ritter-bill3Governor Bill Ritter rolled up his sleeves over the weekend Washington, D.C., helping fellow Democrats combat the negative publicity for President Barack Obama’s $787 billion stimulus, while a handful of Republican governors protested by refusing to take their share, according to 9News, which quotes Ritter as saying, “The reality is, states need help.”

Ritter may as well have also said Colorado needs more help than it seems to be getting. As it turns out, the state will get a mere $7.89 billion, according to the Rocky Mountain News, making us 49th in terms of per capita spending and tax savings. Utah is at the bottom of the list, and Alaska will get the most. A spokesman for Ritter says the low ranking could be a result of Colorado’s comparatively good economic health, but adds that Ritter will now ask questions “to ensure that Colorado is receiving its fair share.”

But the ink on the biggest stimulus package in American history is dry, the Denver Business Journal notes, and many businesses “stand ready to seize whatever opportunities” they may.

Meanwhile, The New York Times writes that the partisan nature of the stimulus signing in Denver last week represented the disappearance of a grand American tradition: “the loyal opposition.”