Stimulus and tea

Chip Thompson, editor of the Red Bluff Daily News, noticed the irony of one of our local politicians taking part in an anti-tax-and-spending "tea party" on the day that $109 million in stimulus funds was devoted to replacing the Red Bluff Diversion Dam.

In his weekly column, he writes:

Head scratcher of the week:

Talking to Assemblyman Jim Nielsen Wednesday, I was able to break the news to him about the $109 million in stimulus money that had been dedicated to the pumping plant in Red Bluff to fill canals for farms. He was delighted.

It's going to benefit communities like ours, Nielsen said.

Only problem?

Nielsen was in his car on the way to Redding to participate in a Tea Party protest of the stimulus package.

To be fair, while he did praise the pumping project, he said he had deep concerns about the amount of money included in the stimulus overall. Eventually, the bill will come.

(Chip also says a few words about the aforementioned Tehama Today publication.)

I just have to wonder if somebody didn't plan this big tax-day giveaway on purpose, to blunt the impact of the protest. Somebody in the White House.