Avoid hypocrisy: Don’t just talk it, walk it

Over the weekend, the state legislature held the longest session in state history, and still ended up without a budget. Monday was the deadline for legislators to come to an agreement, but one Republican held up the entire budget from being passed. Because of that Republican’s unwillingness to compromise, last Tuesday Gov. Schwarzenegger sent out 10,000 layoff notices to state employees in order to deal with California’s budget crisis. The layoffs are set to take effect July 1, at the start of the fiscal year.

On the same day that our governor sent out layoff notices, our president signed the stimulus package, and almost a third of that money will go to the states. I’m glad that the single Republican held up our budget from passing, because California should now look at its crisis very differently. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t still raise taxes and make some cuts to overcome shortfalls, but I think that K-12 education and higher education can at least be put back on the table as non-negotiable.

However, not all states with budget woes should be so accepting of funds from the stimulus package. Some states with governors, representatives and senators who railed against the bill should perhaps consider their hypocrisy if they accept the money. Since so many states have been in budget crises, I get the idea that during the past few weeks’ discussion over the stimulus package, many Republican legislators were methodically weighing the benefits of opposing the bill.

Politics is all about appearance and image. Republicans knew that if they voted no on the bill it would still pass as long as a few voted yes, and that in the end they would have the appearance of being the party judicious with citizens’ money. Republicans could not immediately go along with the idea of the stimulus package, even though their states desperately wanted the money, because it would be the final nail in the casket of their “limited government, low taxes” image.

I know that this is true because if they were opposed to the fundamental theory behind the stimulus package, they would reject the funds for their state. They would be the same conscientious objectors now, when the cash is being doled out, that they were when the funds were being decided. If Democrats have in fact proposed a communist bill, it is wrong for Republicans to support communism by taking the funds. Do me a favor, please, because I don’t want to live in a communist country.

If you truly believe, as some Libertarians and Republicans do, that paying taxes is the government stealing from you, then do not accept its benefits. Do not take a Pell Grant next year, because Pell Grants were doubled through the stimulus package. Let’s follow through with your argument and make it real in this world. Don’t just talk it, walk it. Many Republicans will find it hard to attend Cal Poly next year.

But Republicans will take the money to go to school, and state officials like Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-MN), who ardently opposed the stimulus package, will accept help from the federal government because his state is in crisis. His constituents, the people of his state, would be very angry with him if he refused the funds. Why? Because the money will help the people of his state.

If Democrats are communists for passing this bill and supporting it as I do, then Republicans are careless for letting the United States become a communist country. But I venture to guess that all states in America will accept the funds from the stimulus package, and thus the Republicans have been revealed as nothing but obstructionists. The majority of Republicans argued over this bill simply to start an argument and how can we, with a clear conscience, ever take them seriously again?

Stephanie England is an English junior and a Mustang Daily political columnist.