Sunday, February 22, 2009

How Do You Cherry Pick a Law?

I don’t get it. How can Rick Perry, Bobby Jindal, Mark Sanford, or Haley Barbour, Republican governors all, cherry pick the newly passed economic recovery package?

It’s the law of the land now.

How can a governor say ‘thank you very much’ when he accepts federal money to rebuild his state’s infrastructure on one hand, but then sneer at a proffered federal hand held out to help his state deal with ever-lengthening unemployment lines?

When you pass a law, it’s take it or leave it, not take the best parts and tear up the parts you don’t like. Actually, like NCLB a federal law that mandated that states change the way they educate their children, it’s “take it.” There was no “leave it”

Governor Ed Rendell pretty much sums it up when he told Fixed Noise this, as reported at CNN:

“"I'm not sure that we can, over the long run, cope with the high unemployment compensation standard that this mandates for states,’ Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, the head of the National Governor's Association, told Fox News Sunday. ‘But I don't care. My people are suffering,’ he added. ‘They need that extra money. And right now that's paramount in my mind.’”

Or as The Governator told George Stephanapoulos this morning, also from CNN:

“‘I am more than happy to take his money or [that of] any other governor in this country that doesn't want to take this money. I take it because I think California needs it.’ Schwarzenegger called it ‘a terrific package,’ and said he does not foresee a need for a tax hike in the future to sustain the unemployment provisions.”

But more importantly, it’s the law. Take the money.

Besides, it is irresponsible to slap away a bucket full of money that would help citizens, and voters, get through bad times, all to make a petty political point.

So I have a modest proposal. Let’s make this a “take it or leave it law.” No cherry picking allowed. Either accept federal money or don’t. None of this whiney ‘I like this part but I just hate that part.’

So governor whiners of the United States, knock it off. You lose any high moral ground you think you are gaining, and you ensure a successful Democratic argument that the stimulus bill is doomed to failure because Republicans refused the money.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

I just love the quote from Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, "If we were to take the unemployment reform package that they have..." Emphasize THEY. Aren't we the UNITED States of America?
I'm tired of all this...let's get on with economic recovery in whatever form it takes. Any laws, bills, etc can be tweaked along the way.

Anonymous said...

I say, as a person from a state with a Democrat for a governor, that all the states with Republican governors should refuse to accept the stimulus package. It's the only ethical thing to do if the governors see themselves as correct.

Let their states and people suffer. I'm sure the voters will send a loud message next election about their Republican politicians' "fortitude."

I had lunch with a friend who's company is set to explode with growth due to the amount of trade that will take place as a result of this package. It sounds like just what Doctor Obama ordered.

Anonymous said...

Simple, you republican governors. You hate the bill so much, don't take any $ for your state. This is the typical Republican hypocrisy and the very reason why that party is on its way out. The sooner the better.

Anonymous said...

Where was all this moral high ground and introspection from the Republican Governors when the Bush administration poured $800 billion dollars down a hole called Wall Street? No oversight, no accountability, no plan- just a blank check to the people who 1) produce nothing but phantom wealth 2)put our economy in this position in the first place. Now when the government proposes to spend money on people, jobs, infrastructure- real, useful, tangible things, suddenly that's "not the American way" according to the hypocritical Republicans. How about we take all the Red States and spin it off into a new nation called "Dumb F**kistan" and they can elect W. and Cheney to be King and Queen for life. Republicans can get Alaska and Texas, and we get California. Let's see who lasts longer.

Anonymous said...

THE MORTGAGE RESCUE PLAN AND THE CONSERVATIVE UNDERGROUND
By Will C. Justice
They’re at it again. You can hear them on hate radio and hate TV, venting about socialism and bailouts for the irresponsible.
They urge their disciples to bombard politicians, creating an illusion that they are a massive populist majority.

In reality they are the right-wing fringe, comprised of a few million obedient souls with lots of hate in their hearts and time on their hands.

These are the people who murmured ne'er a word about the billions and billions sent off to Iraq.

These are the ones who wanted “business-friendly” regulations, which worked beautifully for Enron, Madoff, and assorted mining companies.
These are the laissez-faire people. For the most part, they call themselves Republicans, although some say they are libertarians, apparently not knowing that they really sound like Russian anarchists.

