Selective memory

As noted by Matt Yglesias, this story in The Moultrie Observer has what I find to be a curious prescription to the ongoing recession.

Saxby Chambliss wants to return to the commitment of the 1994 Republican Revolution and balance the federal budget, which is something I'm not necessarily opposed to. Of course, he ticks that off as something to cope with the current financial crisis.

The only way to achieve this balanced budget, of course, is by massive cuts to existing public programs (which folks depend on more readily during times of economic peril) and by increasing taxes in some areas (again, not good medicine in a bad economy).

To underline this sudden need for fiscal responsibility - something Chambliss willingly ignored during his previous six years in Congress - he's skeptical of another round of economic stimulus checks because he's worried about the deficit.

Of course, such long-term fiscal concerns didn't crop up a few weeks ago when he fully backed a $700 billion bailout package.