I just heard about Take Back the Land. The group is working to put homeless folks into vacant, foreclosed homes. Not through banks, courts, or legislative action, but by break-in!

To be clear, the squatters are not criminal crack-heads. They are foreclosure victims themselves, vetted to insure they will care for the property like--well--homeowners. In addition, the group only appropriates long-vacant homes owned by TARP-endowed banks.

It resonates as the right, the moral, and the necessary solution. It is immoral for institutions to push humans onto the street, and then hold empty homes against future profits. Even more when the institutions are taking our money to do so.

At the same time, it is shocking. I am astounded, not at this solution, but at the state of America! I would never have imagined that America could sink so low. That such drastic means would be needed just to house our working population and maintain our residential neighborhoods. That we continue to accept, reward, & lionize the bankers who have brought us to this pass. For shame! The bankers should be living on the street while the Take Back the Land staff run the banks!

By the way, so far, no neighbors have complained.

In an effort to attract bipartisan support, tax cuts comprise 33% of the proposed stimulus package. A mere 18% goes to infrastructure. Yet it is clear the latter will create jobs, while the former will not. Meanwhile, the Republican leadership have decided to oppose the President no matter what.

It seems impossible to sweeten this deal to suit Republican tastes. In fact, it is already overburdened with these empty calories.

I suggest the President take an opposite approach. For each day the Republicans block this bill, more tax cuts should be replaced with infrastructure projects.