Oh, they can be pious! They make their mortgage payments, and are outraged that deadbeats get special breaks at the government's expense.

Deadbeats? Is that what one should call the unlucky millions who’ve lost their jobs during recent dreadful months? Over 680,000 “deadbeats” last month alone. Could losing their jobs be the real reason they are losing their homes?

Do these people not know that when a ship sinks, the good and the bad do down with it?
Do they not know that those who drown will be those who faithfully made their mortgage payments, as well as those who couldn’t or didn’t?
Do they not know that if there’s a foreclosure sign in front of one's neighbor's house, that it adversely affects the value of one’s own house?

Do these people not know that this nation has a long and successful experience subsidizing mortgages? Like the G.I. loan.

Oh, these people would probably call the G.I. mortgages socialism, too, because the government intervened on behalf of its citizens. But those subsidized mortgages created an American middle class of home owners.

Now there’s an idea. Why not a new G.I.mortgage, with low-interest and low closing costs for veterans of Viet Nam and Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan, and firefighters, and police, and teachers? And why not make those mortgages truly assumable, the way G.I loans and many other mortgages used to be.

Do the people who so hate, discord, and doubt not know that they are making the problem worse? Do they not know that the economy will not revive until Americans believe that it’s safe for banks to make loans again, and safe for consumers to spend and borrow again?

Fortunately, fewer and fewer take the hatemongers seriously. They did everything in the 2008 election to smear and deceive and discredit. And they failed.

One would think that they learned their lesson. Perhaps they did. They discovered that you CAN fool SOME of the people all of the time. And they discovered that some of the people can make a lot of ugly noise.

Anonymous said...

Earth to republicans...YOU LOST! Now move aside, please and let those that care for the people have a go at it. God knows you left a pile of dung for Obama and the democrats to deal with. Stop it with your hatred and help out the people. You are only helping to extinct your party with such idiocy.

Timothy said...

It's the World Series of Political Penny Poker, watching the Republican governors as they try to calculate the odds on the hand Dubya has dealt them. What value do potential 2012 Presidential candidates place on that nomination? What it's worth depends in large part, on what they think would be their chances should lightning strike, of actually winning in the general election. With the decline in success of GOP candidates lately that nomination might not be worth "a pitcher of warm spit", but who knows? Do Jindal and Crist see a chance to grab the nomination at a deep discount, by turning down just enough dollars to bank a headline or two while taking the bulk of the stimulus money to insure their more modest ambitions against the possibility that crisis denial loses traction with their base? New Party Chairman Mike Steele hasn't got anything at all to lose, of course, because all of the people who put him in his job are those who want the stimulus to fail. He's like the dealer; as long as his paychecks don't bounce he's making out. Haha

Timothy said...

In response to Will C. Justice, I know that not all of the fanatic right wing are "hate mongers". My mother is one of the former, but her motivation is simply that she will support anyone, anyone at all, who talks against abortion. For this one reason she suspends all judgement and accepts any bigotry, any failures, even outright lies. It's a thing beyond the reach of reason and I'm sure she's not the only one.

Anonymous said...

Timothy,
Just like your mother will vote for anyone that is against legalized abortion (many Republicans), there are many others that will vote for anyone that is for legalized abortion or for gay marriage (many Democrats).

And yes, Obama won. But do you expect all Republicans that have been elected to office to simply resign (I know that's what you'd like, but is that what you really expect).

Anonymous said...

i am just mesmerized by republican governors. How stupid can they be.Your country is in economic crisis and your not even thinking of helping your state. Talking about tax payers money, but they are the one who face this economic downturn not you (you foolish governors). Your Former President brought the entire nation to a REMARKABLE DEFICIT and here your whining about tax payers money when you agreed to most of the bill's for almost 8 years and have you ever considered its TAX PAYERS money? (Foolish Republican Governors). At least you have a president who is taking charge and trying to resolve and what you do is to complain and whine. I am just irritated with your foolish attitude and judgment.

Anonymous said...

It's funny how easily the repugs have forgotten that their party along with the dems created this crisis. JUST flush the neocons and libs, along with the crony capitalist and establish real free markets for once, rather than this propped up artificial borrow, tax and spend mess!

Flushing the DC toilet puts an end to the finger pointing game between the two major tax supported party junta.