Bigger Bailout? GM? BS?

This should not have been a surprise. Everyone is jumping on the wagon to get part of the TARP money - auto makers, businesses, even state and local governments. What started out to be a financial system fix has become another government entitlement program.

Let's ignore the states and municipalities that already get tax-payer funds, either from the state or federal government in addition to that they impose directly on the taxpayer. That's enough political greed right there. And, let's ignore the businesses, already doubly hurt by initial restricted funding and secondly because the banks are hoarding the money they've received from the TARP already to strengthen their balance sheets. Loans aren't being made, and that needs to be addressed.

Let's talk about the auto industry! Congress complained about the greed and mis-management of wall street leading to the current financial disaster. What about the mismanagement at GM? Ford? Capital expenditures made to continue to build and supply gas slugging vehicles was stupid since the 1970's, yet they did so. And, they continued to lobby against and fight higher mandated mileage economy levels for their products to make them competitive with foreign brands as too costly. Now what are they? Congress doesn't seem to have a problem with this do you Ms. Pelosi? Mr. Frank? The rest of you?

Why? Unions. Labor unions are big backers of democratic candidates, and are big backers of mis-management and greed. Financial service firms aren't, and aren't infused with unions, so a lack of support there and finger pointing is natural. But how do you keep a business going with such poorly moderated union contracts? Strike and the company fails, then where are you? Concede, and you pay more than you gain in sales, then where are you? Negotiate, and they strike. How can it be justified that an auto worker hanging a door on a Chevy Malibu or installing a dash board in a Chevy Aveo can make a six-digit income? What level of skill and expertise and years of education has gotten them to that point? Twenty-five years of working in the plant? Hardly justification.

So, let's give money from the TARP to GM to keep the union employees employed. What about all those employees from small business that have folded because of lack of funding and loss of consumer business already? Those laid off from banks and othe financial service firms who are victims of their CEO's and Boards mismanagement? Service workers laid off because consumer spending has slowed, because of layoffs and fear?

Well, you know, they just don't have the clout of Unions.

Here's an idea - let'em go. I can drive a Toyota just as well as a Ford, or a VW just as well as a Chevy. Un-American? No. Realistic? Yes. A free-market economy is based on both winners and losers, and the American auto industry has been a loser for a long, long time. They've learned no lessons, made no industry-leading innovations and trail others in real fuel economy, not their smoke-and-mirrors version.

And maybe we should have congressional hearings on their mis-management, as they did with the banks, investment firms and all the others they've paraded in over the last six months to make it look like they're doing something tangible. It'll give the politicos a chance for a couple of good sound-bites to use in upcoming elections that people will hear in TV ads without ever seeing the actual hearings and the bozo way in which they get handled. Re-elect me - I may be a dufus, but you'd never know it from my ad! Right Mr. Frank?

Most Americans aren't "liberal" nor "conservative." They aren't "leftist" or "rightist." Most are middle of the road who want Congress and the government to do what's right, to give themselves and others a fair shake for a change, want politicians to actually work across the aisle with the other party, not just talk about it. To get things done!

Sadly, it doesn't appear this is going to happen. Power has gripped Congress, and they want to show what they can do with it. It happens either way, Democrat or Republican; it just happens to be a democrat turn. And wil we be better for it? No. More rancor will follow, more finger-pointing will occur, and most of us will again take it in the shorts again. And this mess will continue into 2009 and become more protracted because no alternate view will be accepted because of its "partisan" approach. Yeah, right.

Thomas Jefferson may have been right - a little revolution now and then might be a good thing.

Yippy skippy!