New Rule: If you say you oppose all of the federal stimulus on principle...

by: Michael Bersin

Thu Oct 07, 2010 at 13:22:43 PM CDT

With apologies to Bill Maher.

The sign marking a highway improvement project on U.S. Highway 50 in Lone Jack, Missouri, west of Warrensburg, Missouri.

There's another highway construction project - a bypass for Highway 13 - going on immediately east of Warrensburg.

So, for Representative Denny Hoskins (r-noun, verb, CPA) and those teabaggers really upset at the film festival, why haven't you been making noise about these projects? Just asking.

We haven't seen any letters to the editor or protest signs about local highway construction stimulus projects.

There was another editorial about the film festival in yesterday's Warrensburg Daily Star-Journal:

10/6/2010 2:03:00 PM
Lesson from film fest made difficult to find
EDITORIAL
Jack Miles
Editor

What is the lesson that the Missouri Valley Community Action Agency should take away from the Show Me International Justice Film Festival?

• That agency staff should have said, before doing so, how they would spend federal money?

No. They did that in their application to the Department of Social Services.

• That the agency should check first with area lawmakers about how to spend money?

If so, should all agencies seek direct legislative oversight for all spending? Or only when spending might be controversial? And how would they know, in advance, what is controversial?

• That the agency should spend money in a way guaranteed to help the poor?

In fact, Missouri Valley hoped to spend money to put people to work, which happened; to spend money to support businesses that put people to work, which happened; and to start a festival that would continue for years to come to aid the economy, which may or may not happen. But there are no guarantees. Most businesses fail in their first year and government programs have flaws.

Perhaps there is no lesson, other than to accept the wisdom that comes from trial and error.

"...If so, should all agencies seek direct legislative oversight for all spending? Or only when spending might be controversial? And how would they know, in advance, what is controversial?..."

Silly, it's all about posturing for the benefit of the noisy lunatic fringe in an election year.

Previously:

The show must go on (September 10, 2010)

Rep. Denny Hoskins (r) and Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder (r): The review is in - two thumbs down (September 14, 2010)

Veto Session Reviews for Rep. Denny Hoskins (r): great potental for a Razzie (September 15, 2010)

Rep. Denny Hoskins (r) and the Film Festival: because the arts never generate economic activity? (September 17, 2010)

Rep. Denny Hoskins (r) and the Film Festival: demagoguery, not oversight (September 18, 2010)

Rep. Denny Hoskins (r) and the Film Festival: that was then, this is now (September 20, 2010)

Rep. Denny Hoskins (r) and the Film Festival: no one knew about it... (September 21, 2010)

A short film about a film festival... (September 22, 2010)

Ky Dickens, the film festival, the Chicago Reader, and teabaggers (September 23, 2010)

We get film festival hate mail (September 28, 2010)

Rep. Denny Hoskins (r) and the Film Festival: that was then, this is now - part 2 (September 28, 2010)

Rep. Denny Hoskins (r) and the Film Festival: what the teabaggers say (October 4, 2010)