In this week’s National Journal poll of leading political bloggers, 76% of Left-leaning bloggers and 100% on the Right are either “somewhat concerned” or “very concerned” that federal stimulus money will go to people who don’t deserve it. I was among the very concerned: “Taking money from responsible and prudent homebuyers and renters and giving the money to reckless borrowers and lenders will promote more irresponsible borrowing and lending in the long run.”
On the question of whether another stimulus will be necessary later this year, 88% ofthe Left and 40% of the Right thought so. I thought not: “Since the first package was not ‘necessary’ but will likely be inflationary and economically harmful, it is unlikely that a second round of even more debt could be necessary.”
Earlier this week, National Journal published an annotated version of the President’s State of the Union speech. Various portions of the text are marked to show where they relate to a campaign promise, mark a break with the Bush administration, etc. There is also highlighting for the reaction of pundits, bloggers, and experts to particular items in the text. I comment on the line: “And we will expand our commitment to charter schools.” My view: “Constitutionally, Congress and the president have no business trying to manage local public schools. But as long as the federal government is involved, promoting charter schools is an excellent way to improve public education. More diversity, more choice, more accountability. A win-win-win.”