Hypocrisy?

Using 10 pens - emblematic of the waste - and an awkward signature - symbolic of his first few weeks in office - President Obama signed the so-called "stimulus" bill into law last week.

Officially known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act the plan is to infuse the American economy with enough Federal investment so that people will have jobs, the nation will receive the benefit of any number of public projects, and all this unpleasantness will go away.

This is straight forward Keynesian economics and, despite the assertions of the Obama administration that this is the only thing to be done, this approach has severe pitfalls.  First, it doesn't take account of the foreboding economic difficulties (inflation, inefficiency and opportunity cost).  Second, it doesn't recognize the incredible cost of the stimulus bill: debt placed on future generations. Considering the objections of many, many economists who are opposed to this approach and the existence of alternatives, pursuing this course seems foolish at best.

However, for better or worse, we are firmly planted on the many "roads to nowhere" that will surely be built and, supposing that GM gets it's Federal bailout, we may even be driving American made cars (funded of course by Chinese debt).

Amidst the resounding cheers of those who are willing to enslave future generations with debt - "Job well done! We'll live like royalty and our children can foot the bill!" - is the not so subtle cry of "Hypocrisy!" when Republicans take the Federal monies being handed out.

The argument goes: if you voted against Stimulus Bill because you thought it was a bad idea, you should also refuse any money that would be spent in your State (or District) solely on principle.

This is a fine argument in certain circumstances.  For instance, when I was a child and said that I wanted to watch the News rather than cartoons, I very well should have gone and done something different when my brother chose to watch The Animaniacs. However, the current circumstances are very different. In this case, the taxpayers to the several states are paying for this Stimulus package and, if the funds are refused, they will not see a return on their coerced payments to the Federal government.  If Gov. Pawlenty were to refuse Federal funding through the Stimulus plan there would likely be riots in the street.  This isn't because the ARRP is super cool and popular. (In fact, the majority of Americans feel it is a bad idea.) It is because the residents of Minnesota would be subject to the thievery of Federal governance. They would be angry because they would be, essentially, robbed.

For Democrats, and their punditry, to require Republican Governors to rob their constituents or be labeled "unprincipled hypocrites" is the very worst in political gamesmanship and it shows exactly how malevolent and disingenuous the political left has become (and, more than ever, it shows exactly why they symbol at left represents their party).

My bet?  The American people are far more astute then the Democrats give them credit for and realize the political games their playing.