Now that the alleged Senate centrists have worked their magic, stripping aid for states from the stimulus, there brews a fight between the House, which insists on the aid, and the Senate, which says it’s too expensive. It seems to me that there is an obvious compromise here:
All those Senators who think that the stimulus is too expensive should not receive federal aid for their states.
If you really are a fiscal conservative, then this should be great for you. You can say that you voted to cut spending! Besides, as we know from all of you, state budgets are “bloated,” and it’s important not to spend too much, you understand.
Besides, isn’t this the way federalism is supposed to work? Some states want to be tough-minded fiscal conservatives, and others are liberal softies. Can’t we all get along?
What’s that you say? That it wouldn’t be fair, because some states subsidize others? That’s true, I know, but I don’t think that that argument does what you think it does. It’s not a problem: just look at the numbers.
Now that’s a compromise. I don’t know why they didn’t think of this already.
