Reset 2010: Who gets it?

The Seattle Times editorial page's Reset 2010 project examines how to set a new path for our communities, the state and the nation in the face of daunting economic challenges. This space highlights who gets it — and who doesn't.

Politico reported there was some griping about the federal government at the National Governors Association in Boston. It appears some Democrat governors aren't pleased by the results stimulus funds have had in their states.

GETS IT: Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter said that stimulus expectations were too high. "They may have oversold the job creation part of it," he said. "They're (citizens) not satisfied with the pace of job recovery that they expected when the recovery act was passed. Whether the president of the United States inherited this situation or not, he's now owning it. For the federal government, this administration and the Congress to have not delivered [jobs] more quickly has become the problem."

DOESN'T GET IT: Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, who believes the federal government needs to keep running a deficit to get out of the recession. "I'm disappointed in Washington," he said. "We can't have Herbert Hoover economics coming out of some of the members of Congress. They don't understand how you fight a recession. The federal government has to run a deficit in recessionary times because we've got to get out of the ditch."