From D.C. to S.C. and elsewhere, talk is of stimulus plan

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From D.C. to S.C. and elsewhere, talk is of stimulus plan

By Kevin G. Hall | McClatchy Newspapers


DILLON, S.C. — Talk in Washington of the coming massive economic-stimulus program is capturing attention in this small Southern town, providing a glimmer of hope in a poor area that's had little reason for optimism of late.

"The economy has gone down. You've got people around here that you know, that you wouldn't think it, but are losing jobs left and right," said John Huggins, a local representative of the National Cotton Council, which promotes the state's cotton from "dirt to shirt."

What makes Dillon unique is that it's the hometown of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. And despite a population of just 7,500, it also received two visits during the campaign from President-elect Barack Obama, who came to see what's long been billed as an abysmal school system.

The U.S. economy is in the worst economic downturn in at least a quarter-century, perhaps since the Great Depression. Obama is preparing a massive stimulus plan, the likes of which haven't been seen since that dark period of American history. The proposal is generating lots of discussion, from the corridors of power in Washington and New York to the coffee counter at Dillon's Charcoal Grill.

Rural Dillon won't become rich under any stimulus effort. It's unlikely to garner special attention, even if the world's most powerful banker hails from here. However, there's much at stake in a stimulus plan for Dillon, and for tens of thousands of other small communities across the nation.

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