It’s our sincere hope that the folks in DC confer closely with the leaders in the states on all of this stimulus.  With all of this free money coming out of Washington, it’ll be hard for states to tell the difference between things they actually need vs. things they just want.  But they’ve got to do just that.  Think about the future, and not just about today.   From the Wall Street Journal:

State and local governments would benefit from more than $160 billion in federal aid under a plan pushed by House Democratic leaders in negotiations over the economic-recovery package taking shape on Capitol Hill.

The House has taken the lead on the issue in closed-door discussions on the broader recovery package, which is sought by President-elect Barack Obama and is expected to have an overall price tag approaching $800 billion. Individuals familiar with the proposed state assistance said the broad outlines are likely to be accepted by the Senate, which is working on a plan of similar scope, as well as the incoming Obama administration.

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