Shovel Ready? Oh. Never Mind.

The centerpiece of The One's economic "stimulus" program was financing for infrastructure improvement nationwide, the idea being that needed roads, bridges, and buildings would be built or repaired, creating jobs and boosting the economy. Many experts, including the Congressional Budget Office -- hardly a bastion of conservatism -- disputed The One's absurd claims of job creation and preservation, pointing out that much of the proposed spending would not happen until 2011 or later.

The One and his minions countered that there are many, many, many projects that are "shovel ready," needing only the cash to get things moving. This cash, they promised, would be funneled through the states and all would be rosy.

Not so fast. As it turns out here in the Enchanted Mitten, our governor has decided not to put the shovel in the ground and has cancelled 137 projects worth $740 million, on the grounds that Michigan does not have the cash.

So, where's the stimulus money? Why were these projects, presumably "shovel ready," scheduled in the first place if the money wasn't in hand? How much have we lost just getting these 137 projects to this stage?

I have a good idea -- let's shut down state government for 9 weeks, just like GM is being forced to do. That should save us roughly 9/52 or a little more than one-sixth the annual cost of state government, about $7.5 billion. Isn't that enough to address our cash flow problems?

Look, I know this is an overly simplistic approach, but isn't it better than leaving the entire machinery of government in place while the governor and her pals slap band-aids on our hemorrhaging economy?