Congress Fiddles While States Burn

clipped from www.cnn.com Plagued by record budget deficits and massive job losses, local and state officials are looking to the federal government for immediate help. It sounds like an obvious statement given the daily onslaught of bad news coming from Wall Street. But as the U.S. Senate debates the nearly $900 billion economic stimulus package before it this week, time is slipping away, and help can't come soon enough for politicians desperately trying to help their constituents. Their message to Congress: Stop the partisan bickering and show us the money. "Time is of the essence ... we have to get the money out as quickly as we can," said Republican Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas during a meeting with President Obama in the Oval Office on Monday. "I think we need to find some common ground. We need to pass a bill that works."

"States are facing fiscal conditions not seen since the Great Depression -- anticipated budget shortfalls are expected in excess of $200 billion. To address these shortfalls and meet balanced budget requirements, states have begun taking action to cut government services or increase revenue. Absent federal action, states will have to take even stronger actions that will make the recession more severe and slow the nation's economic recovery," the Governors' Association said in a press release.

Meanwhile, Republican senators -- who don't have to live in the real world -- are considering a filibuster.

Brilliant... Can we change the name of the Republican party to the Hoover party?