Brookings County Doubles Gopher Bounty -- Puts Bang in Economic Stimulus?

Brookings County may have just hit on the best economic stimulus idea ever: give people money to shoot varmints! Beset with gophers digging up all of the good green earth, the Brookings County Commission has doubled the bounty it offers for gophers from $1 to $2.

I can hear the gunfire now. For $2 a head (or tail, or whatever's left after you pop the little critter with your .22), I'd happily join the gopher hunt. Heck, we poison and shoot gophers on our well-ventilated land for free: we'd be rich if Lake County offered such critter cash.

Now think how perfect this plan is for economic stimulus. Americans love shooting stuff. They've been buying guns hand over pistol grip since Obama's election. There's synergy to be had here! Why not spend public stimulus dollars to reward Americans for using those guns to actually serve the public good by eradicating varmints? And we all know target practice on a live opponent is much more rewarding than tin cans or clay pigeons.

Fewer gopher holes, better aim, and more money for consumer spending: heck of a deal! Kudos to Brookings County for finally figuring out the way to put the bang in the stimulus buck. Happy shooting!