The XX Factor: What women really think.

Wake up, Mr. Summers!

I'll be the first to admit that I can't turn down free stuff. It's an impulse that defies logic. I hate key chains, and I don't really like ice cream, but I still find myself grabbing the tacky keychain at the convention booth because it's free and I religiously wait 45 minutes every Earth Day in line at Ben and Jerry's on free cone day. Something about those four letters messes with my brain.
 
Thankfully, there are people out there with more will power. Today, the gorgeous and brilliant Dambisa Moyo is arguing that the temptation to accept what's free at the expense of what's best is wreaking havoc in Africa. In her book Dead Aid she argues that one of the best things that could happen for the continent is for leaders to start defying the impulse to accept free aid from the likes of Bono and the U.S. government. In her fabulous interview with the NYT she gives a Capitalism 101 lesson that should be required reading for celebrities and congressmen who might have slept through economics class. (Or if you are Lawrence Summers, Obama's head of the National Economic Council, that would be sleeping through last week's "Fiscal Sustainability Summit." He literally was asleep on the podium.)

A handful of Republican Governors are also resisting temptation. Govs. Rick Perry of Texas, Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, Haley Barbour of Mississippi and Sarah Palin of Alaska are refusing—or at least talking about refusing—to take some of the free money from Obama's massive stimulus bill. They're essentially echoing Moyo, arguing that the money will only leave them dependent down the road. In this moment when corporations are asking for handouts on the order of billions, this level of restraint should count as saintly.