Gettin’ in the Hope line

The Wall Street Journal’s Washington Wire writes that it’s not just banks and auto manufacturers queuing up for bailouts. It seems the mayors sense chum in the water, too;

Miami Mayor Manuel Diaz, president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, says mayors are “excited” to hear President-elect Barack Obama talk about economic stimulus for Main Street America.

Obama’s focus on job creation falls in line with what mayors around the country are suggesting in a plan they have developed, he said in an interview Monday after speaking at the National Press Club in Washington.

The mayors’ nearly $90 billion proposal, called MainStreet Stimulus, combines parts of proposals discussed in both the House and Senate; it would fund community development block grants and energy block grants for infrastructure and green jobs. The largest portion of the mayors’ plan, totaling $32 billion, would be used for highway construction and improvements.

Get that? Mayors are “excited” that someone wants to relieve them from their poor management of their city governments and pass along some free money – from the tax payers. I love Miami, but I spend enough money there every year to pay for what I use. Why should I have my Federal dollars sent to Manny Diaz? If city projects are needed in Miami, why isn’t the city government raising taxes on Miami residents to pay for their local deficiencies?

Category: Politics