A Good Idea: North Dakota Should Refuse “Economic Stimulus” Money From Obama

• January 12, 2009

Obama is promising some $750 billion in “economic stimulus” spending in America. Here in North Dakota, though, legislators are scrambling to figure out how to spend massive budget surpluses.
Now I’ve written about what a folly Obama’s “economic stimulus” spending would be (it would be a burden, not a stimulus), and I’ve written about how North Dakota should be careful not to grow government too quickly lest we end up paying for too much government with a slowing future economy and plunging tax revenues. But my buddy Scott Hennen has come up with what I think is a great idea:
North Dakota should refuse Obama’s economic stimulus money.
With massive budget surpluses the state doesn’t need it. The government can’t spend its way to a prosperous economy. And given that we North Dakotans pay the income tax just like everyone else in the country, there’s no reason to waste our federal tax dollars on pork projects here in the state.
Hennen has started a petition to show support for this idea. You can sign it here, and you can also contact your legislators to let them know that we need to say know to a federal bailout for North Dakota.

Tags: Domestic Issues, North Dakota News, Politics

http://www.bikebubba.blogspot.com/ Bike Bubba

imagine, it’s a great idea. The last time we tried massive government help for the economy was in the period 1929-1945, and do we remember that happened during that time? Refusing to take the bailout money could preserve free enterprise in Nodak and make the state a haven for prosperity in the midst of government-caused depression.
imagine

Pork, sadly, is politics. You do not get any points for not taking pork… ND is republican at the state level and democratic at the federal level…why? for the money!

Not participating in the Obama stimulus,imho, sounds really, really stupid. But then again, allowing FLP to profit from our wind is also stupid…so who knows…
imagine

and I say..if the feds want to help fix the ND roads, bridges and other projects (ie…wind)..let’s let the fed do it…the same amount of money will be spent. The only difference is that we will reap the benefits of the jobs and improvements.

And apparently we have many many roads and bridges in horrible shape (so says my hunting buddies that travel all the back roads in the state)

I would like to see ND turn down the Fed contribution to education. It is a very small amount (something like 7%) and it comes with an incredible amount of strings…(NCLB being only one of the worthless programs mandated by the Fed)

so, keep the stimulus and turn down the Feds education contribution.
ec99

“Should” and “will” are two different things. ND has had its hand out to the Feds for decades. How do think Burdick, Pomeroy, Dorgan, and Conrad kept being reelected?
jimmypop

generally when you take a stand on something that goes against the grain that means pain. the feds are going to kill our great nation. somebody needs to say, ‘does anyone see were being slowly killed here?’

as much as i hate to say it…. we need to say no to this money. then tell the feds to ‘f’ off the next time they try to tell us what to do. if we’re lucky time magazine will have a paragraph about us like when we turned down the fed courthouse money because we didnt want to too much.
imagine

I do get your argument. I just don’t, tottally, agree with it in this instance. On education I agree. On the stimulus (and who knows exactly what that will actually be) I don’t think I buy what you are selling.
http://www.bikebubba.blogspot.com/ Bike Bubba

Actually, even road money isn’t always well spent. I remember an episode in my hometown where the feds “helped” build a new parking lot for a park with “matching” funds.

Cost with fed help; $12k for one parking lot. ($6k from local budget)

Cost without fed help: $6k for a parking lot of exactly the same size and construction.

Yes, the federal regulations made the project THAT much more complicated! It’s not guaranteed that federal “help” actually gets anything done of value. The same basic thing applies with education funding and so on.
ec99

“First, federal tax dollars are our tax dollars too. If we don’t need them spent here we should say no and save ourselves some money.”

Doesn’t matter. It would just go to another state.

“Second, federalism. I don’t want North Dakota to be dependent on federal funds any more than it already is. Because the more dependent we are on federal money the more local control we lose.

Local control was lost decades ago if not more. ND has been and will always be a ward of the Federal Govt.
sc

North Dakota has been receiving a “stimulus” for many years from the Federal Gov’t. It’s called the farm program. Giving millions to millionaires. Great program.
imagine

We don’t need the stimulus?
our infrastructure is fine?

We don’t want to get a “leg up” on wind power?…just let Florida Light and Power continue to take 1 Million in profits every 10 days from our ‘wind’?

Granted the stimulus package is an unknown and could sink or sail the nations economy. But you are seriously stating that ND should refuse the federal money and the jobs that could/would be created?
http://sayanythingblog.com robport

Not participating in the Obama stimulus,imho, sounds really, really stupid.

I don’t think so for two reasons:

First, federal tax dollars are our tax dollars too. If we don’t need them spent here we should say no and save ourselves some money.

Second, federalism. I don’t want North Dakota to be dependent on federal funds any more than it already is. Because the more dependent we are on federal money the more local control we lose.
http://sayanythingblog.com robport

On the stimulus (and who knows exactly what that will actually be) I don’t think I buy what you are selling.

Well if the federal government pays for a new bridge, who pays for its upkeep? We do. And if we can’t afford it, do the Feds bail us out again? And if we keep going back to them for money, don’t they tie strings to it?

Here are the facts about Obama’s stimulus:

1. North Dakota doesn’t need it. We have plenty of our own money.

2. It isn’t going to stimulate anything. Government spending is a burden, not a boon.

3. It’s likely to make our state even more dependent on the federal government. That’s a bad thing, as you note.
http://sayanythingblog.com robport

and I say..if the feds want to help fix the ND roads, bridges and other projects (ie…wind)..let’s let the fed do it…the same amount of money will be spent.

We already pay state and federal gas taxes for that. We don’t need “stimulus” money for that. We should be asking about why current tax revenues from fuel sales aren’t enough from that.

Here’s a hint: We’re wasting it on other stuff.

As for the feds paying for wind, are you off your rocker? Wind energy is an already well-subsidized boondoggle.

Also, do you really think that more highway spending is going to be a stimulus? Where do those jobs go once the roads are fixed?

To accept Obama’s “stimulus” is to accept the idea that it is, in fact, a stimulus. Which it isn’t.

I would like to see ND turn down the Fed contribution to education. It is a very small amount (something like 7%) and it comes with an incredible amount of strings…(NCLB being only one of the worthless programs mandated by the Fed)

so, keep the stimulus and turn down the Feds education contribution.

So you get my argument about federalism. All federal money comes with strings. WE should want less of it, not more.
http://sayanythingblog.com robport

EC, you’re undoubtedly right on both points, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do the right thing.

SayAnythingBlog.com

A Good Idea: North Dakota Should Refuse “Economic Stimulus” Money From Obama

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