Hating the Federal stimulus and desperate for the help

This item popped up on my news junky radar screen today, in The State, a South Carolina newspaper.

Gov. Mark Sanford flew to Washington on Thursday to tell the Obama administration that South Carolina wants $300 million in federal stimulus money.

Sanford, who spent much of last year fighting parts of the Obama administration’s stimulus plan, now wants S.C. to have a piece of $4 billion in “Race to the Top” education money.

Story after story the last few weeks has highlighted conservative politicians blasting the Democratic stimulus plan, while also maneuvering aggressively to hoover up as much of the money as possible.

Meanwhile, Governor David Paterson announced that New York state needs at least another $1 billion in emergency stimulus aid in the coming year to keep schools, prisons and other essential services operating.

“Fiscal relief for State governments dealing with substantial budget deficits is a critical component of President Obama’s economic and financial recovery agenda,” Governor Paterson said. “I urge Congress and the New York delegation to swiftly enact this proposal and help prevent what would be even deeper cuts to vital public services at the local level.”

The stimulus and its impacts on the economy have been hotly debated, condemned, excoriated.

But it’s interesting how many elected officials across the political spectrum keep looking to it as an economic lifeline.