Red States Have Red Books:

Harold Meyerson makes the argument that the Republican states should put their money where their mouths are. The ten states causing the biggest drain on the national budget are all Republican strongholds: New Mexico, Mississippi, Alaska, Louisiana, West Virginia, North Dakota, Alabama, South Dakota, Kentucky and Virginia.

These states receive far more in federal tax moneys than they pay in. Naturally, they're the ones demanding a balanced budget. Go figure.

Hint: The little boy crying wolf ain't playing a joke. He's trying to distract you from the fact that he's got his hand in the cookie jar.