Apparently it's a lot easier to be "conservative" receiving money than to be a conservative spending it. Anyboody else notice the stark contrast between Republican Gov. Charlie Crist/Republican state lawmakers eager to have the $825-billion stimulus package passed to save their bacon, and many Republican Florida members of Congress railing against it despite how much help it would be to the state budget?

Interesting to see how this issue might play out in the Senate race.

"The only thing it's going to stimulate is the national debt...The obligation of people in public office is not only to worry about immediate future, but the long-term future as well," said Republican former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio of Miami, who"absolutely" would have opposed the bill had he been in Congress. "They're about to pour $800-billion down the drain."

Connie Mack IV is staunchly opposed as well, while Vern Buchanan is leaning against it. Attorney General Bill McCollum today wouldn't even weigh in on concept of a massive stimulus package, saying through a spokeswoman that he wanted to see a final product first.

Republicans aren’t the only members of Congress with concerns about the long-term impact on the federal deficit or where the money is going. U.S. Rep. Allen Boyd, a North Florida Democrat, said it’s not fair for the state legislators to look to Washingtonto rescue them: "The Florida Legislature, led by Republicans, has been reducing revenues in the last several years, and now they’re coming to us to fund their state programs," said Boyd.