TheAgitator.com
We Must March Blindly Forward!
Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008Heard Michigan Sen. Carl Levin on NPR this morning. He was defending a bailout for the big three automakers, who have until today to send Congress their awesomest business plan yet. Levin mocked those of us opposed to the $55 billion bailout, and said he was certain the automakers would use the money responsibly, and quickly get back to profitability.
Here’s the odd thing: At the very beginning of the interview, he conceded that he hadn’t yet even read the new plans. Yet he’s certain that this time, sight unseen, the perpetually failing companies will make it all work.
Seems that only the least competent among us (or possibly the most depraved) seek public office. That they squander what little of our wealth is left to impose more state control of the formerly free-market shouldn’t be a surprise…..
Someone else pointed out (can’t remember who) that Michigan is a culturally conservative kind of place and that the failure to get a bailout from the Dems would likely turn it to a red state for a long time to come. It’s hard to argue that something other than union loyalty keeps it a blue state. For this reason, it’s hard to imagine them NOT getting a bailout. I think the first “hard time” they gave the CEOs in DC was a.) to look tough on the “fat cats” and b.) to potentially delay the bailout enough to deny Bush credit for it.
Sad, but this bailout is likely.
I’ve lived in Michigan for a long time, and seeing Levin’s name on ballots over and over is incredibly discouraging. This is how he rolls! As long as it costs a lot and is at the federal level, he’s pretty much in favor of it. He’s never been much for common sense, responsibility or good governance. He’s as much of a blight on this state as Kwame Brown, but he’s been smart enough not to get caught up in dumb scandals.
Of course, if any elected official from Michigan ever came out against the bailout, or criticized the UAW, they would be thrown out of office. Its about as likely as a Utah Senator having a strongly anti-Mormon position.
Do you really believe anyone actually reads any of these bills anymore? They don’t even really govern anymore. They spend so much time fundraising to get re-elected. They don’t actually do their jobs. Those omnibus spending bills should be eliminated. They allow way too much junk to get added to the budget because you can’t pick and choose out the bad parts.
Also as further proof, there was a minor scandal (it really should have been a huge scandal) of the orphan earmark. The one that wasn’t in the voted upon bill, but somehow made it into the bill that was signed into law by the president.
It quietly went away when it was most definitely an illegal act by someone.
Dear Bailout Recipient Executives Who Are Even Thinking Of Giving Themselves Christmas Bonuses,
Fuck you.
Signed,
Every Tax Payer Who Worked Their Ass Off To Ensure Your Continued Employment
I’d facepalm, but fear incurring brain damage from the recent increased frequency and force of my facepalms.
On the upside, it appears such brain damage would make me eligible for public office.
Wait… that’s not much of an upside, is it?
@HTownTejas
No the least competent run auto companies. The second least competent run for Office.
I see interviews with the head of GM and I wonder what fantasy world he lives in and where I might buy a ticket for a pegasus to fly there…
I’ve read roughly 1,000 “business plans” and for the life of me cannot comprehend how anyone in Congress has the ability to critically review even a simple one (goals, metrics, mid-point milestones, revision process, penalties, etc…). I mean if they were even decent in business, they wouldn’t have gone into politics (IMHO). NOW how the heck are they going to manage to a business plan from three different multi-billion dollar corporations?
#1: Let’s not forget that the big 3’s solvency isn’t simply dependent on “injection of funds + time = profitable return”.
#2: Asking for a “business plan” that no one in Congress is qualified to review or manage to means this is just grandstanding and not worth the paper it’ll be printed on.
#3: Not quite “anti-dog-eat-dog”. More like “anti-darwinism”. Maybe they’ll grant monopolies to the government-backed companies and outlaw horses and bikes.
Let these bad companies go under where their real assets will be acquired by actually well-run companies and everyone will be better off.
All this being said, I would LOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE to get a copy of this business plan they submit. Or, the hundreds of revisions they will submit that gradually peck away at any and all performance criteria.
So, we’ve yet to have even one good idea from the US Government this century. Nice.
“When you’re tapped out and can’t get the people in the business of loaning money to loan you money, you have only two options: family and the government.” — Boyd Durkin
I could barely contain myself when I heard that interview this morning. I did, since members of my family were still asleep, but man it was tough…
Here’s one of the most frustrating things for me with this whole bailout nonsense… As a libertarian, I generally observe that the public supports policies that seem like a good idea if you don’t really think about them (think trade protectionism for example), I don’t support the seemingly good idea because I know it won’t actually work, and the politicians end up enacting the seemingly good idea anyway because they have to get re-elected. The bailout is unique because–for once–popular sentiment is actually converging with the generally-held libertarian position; specifically that this bailout is a HORRIBLE idea. As such, it’s infuriating when politicians (usually in the pockets of Big Labor) actually suggest that WE’RE the unsophisticated ones. Yup, you, me and 200+ economists (including several Nobel laureates) are the rubes and not the dumbass politicians who got us in this mess in the first place. Unbelievable.
“I see interviews with the head of GM and I wonder what fantasy world he lives in and where I might buy a ticket for a pegasus to fly there…”
You’ve got that backwards, unfortunately. The head of GM makes a lot of money despite running a losing company because he understands how the real world works very well. It’s us libertarians who are living in a fantasy where the government doesn’t let people get away with this shit.
Heard that too this morning. I can’t imagine Levin opposing the plan, regardless of the content. Let’s hope Congress retains what’s left of their backbone.
Synopsis of Subject of Post:
A tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
What’s doubly annoying is that we could BUY the big 3 for less than $25 billion.
Neg karma mystification.
Subject of Post = Senator Levin
Get a fucking grip people. Try READING.
I’d like to receive my on personal bailout package. I’ll get around to submitting some plans and proposals later. In the meantime, I’m sure good ol’ uncle Carl will back me up.
http://rightklik.blogspot.com/
Best bailout plan evar: The fedural gov’t will bail out the fedural gov’t111!!!111
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601009&sid=awxh8.ryvSjg&refer=bonds
We owe it to ourselves, Lloyd.
“What’s doubly annoying is that we could BUY the big 3 for less than $25 billion.”
Yeah but why would you want to buy that money suckin’ piece of shit? Pay 25 billion for something that is losing multiple billions monthly?
“You’ve got that backwards, unfortunately. The head of GM makes a lot of money despite running a losing company because he understands how the real world works very well. It’s us libertarians who are living in a fantasy where the government doesn’t let people get away with this shit.”
For The Win!!
The least they could do with receiving $55B, is to actually deliver the damn cars.