What's important to remember in this debate are some wise words that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once shared with us. I'm sure we've all seen evidence of the truth in King's statement. In many impoverished communities you'll find garbage, broken windows and general blight. This is not because these people are incapable of caring for their property but, rather, because so many of them have no stake in their communities. They rarely own their own homes and therefore don't have the pride that comes from ownership.
Most American families know that pride.
It's time all Americans knew that pride. That's why ACRA not only supports local business, but provides home-ownership loans to further promote impoverished Americans' stake in their own communities. Unfortunately, the president's plan has no initiatives that specifically try to foster the poorest Americans' stake in their homes and communities, thereby raising the quality of life for everyone. This glaring omission denies any claim the president's proposal can make to being comprehensive. And even when his plan tries to give money back to the communities, it does so with too many strings attached to Washington.