Very little of what Gov. Ed Rendell does or say gets past the editorial board of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

The newspaper took exception to a comment Rendell made last week equating increased food stamp usage as an indirect economic stimulus.

From the editorial:

Where does one begin with such mental midgetry? Jake Haulk, president of the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy, begins with a highly technical economics term -- "goofy."

Aside from urging taxpayer teat suckling among those perhaps not truly in need, aside from urging spendthriftiness and dependence over frugality and independence, it also requires the government "to spend money that it will first have to borrow," reminds Dr. Haulk, a Ph.D economist.

"If Rendell wants to help folks, he should be pressing for government spending reductions in Harrisburg and leading the charge for lower taxes at every level of government," Haulk says. "Letting people keep more of their own money allows them to create stimulus in ways they see fit."

Read the full editorial, "Preschool economics: 'Goofy' Eddie," at the newspaper's Web site.