The stimulus is working

It’s been a year since President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. While the economy still struggles to rise out of the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, the Act has saved or created around 1.8 million jobs. The map above shows where those jobs are (the darker the colour, the more jobs).

The original version of the map above was created by the Center for American Progress, a progressive thinktank. The map on their site is interactive, so go to it to find out the situation state by state. And while you’re there, why not check out a progressive viewpoint on ideas, an alternative to the usual conservative ones served up by the US newsmedia?

Back in 2007, I posted a video, “That’s Progressive”, created by the Center for American Progress. I still think it’s one of the simplest and most direct explanations of “left” vs. “right” in US politics, and it does it by being positive, not attacking the opponent.