Remember back in January of 2003 when former President George W. Bush gave taxpayer's money away to organizations to promote marriage?

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The government has sent taxpayer money from its child support programs to religious and nonprofit organizations so they can promote marriage -- reflecting chief elements of President Bush's faith-based initiative.

Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson announced Thursday more than $2.2 million in grants to 12 states and a variety of religious, nonprofit and tribal organizations to advance the nation's child support enforcement system. Roughly $550,000 is being spent on programs that emphasize the importance of healthy marriage.

Among them are two organizations and a state agency that emphasize the importance of a healthy marriage to a child's well being.

The Marriage Coalition, in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, received $199,994 to test a curriculum for poor single parents that emphasizes the value of marriage and child support.

In Allentown, Pa., a group called Community Services for Children Inc. got $177,373 to work with local church groups in providing marriage education and other services to unwed couples.Re

Did you know that in 2004 alone, the Bush administration allocated $270 million dollars to "abstinence only" sex education groups?

Remember back In 2005, when Congress passed the Federal Appropriations Act that included more than $500 million annually for marriage promotion?  This money was found by cutting Medicare and Medicaid.

Are these the sort of things you want your tax dollars to promote during the worst economy since the Great Depression?  Some how I doubt most Americans even know about this money begin spent in this manner, so why are we wasting it?

I realize one or two allocations money doesn't calculate to be a lot of money; but when added together they just might be a few billion.

Perhaps President Obama and his team should take a look at these types of programs that the Bush administration included in their budgets and authorized during their eight years in office, then they should divert that money to all Americans with incomes more than the poverty line and less than $65,000 in the form of a rebate instead.  Those below poverty get government assistance already.  Those between poverty and $65,000 are the ones being hurt the most right now. 

Or even better, perhaps the money should be given to small businesses as a tax break or incentives to hire new workers.