OUTRAGEOUS: Nevada's governor may reject federal stimulus money

Jim Gibbons, worst governor in America, has joined the idiotic chorus of Republican governors who are talking about not accepting some of the dollars allocated to their states as part of the federal stimulus package that just passed. One pool of money he might reject: dollars for extending unemployment benefits. And that in a state with unemployment over 9% and rising! In a state that already has a very low per resident share of the overall stimulus package:

In total stimulus funds, the state [of Nevada] has a per capita rank of 50th out of 51 (that's 50 states plus Washington, D.C.); in education funding, it's 51st; in transportation, it's 48th; and in Medicaid funds, it's 47th.

From the Las Vegas Sun:

Gov. Jim Gibbons sent a letter to President Barack Obama today notifying him that Nevada might reject part of the federal stimulus package.

Governors have a 45-day window, beginning Feb. 17, to claim funds allocated to the states. In his certification letter today, Gibbons said he is a believer in smaller government and has concerns about the size of the stimulus package.

"With these concerns in mind, I would like to also provide notification that there may be portions of the stimulus package that Nevada will reject, due to the constraints and current matching or future funding expectations that the funding would require," Gibbons wrote.

You can share a piece of your mind with this dope by email here or by calling (775) 684-5670 or (702) 486-2500.

Simply outrageous.

UPDATE

You can read the letter that Gibbons wrote to Obama here. I just did, and I will agree with him on one point: Nevada isn't getting its fair share of the stimulus money. The state has been really hard hit by the downturn, and Gibbons makes the case that we are sending more money to Washington than we are getting back. I don't know if he is correct on that, but I wouldn't be surprised.