PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - Governors of five U.S. states urged the federal government to provide $1 trillion in aid to the country's 50 states to help pay for education, welfare and infrastructure as states struggle with steep budget deficits amid a deepening recession.

The governors of New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Ohio and Wisconsin -- all Democrats -- said the initiative for the two-year aid package was backed by other governors and follows a meeting in December where governors called on President-elect Barack Obama to help them maintain services in the face of slumping revenues.

(Remember when they were saying, "That's B-illion, not million!"? Well pay attention, folks, because now it's TR-illion, not billion.)

Okay, help me understand this. I happen to live in one of nine states that are currently operating "in the black." Since the other 41 can't seem to keep out of the red (and politically speaking dare not raise their state taxes enough to cover their own expenditures), five of the most brazen of their governors want the FEDERAL government to come up with the money. In other words, say these governors, we can't tell our people we're raising their taxes enough to cover the free college tuition and health care for illegal aliens, so YOU raise the federal income tax enough to cover it. That way, not only do we not have to fight with our own state constituents, we can spread the cost out over those OTHER states who have so obviously and unfairly denied their people (and their illegal "visitors") needed services and therefore are not running deficits.

Hey. I say, what's another trillion. Congress has deep pockets, right?

U.S. governors seek $1 trillion federal assistance

Labels: Money, Political Observation, Theater of the Absurd