One of today's headlines reads:
Palin to Obama on Stimulus: "Thanks, But No Thanks!"
Sarah Palin announced today that her state of Alaska will only accept 55% of the stimulus money allotted her state.
Republican governor Mark Sanford of South Carolina announced last week that his state may reject up to 25% of the stimulus money.
GOP governors Rick Perry of Texas, Bobby Jindal of Louisiana and Haley Barbour of Mississippi have all have announced they will reject stimulus funds intended to expand state unemployment benefits.
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This strikes me as political grandstanding and posturing (Palin and possibly Jindal are gearing up for 2012 presidential runs). Palin has decided to accept $514 million in stimulus funding for transporatation projects, $250 million for job training and The Alaska Vocational Training Center, sewer projects, public housing. Oh, and she wants the $116 million for the University of Alaska Fairbanks Research Vessel, "an ice-breaking ship that will support scientific research in arctic waters".
In other words, she's picking and choosing which projects she wants, rejecting the projects she doesn't want (like it's a box of chocolates: "Ok, I'll take the caramels... and the english toffees... oh! but no coconut! Or vanilla creams! No soft centers!") --- and then GRANDSTANDING by saying she's rejecting federal money, telling reporters: "Our nation is already over $11 trillion in debt; we can't keep digging this hole!"
Something smacks of political opportunism when you can "reject" 25% of the money (and accept 75%) like the South Carolina governor -- and then turn it into a marketing device for your republican constituents at election time. This is a sham because every republican can eventually get into the act. There's always something in the stimulus package a governor won't like -- which can therefore be showily "rejected"... saying he's bucking pork projects and wasteful spending.
Palin to Obama on Stimulus: "Thanks, But No Thanks!"
Sarah Palin announced today that her state of Alaska will only accept 55% of the stimulus money allotted her state.
Republican governor Mark Sanford of South Carolina announced last week that his state may reject up to 25% of the stimulus money.
GOP governors Rick Perry of Texas, Bobby Jindal of Louisiana and Haley Barbour of Mississippi have all have announced they will reject stimulus funds intended to expand state unemployment benefits.
--------------------
This strikes me as political grandstanding and posturing (Palin and possibly Jindal are gearing up for 2012 presidential runs). Palin has decided to accept $514 million in stimulus funding for transporatation projects, $250 million for job training and The Alaska Vocational Training Center, sewer projects, public housing. Oh, and she wants the $116 million for the University of Alaska Fairbanks Research Vessel, "an ice-breaking ship that will support scientific research in arctic waters".
In other words, she's picking and choosing which projects she wants, rejecting the projects she doesn't want (like it's a box of chocolates: "Ok, I'll take the caramels... and the english toffees... oh! but no coconut! Or vanilla creams! No soft centers!") --- and then GRANDSTANDING by saying she's rejecting federal money, telling reporters: "Our nation is already over $11 trillion in debt; we can't keep digging this hole!"
Something smacks of political opportunism when you can "reject" 25% of the money (and accept 75%) like the South Carolina governor -- and then turn it into a marketing device for your republican constituents at election time. This is a sham because every republican can eventually get into the act. There's always something in the stimulus package a governor won't like -- which can therefore be showily "rejected"... saying he's bucking pork projects and wasteful spending.