Strickland’s Stimulus Plans
Monday, February 23rd, 2009 By Justin HigginsIf the stimulus money being dumped into the states was being used for one-time use infrastructure projects or to pay off the massive state debts that some states (like Ohio) seem to be racking up, that’d make a little more sense than the current idea. As of right now, it looks like Governors are going to invest the money into programs they won’t be able to sustain when the money dries up. Governor Strickland was on Face The Nation and outlined part of his “plan” for the stimulus money:
“We will use those resources to make sure that college tuition doesn’t explode, that we are going to invest in elementary and secondary education, to provide quality child care for our kids,” said Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland of Ohio, who said his state will receive about $8.2 billion. “We need these resources. And I’m very happy that the congress and the president is providing this resource to our states.”
How exactly do you invest in education with money that’s a one-time shot? If you expand programs, or make schools dependent upon this money for resources or salaries, aren’t you setting the state up for a future budget shortfall? What happens next year Governor?
