LSU Daily Reveille: "Our View: Jindal must accept federal bailout money to aid economy"

Times are difficult, and the path America finds itself on is treacherous. So we should tread with a steady step.

When the money from the stimulus package is handed out, 50 governors are going to have to make a choice: Take the money and be indebted to the federal government, or plow through the economic recession without aid.

The answer — at least for Louisiana — is to take the money.

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour has heavily opposed the stimulus package and is now rumored to be considering rejecting it for his state.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal will be facing a similar choice in the upcoming weeks.

Without question, Jindal finds himself in a tricky spot. A life raft, regardless of source, seems impossible to pass up in times as difficult as these.

The stimulus package will contain money the state needs to back higher education, something that affects all college students — and even high school upperclassmen — right now. The package could reportedly bring $2.5 billion to Louisiana during the next two years to help offset proposed budget cuts.

That’s money the state simply should not turn down.

But let Jindal remember and consider the classic economic saying, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch.”

We urge Jindal to heavily consider all potential consequences of accepting the stimulus package. It is easy to be short-sighted and rash in tumultuous times.

The recession has been with us for a while now. A few more weeks of consideration will do nothing more than ensure the right decision.

But, as it looks now, Jindal has no choice but to accept the bailout money.

http://www.lsureveille.com/opinion/our_view_jindal_must_accept_federal_bailout_money_to_aid_economy-1.1370320

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Contact the Editorial Board at editor@lsureveille.com