I don't follow Paul Begala (dem. strategist who is often on CNN) or Gov. Sanford of S.C. Let's get that on the table up front. I don't know what their stances are on anything. Indeed, I suspect both have had multiple, contradictory stances on just about everything. (Phew)
But, I do like Begala's attempt to call Sanford's - and, really, the entire GOP's - bluff. If you don't think the federal government should spend the money in the stimulus, don't take it. We still have states. They still have fairly broad autonomy. If you are a fiscal conservative who believes that John Maynard Keynes was and is wrong, put your money where your mouth is and refuse it. Nobody would dare. Begala's point? So - shut up.
He also takes the sad, but obvious, dig. Red states, not blue, are the hardest hit by this economic down turn. And even before this, red states as a group, not blue, got more than a $1 back from the federal government for every $1 in federal taxes paid. [SC took $1.35, Rank 16. New York - that bastion of socialism took $.79, while Cali - let's not even talk of their wayward ways took $.78. Ranked 42 and 43 respectively.] How did the rift between political harangue
and reality get so large in flyover country?
1 comment:
It's worth noting that DC's nut is more than twice that of New Mexico (the #1 rank), and most of the states near the top are relatively sparse (NM, Alaska, Maine). Another thing that occurs to me, as I look again, is that many federal expenditures are not population-driven (parks, interstate highways, SSA offices, etc), while federal taxes paid is a function of population x affluence. I also suspect that the BIA is considered Federal for these purposes...
Liars, damn liars, and statisticians... ;)
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