C-Span Shows Horror Movie
It’s already happening. Yesterday the Senate held hearings on the auto bailout. Go to about the one hour twenty minute point, and you’ll see a bipartisan parade of Senators demonstrating their reluctance to run a car company. You can see Herb Kohl (D-WI) snarl about the closing of a factory in his state, and Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R-TX) repeat the question that pretty much every Senator asked – how can you close the following profitable dealers (i.e., significant campaign contributors) in my state? On this topic, you’ll get treated to Senator Robert Bennett (R-UT) explaining how the restructuring plan will leave “no Chrysler dealers between Provo and Las Vegas”.
At one level, their logic is impeccable. The taxpayers have invested $50 billion to purchase majority ownership of GM for at least partially public purposes, so they are doing what legislators do: fight for their slice of the cake. But it’s a heck of a way to run a railroad.
It’s only a matter of time before Senate staff starts answering constituent calls from folks complaining that the mechanic at their GMC dealer screwed up their transmission.
— Conor Friedersdorf · Jun 11, 05:18 PM · #
What’s interesting is that this is no different from how all government expenditure works. It’s also why the most sane, painless and logical method of reducing the deficit— dramatically lowering the defense budget— will never pass.
Incidentally, nobody likes earmarks, but what you say at the end there is why earmarks exist. People contribute money to government and expect their share.
— Freddie · Jun 11, 05:21 PM · #