Governor Jindal Might Just Say No To Stimulus Bucks
by Big Dog on Feb 19, 2009 at 02:06 Political
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has indicated that his state might not take the $4 Billion that it is slated to get under Obama’s Generational Debt Plan. Jindal stated that he would have to review the money and see where it is to go and what strings are attached to accepting it. I imagine he would be more willing to take it if it were designated for infrastructure and not so much if it were designated for welfare.
This is a wise move since the federal government might tie all kinds of conditions to the money or state exactly where it has to be spent. This country was set up with a centralized federal government and (eventually) 50 separate and distinct state governments. The states are supposed to be responsible for a lot of the spending that goes on within their borders. If the feds start handing out money like candy then the states become wards of the federal government which can then attempt to dictate how certain things are done.
It is irresponsible for states to make up their budget deficits off the backs of the taxpayers from other states. People in 49 other states had nothing to do with the failed policies that led to the collapse of California. That state needs to fix its own problems. Forcing us to pay for their problems (or the problems of any other state) does nothing more than enslave taxpayers. A portion of our earnings, the fruits of our labor, is being confiscated from us and given to states that cannot manage a budget.
Bailout money to the states keeps them from being forced to take the tough decisions that need to be made in order to become fiscally sound. Instead of making appropriate cuts in spending and workforce, the states will sit back and give residents more of the same stuff that caused the problem in the first place. Governor O’Malley of Maryland and his Democratic legislature are sitting around salivating at the chance to sink their teeth into the bailout money so they can spend, spend, spend. It is shameful and demonstrates a complete lack of leadership.
While Jindal has indicated that he might not accept the federal money the welfare king Ray Nagin said he will take all the money the state does not want. I guess the hundreds of millions of dollars that were forcefully extracted from taxpayers from other states and sent New Orleans did not quite meet the needs of of Nagin and his cronies. Now he wants 4 billion more to waste on his poverty torn hell hole. It was wrong to send taxpayer money to NO in the first place and it would be a travesty for him to get anything else. However, I would not oppose taking the 4 billion and spending it on construction crews to use bulldozers to fill in NO.
I hope Jindal sticks to his guns and works out his state’s problems without taking the money. It would be refreshing to see a responsible politician for a change, I mean in addition to Sarah Palin.
Palin? That woman that makes the left cringe. The one who they think is dumb? The one who was savagely attacked by the media?
Yep, that is she. Her state of Alaska has enough money squirreled away to weather the economic problems even if they extend for a few years.
There is an interesting thing to see. The governor that the left is so afraid of that they engaged in character assassination has run her state so well that it is in better shape than states run by their wonderful Democrats or the RINO in California. In addition, her state is doing better than New York, Maryland, Kansas, and a number of others who are standing around waiting to put their hands in our pockets.
To be sure, Palin said that her state would take the approximately 1 billion dollars in stimulus money if it were designated for the right things like infrastructure and transportation. She is wary of accepting it for social programs that the state will have to pay for once the money is gone. It is going to be tougher for Palin because the price of oil is down but since the state saved some of the money it made when oil prices were up it is in better shape to ride out the economic storm.
The state currently has $6.6 billion in its constitutional budget reserve fund that it could tap into. A few billion dollars more also is available from other pockets, said Juneau economist Gregg Erickson, a longtime Alaska budget watcher.
Given Alaska’s robust reserves, the state is well-prepared to weather the next two years, Erickson said. As to how long reserves will last after that, there are too many factors involved to say for sure. AP
We will see how well she does in the tough times but she is smarter than liberals give her credit for. She is at least smarter than all the governors who are running in the red.
As an aside, why does California not just spend a bunch of money? It has about 45 billion dollars in debt so it should spend 2 or 3 hundred billion more to get back on sound footing.
After all, that is what Obama is doing to fix the problems in the rest of the country.
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Tags: bailout, irresponsible, jindal, Obama, oil prices, palin, stimulus
“It is irresponsible for states to make up their budget deficits off the backs of the taxpayers from other states. People in 49 other states had nothing to do with the failed policies that led to the collapse of California. That state needs to fix its own problems.”
Interesting that you should say that, because according to the Tax Foundation, California receives $0.78 in Federal funds for every dollar sent in taxes. Louisiana, on the other hand, takes in $1.78 for every dollar they send out. New York gets $0.79 for every dollar that New Yorkers pay in tax, while Alaska reels in a whopping $1.84 for every dollar Alaskans pay. It would seem that you are right – some states ARE profiting at the expense of others.
I guess it’s a little easier to save your own money when you have other people paying your bills for you.
Of course I assume you mean in federal dollars that are destined for the state as it is in others. Things like transportation, Medicare and other things that are not part of the state’s budget. On the other hand, the generational theft money is money we do not have and that was not part of any budget and it is being used by states to balance their budgets because they are not capable of running things.
Since Alaska (and Louisiana for that matter) have far fewer people than California then it only stands to reason that a state full of rich people would pay more in for federal taxes.
The states do not have others paying their bills. They have the feds doling out money in earmarks and planned federal expenditures. The budget is supposed to be paid for with state revenue.
But, I find it hard to believe California is the way you say with so many illegals running around.