The Club for Governors With Guts

Has only one member:
South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford doesn't believe a federal deadline looms for him to seek $700 million in stimulus money for struggling schools, according to his spokesman, and his critics said Tuesday they're worried the money will disappear.

(...)

"No one anticipated we'd be the only state out of 50 going through this kind of litigation because of the governor's position," he said.

Senate President Glenn McConnell said the federal court case could leave the state missing the deadline and losing the money.

"That's exactly what he's doing," said McConnell, R-Charleston. "By taking it up in federal court, he makes sure there is no money."

South Carolina would get $2.8 billion in federal cash for programs and projects during the next two years. Sanford controls about $700 million of that and won't request that unless it can be used to offset state debt. The White House twice rejected that idea.(link)
Some in South Carolina are anxiously trying to discredit a Governor willing to put everything on the line to try to prevent one of the largest socialist experiments in the last 30 years claiming he's only doing it to become President:
Sanford, chairman of the Republican Governors Association, has raised his political profile and been mentioned as a possible 2012 presidential candidate since he's started protesting the stimulus money. McConnell contends it's coming at the expense of the state.

"He gets the headlines and we make no headway," McConnell said.

This of course suggests that Governor Sandford's protest has been popular.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Governments around the world have been passing "stimulus" packages since late last year. In some cases reluctantly, like in Canada's case, where the governing Conservatives only passed a stimulus budget after having a near death experience with the opposition.

I don't know about the US, but in Canada polls have consistently shown that Canadians agreed with the stimulus.

Sandford's stand will not win him any votes for propective Presidential bid.

It will, however, make him stand out in history as a sane voice in a sea of panic and desperation. Years from now people will wonder just how we could have let politicians spend so much money so quickly for so little return and with so little justification.

Money Grows On Trees

...At least it apparently does according to the Fiberal Party of Canada:
Liberal Member of Parliament Mike Savage told CBC television that premiums would not have to rise, since general tax revenues could be used.

"If more money was needed, it would come out of general revenues," he said. The Conservatives have criticized this idea as violating the concept of the EI program as self-financing.(link)

I wonder what the definition of "general revenues" is to Mr Savage?

To me it means tax payers money. Money which must come from somewhere.

Gee... I wonder where that money will come from? More debt maybe? Or how 'bout some tax increases...

That Old Time Reffffoooorrrrmmmm!!!!

I count five times the word "Reform" is used in this piece on the EI standoff in Ottawa. The last time I heard the Canadian Left make that line of attack was back when Jean Chretien was still around strangling protesters - A Liberal who made a living stealing Reform Party policies believe it or not.
"He's slipping back to that old Reform Party view of the unemployed, that people would rather sit at home receiving a cheque - as paltry as it is - rather than work," Mr. Layton said.

(...)

"People have moved on from that Reform view of things that says that EI is too generous or too lucrative. I think Canadians understand that people who are on EI need EI..."

Unfortunately it's all true. Economists have known for a while that a portion of Canada's unemployment is "structural unemployment" - a component of which comes from some people who are unemployed because Canada's generous welfare state makes it more advantageous for them to be.

It's just an economic fact. Canada's labour market has it, and the only way to get rid of it would be to do things like reducing EI benefits - which is about as likely to happen as Stephane Dion becoming Prime Minister.

So here Iggy Puff and the Dippers come along and suggest making Canada's already overly generous welfare state even more generous.

Harper is right: "absurdity" is the word to use in response.

This will tick off Obama Supporters...

Yes I am a "V" nut. "V" was an 80s scifi mini-series about alien visitors who come to earth claiming pure motives and peaceful intentions. They're actually hideous reptilians hiding their true motives... The whole story was an allegory to Nazism and the Soviets.

I was first worried when I heard they were doing a "V" remake. Remakes have a good and bad history in TV land. Having watched the trailer it appears as if this new remake of the old 80's "V" scifi series is not going to disappoint by the looks of it:


h/t Curmudgeons

Some awful subtle references to Obama there eh?

Political Math...

This guy is brilliant:


h/t Jimmy Akin

Ruby the Liar? Part II

Things just keep on getting better for Ruby:
"I wanted to clarify my position in relation to the statement made by Ms Dhalla during the inquiry. The letter she presented in the inquiry that was signed by me, but not written by me. It was prepared by the office of Ms Dhalla.
(...)
However, when I signed the letter, I was unaware of the seriousness of the allegations of abuse. I was feeling sick at that time and was not properly informed. I was misled by not being provided with sufficient information to make an appropriate decision."(link)

The credibility of Ruby is just going down the tubes at this point.

Ruby the liar?

Ruby Dhalla exposed:

"Embattled Liberal MP Ruby Dhalla has stepped down from her post as the Liberal Party's youth and multiculturalism critic over allegations she mistreated foreign caregivers and paid them under the table."
(...)
"...the two nannies were allegedly forced to work in Ms. Dhalla's home up to 16 hours a day, five days a week, for just $1.56 an hour - well below the province's minimum wage of $9.50 an hour. "(link)

Ruby Dhalla the Liar?:

"It is a shame that this budget does nothing about raising the minimum wage, about creating a better plan for child care in this nation, or helping the most vulnerable."(link)

"That is why we support today's motion for creating a national anti-poverty strategy and for ensuring that as the federal government there is an opportunity to increase the minimum wage to $10."(link)