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December 14, 2010

Never Trust A Christmas Present From Washington

The feds thought they had a deal -- they were going to dig the hole deeper by writing big fat checks -- gateway drugs, really -- to Wisconsin and Ohio, so that they could REALLY go bankrupt on new and unnecessary rail projects.

But then came the election, and the new governors of Wisconsin and Ohio nicely said "No thank you, we'd rather keep our states out of debtors' prison, if you don't mind" -- or something to that effect.

What's a federal drug pusher -- I mean, federal government -- to do???

Never fear, Illinois' own Pat Quinn was there to save the day, tin cup outstretched...

John F. Di Leo offers his thoughts on the subject in today's Illinois Review.

Never Trust A Christmas Present From Washington
When federal gift-giving goes off the rails...

Incoming governors of Wisconsin and Ohio, Scott Walker and John Kasich, have announced that they'll be rejecting federal funds for new rail projects in their states. The federal government could leave that money unspent; saving the taxpayers untold millions, but this administration doesn't believe in fiscal responsibility.

So they went looking around for someone willing to take the money, and Governor Pat Quinn stuck Illinois' hand out as far as it could reach, happy to accept such a generous gift this Christmas season on behalf of his panhandling state.

But why did Wisconsin and Ohio turn it down? Surely they could use money too. They send plenty of cash to Washington; they'd certainly like some of it back. Are these newly elected governors stubbornly refusing money their constituents need? Or do the badgers and buckeyes know something that their neighbors in Illinois do not?

As John goes on to point out, federal money comes with added mandates, added burdens, and added costs, for states already deep in debt with no relief in sight. Rather than a single generous gift, as it is presented by local media and grasping pols, the federal government's check, no matter how high the amount, is an irrevocable step through a doorway leading to yet another world of significant additional strain on the state's taxpayers ... a fact that Wisconsin and Ohio governors are well aware of, but Illinois Illinois' own Pat Quinn seems oblivious to.

Posted by Richard at December 14, 2010 8:00 AM

• Never Trust A Christmas Present From Washington - Dec 14, 2010