To counteract the inevitable negative effects of this deep economic recession, Hawai'i must carefully consider how best to allocate its funds to make financial survival easier and less painful.

Stimulus funds given to the state should be used to stimulate the economy — creating jobs and wealth down the line.

However, there is a risk that stimulus money will be used to expand entitlement spending. Doing so would create a long-term burden for Hawai'i's taxpayers to bear in years to come.

Certainly, some programs are essential for Hawai'i's citizens to survive a recession. For example, unemployment insurance might be expanded to help citizens cope with job losses due to corporate downsizing. However, nonessential programs — despite noble intentions — must not be expanded to unsustainable levels. In the long run, across-the-board expansion of government programs will only hurt us, possibly making the recession more difficult to recover from.

Hawai'i must remember that even with Sen. Daniel Inouye as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, easy federal money doesn't last forever. When that money stops coming, how will we pay for expanded entitlement programs?

Failure to predict the consequences of state spending will result in disaster for Hawai'i's government and taxpayers.

Reach Graham Hawes at (Unknown address).