Congress is taking another step towards the nationalization of the American economy as it considers bailing out the United Auto Workers and the U.S.-based automakers. Guess who may be on board? Sen. Norm Coleman, the hope of … Republicans.
According to Minnesota Public Radio and the Business Journal, Coleman–who would allegedly be part of the 40-senator filibuster firewall against far-left legislation coming out of the “world’s greatest deliberative body”–is disposed towards the bailout. Today he will be meeting with an official from Ford.
Says MPR, “Coleman spokesman, Leroy Coleman, said before the GOP senator will support an auto-industry bailout package, he needs some assurances.”
That Coleman is willing is the first piece of bad news. The second piece is that me may make it conditional on Ford keeping the ancient plant in Saint Paul open.
Still ready to work night and day on the recount?
By the way, what’s worse than a nationalized industry? A nationalized industry in which politicians determine business operations. Then again, isn’t that the logical extension of nationalization anyway?
The prospect of a bailout sickens me. On an intellectual note, it reminds me of the subject of my first graduate school paper, the difficulty that Congress had in closing obsolete military bases. Luckily, Dick Armey, then a representative from Texas, came up with the idea of the BRAC (base realignment and closures commission) as a way to cut the (political) crap. It has proven to be a fairly successful tool.