Say Anything Blog

I’ve got to say that I’ve just lost a whole lot of faith in Sarah Palin.

NEW YORK (AP) — Most Republican governors have broken with their GOP colleagues in Congress and are pushing for passage of President Barack Obama’s economic aid plan that would send billions to states for education, public works and health care.

Their state treasuries drained by the financial crisis, governors would welcome the money from Capitol Hill, where GOP lawmakers are more skeptical of Obama’s spending priorities.
The 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, scheduled meetings in Washington this weekend with Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and other senators to press for her state’s share of the package.

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist worked the phones last week with members of his state’s congressional delegation, including House Republicans. Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas, the Republican vice chairman of the National Governors Association, planned to be in Washington on Monday to urge the Senate to approve the plan. . . .

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who is widely viewed as a potential presidential contender in 2012, said governors have little choice but to accept the relief being offered. “States have to balance their budgets,” he said. “So if we’re going to go down this path, we are entitled to ask for our share of the money.”

“Entitled.”  They’re entitled to even more of our tax dollars.

Because goodness knows they can’t balance the budget by, oh I don’t know, cutting back on spending.

Not even Bobby Jindal is taking a principled stand, though he at least seems a bit reluctant about the whole thing:

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, a former member of the House, said he would accept the stimulus money but would have voted against the bill if he were still in Congress.

Well that’s reassuring, Bobby.

I think, before any Governor gets any “stimulus” spending (or, more accurately, “bailout” money for irresponsible local spending), he or she should have to prove that their state budgets are absolutely free of any spending on things not strictly necessary to the operation of the government.  If they can’t do that, then they’ve no need of a stimulus bailout.

I’ve heard people say that the future of the GOP may lay with the governors, but given the way they’re scrambling over one another to belly up to the federal trough for a bailout of their respective states’ overzealous spending I’d say that future doesn’t look too bright.

On a related note, wouldn’t this be a great time for Governors of states like, oh I don’t know, North Dakota to come out and say “Hey, we don’t need the bailout.  Our budgets balance, thank you very much.”

Not that North Dakota’s budget has as much to do with sound political leadership as a favorable mix of favorable energy and ag markets, but whatever.