Because state taxpayers can't afford it

Federal taxpayers will have to chip in:

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - Governors of five U.S. states urged the federal government to provide $1 trillion in aid to the country's 50 states to help pay for education, welfare and infrastructure as states struggle with steep budget deficits amid a deepening recession.

It may be meaningful that all five governors are Democrats, or it may just be one of those weird coincidences that turn up now and then*. Either way, it seems likely that unless Helicopter Ben can add a few more zeroes to the printing presses** we are going to have significantly less state government over the next 5 or so years than politicians believe. Not that I'm complaining, you understand.

But there was one rather interesting item buried in the week-late Santa list, right after squillions for new roads and paying people not to work:

The remainder would be used to fund middle-class tax cuts...

If it seems a little odd that the Federal government is being asked to cough up money so state taxpayers can pay even less for all the government they are apparently demanding, well then I guess you just don't understand the stresses to the middle-class family budget that state taxes represent.

Federal taxpayers, on the other hand, are on their own.

* like the fact that, thanks to Karl Rove's "permanent majority" stragedy, GOP governors are becoming an endangered species.

** Certainly you don't think there's another trillion out there just waiting to be borrowed at zero percent interest rates?