Don't Like the Stimulus? Don't Take the Cash

Here’s a clear way for political leaders to oppose spending in the stimulus package: “refuse to take the money,” Paul Begala writes for CNN. Case in point: South Carolina’s governor, who opposes the plan, shouldn’t help his struggling state with federal cash. Instead, he can follow his own advice and revive the state economy through tax cuts and trade deals. “Something tells me Gov. Sanford won't take that gamble,” Begala writes.

“South Carolina is a ward of the federal government. It's been on welfare for years,” the Democratic strategist notes. Under “Bush-Sanford” tax-cutting theories, unemployment in the state has soared. If the governor accepts the money, “he's got about as much credibility on fiscal conservatism as A-Rod has on steroids,” Begala writes. Instead, his state could play “guinea pig”: If he’d rather continue Bush-era policies, “good luck to him.”
(More economic stimulus package stories.)