It's So Easy Being a Fiscal Conservative When You Get to Pretend!

Republican Bob McDonnell, true fiscal conservative

At the beginning of the last fiscal year, Virginia found itself in familiar territory, a huge $1.8 billion deficit. Like most states, Virginia had to tighten its belt. Republican Governor Bob McDonnell ordered cuts to social services and flagged general fund spending to 2006 levels.  Unlike most states, however, Virginia was able to produce somewhat of a surplus by the end of the fiscal year totaling over $403 million.  The moral of the story, as we all know, is that conservative values were put in place leading the state to bountiful monetary policy.  Gov. McDonnell even went on Fox News to proclaim that his state was a model for the federal government because of his “fiscal prudence and conservative budgeting."  This is great news!!

Just one thing to add:  The Commonwealth of Virginia received $2.5 billion in federal stimulus money to help patch the holes and recover from the recession.

So while Mr. McDonnell went around his state saying the president's stimulus plan was a waste of money and would do nothing to help the economy, even at one point refusing to accept the funds, he took billions of them and used it to balance his budget and create a partial surplus.  You think he would at least acknowledge the role the stimulus funds played at helping his state.  Of course he didn't.  Why would he when he instead gets to pretend that his bona fide fiscal conservatism rescued his state and that the federal government is still suffering from the recession hangover because it is not being run by a Republican.  Why would he own up when it's so easy to pretend none of it ever happened?

*Update:

Minority Leader Mitch McConnell can't figure out when tax cuts became something that should have to be paid for.  In their world, you get to create surpluses with federal stimulus money and cut taxes without paying for them and get to be labeled a fiscal conservative.  It's like paying for gas with your daddy's credit card.  You have no clue the actual costs of anything.  All you know is that when you swipe it, it all gets taken care of.  How dare someone suggest to Mitch McConnell that it has to be paid for.