Obama recovery plan stimulates whining

We need to get money into the economy. Critics and obfuscators often focus on scoring political points instead.

February 23, 2009|MICHAEL HILTZIK

These six paragons of integrity remind me of one of Shakespeare's whiniest characters. That would be Isabella of "Measure for Measure," who upon hearing about all the privileges granted the sisters in a convent she's planning to join tells the abbess sourly that she'd prefer something rather more dismal, thanks. (I paraphrase.)

At least Isabella was no poseur. Can we say that of the austerity governors? Several are lining up to run for president in 2012. (Surprise du jour: Sarah Palin's in the club.) Furthermore, they all know that there's no chance their states will actually be deprived of stimulus cash: Congress, detecting the acrid stench of partisan posturing on the wind, wrote the act so that state legislatures could accept the money over their governors' objections.

The proper approach to these complaints is to tune them out, because they merely represent political opportunism run wild. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) more or less defined the form when he carried on on CNN about how the stimulus package was a "slush fund for states" and "worse than nothing" and designed to "help a bunch of politicians."

Then, asked if his state should accept the money, he said of course it should: "You don't want to be crazy here."

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Michael Hiltzik's column appears Mondays and Thursdays. You can reach him at michael.hiltzik@latimes.com and read his columns at latimes.com/hiltzik.

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