Put pride aside, Rendell urges

In other words, forget you're a proud American, quit struggling against your economic difficulty and take comfort in sucking on the government teat. It's where you should be.

To those hurt by the recession but too proud to seek government help, Gov. Ed Rendell says: If not for yourself, do it for your country.

He urged people to view food stamps not as welfare, but as economic stimulus.

"Think of it this way: If you avail yourself of these sources of government relief, you'll have money to spend in the economy, and that's exactly what we need to reboot the economy," Rendell said Wednesday at Brashear High School in Beechview. His 45-minute address was televised live to gatherings in six other cities.