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These plans are huge and somewhat abstract, but are clearly going to have huge implications in the lives of real Americans.
So I was interested in learning how they might help (or hurt, I guess) people at DU.
I'll start.
1. NIH funding. My fiance and I are both employed in the biological sciences by NIH dollars. NIH funding was horrible under Bush, so you basically never knew whether there would be grant money to pay your salary next year. The stimulus included $10 billion in additional NIH funding (original budget of only $30 billion, annually). This increase will go towards new grants for Professors (of which American citizens have an advantage) and will help employ countless numbers of people in their labs (us included).
2. First-time home buyer credit. We are renters and have been hoping to buy because we're at the point where a mortgage payment would be less than what we're paying in rent. We've got good credit and enough money for a good down-payment, but have always been worried about the unexpected costs of buying a home (i.e. unforeseen home improvements). This refundable $8,000 first-time home buyer credit would help mitigate those costs and is making us seriously consider making the leap.
3. Extended unemployment benefits. My mother has been out of work in Florida for several months (laid-off from the health care field, if that tells you how bad the economy is down there). Her unemployment benefits are running out and she hasn't been able to find a job due to the influx of retirees returning to the work force in order to make ends meet. We've been scrambling to move her up by us, but Florida is her home. These extended benefits will allow her to stay in FL a bit longer, where a Census job will hopefully pan out.
4. Medical records funding. My unemployed mother is a medical records specialist. The funding for streamlining medical records will (hopefully) mean a good job for her.
5. Middle class tax cuts. We qualify. And could we use the $800 I think we expect to get back? Oh yeah.
That's all that I can think of now that is certain, although there are health care provisions, social security benefit tax provisions, etc. that I feel pretty confidant will probably help many family members. Needless to say, the passage of the Stimulus and Housing bills has already lifted a huge burden off my shoulders. And just the confidence that relief is on the way makes a huge difference. I find that I'm allowing myself to look at clothes I might like again, things that we might need for the apartment, contemplating having a wedding our family members could attend, rather than heading to the courthouse, etc.
Anyone else feeling a similar sense of relief?
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