While We're Spending....

ROCHESTER - The federal government has become the parents to deadbeat adult children. Between the airline industry, the financial sector, and, now, the auto industry, they just can't find a way to leave the nest. Under our wonderful free market and global economy, our American (and crappy) companies can't stay solvent. They offer inferior products, services and advice and consumers avoid them. They respond with absolute greed, and naturally, that doesn't help either. So they ask for bailouts. Ma and Pa Fed give a lecture about straightening up and flying right, but in the end hand over the cash. So they don't learn. They eat for a day and for another fish tomorrow. In the new economy, America has become bi-polar. We give money to the airlines because we need to travel. We don't give money to the auto industry because they are in their own mess. We give money to the banks so our economy won't collapse. We don't give money to taxpayers because they can borrow from the newly monied banks. Does anyone else notice a logical disconnect?

I do and it tears me apart. My tendency is to tell all private companies to go screw. If you aren't making money it is your own fault. Business people say that all the time. Or they say that if the government was run more like a business, it would be better. Oh, really? Who is more bankrupt, General Motors or the Office of General Services? As a capitalist, I don't like giving public money to some private companies. That is cronyism and bordering on fascism. I would prefer giving public money to all private companies, but that is communism. But if we are to bail out one industry, why not another? We should bail out all or none, it is only fair.

Since we already bailed out others, why not bail out the auto industry? If we are going to fight wars, we need to have some factories open somewhere with bosses that owe us a favor, just in case we need it. And while we are cashing in favors, we can demand that they provide better gas mileage and better value, so the American companies can compete with foreign ones. We can give them a fish and teach them to fish and solve long term and short term goals at the same time. In addition, the auto industry offers real jobs that have real effect on communities. Bailing out the banks in a sense rewards the jerks that used pyramid schemes with our money. The auto bailout will benefit the auto worker actually produces something.

If we are going to bail people out, bail everyone out. It is not fair to pick and choose who deserves to be bailed out, because in the end, none of them do.

The feds are already up to their eyes in debt. Why not throw a little more on the pile?