By Damon Hewitt

Today, February 10, the United States Senate passed its version of the federal economic stimulus package.  The House version passed last week on a party-line vote. And the Senate vote, 61 in favor and 37 against, was narrower than it may seem. Anything short of 60 votes and the bill may have been doomed to filibuster by opposing Republicans.  All over the news media, the spin is about which side will win its way in the conference committee.  Very little is heard about the impact on Americans.

However, beyond the partisan politics lie the stark realities of life in America today. No corner of the country is immune. Ordinary Americans who were once living in relative comfort are finding themselves struggling to make ends meet. And many of those who were already struggling are now living in crisis, with their homes, livelihoods and families in jeopardy.

While in some ways this economic malaise transcends race, its impacts are felt most acutely in vulnerable communities, those typified by crumbling infrastructure, long-struggling local economies, and those ravaged by both the direct impact and collateral affects of racial discrimination.

With so much focus on corporate bailouts, tax cuts and macro-level economic policy, the needs of these vulnerable communities, and the especially vulnerable individuals within those communities, may be lost.

As the federal government seeks to navigate the country out of a financial abyss, it would be wise to heed the advice of columnist Howard Fineman. In this piece, he proposes that President Obama make the City of New Orleans Exhibit A in his argument for economic recovery.  While this piece does not make all of the obvious points, the sentiment is right on track.

Whatever the final package approved by Congress, the stimulus package must positively impact vulnerable communities; New Orleans is just one of many cases. As previously written on this page in regards to post-Katrina New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, the painstakingly slow process of rebuilding in what has largely become a market-driven recovery effort is simply depressing. . . . [i]nstead of leaving to chance whether struggling communities will succeed, we [should] implement common-sense measures to correct inequalities that markets cannot fix.  Let us hope that Congress and the Obama administration answer the call.

Damon Hewitt is Director of the Katrina-Gulf Coast Project at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.