House reverses latest reversal, passes stimulus spending bill

It's getting hard to keep track of the (still) fluid fiscal philosophy of the Missouri House. Nothing changed in Budget Chair Allen Icet's bill since last Thursday, but four days and a little constituent contact turned a 68-82 defeat into an easy 117-42 passage: 

Lawmakers voted 117 to 42 to use more than $335 million in federal stimulus funds for several projects throughout the state. They rejected the exact same legislation last Thursday, arguing that it represented pork-barrel spending that the state could not afford.

Government spending is no longer the World's Greatest Evil. Spread the word.