus Plan that Actually Works! Will our Govt Continue it?

According to CNNMoney.com, a little-known Recovery Act initiative has put more than 200,000 unemployed people back to work in 32 states (and the District of Columbia). It's called the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Emergency Fund (TANF), and it subsidizes jobs with private companies, nonprofits and government agencies.

TANF, created in Sept 2009, is a block grant program designed to help move welfare recipients into work and, in turn, transfer the purpose of welfare into a program of temporary assistance rather than a career. 

The Emergency Fund is intended to build upon and renew the principles of work and responsibility that underlie successful welfare reform initiatives. Like other provisions of the Recovery Act, the Emergency Fund provides resources to States, Territories, and Tribes to support work and families during this difficult economic period.

And it appears to be working!  The program is set to expire at the end of September, but Congress is considering a year-long extension that would add $2.5 billion. But the proposal is bogged down in political wrangling over the nation's exploding deficit. 

This is a big moment for Congress.  Are they interested in spending money to get people working or are they interested in just giving large blanket sums of money to huge corporations to get campaign contributions.  And after all the pork money they've wasted, will they decide to invest in a program that puts people to work, or sacrifice this program in the name of tightening a budget that is $14trillion over.

In my humble opinion I believe that if the govt is going to have stimulus programs during an economic crisis, it should be this type of stimulus program, designed to get people working again.  Granted, $100k spent for a job that probably pays $35k is overboard, but at least it is putting people to work.