Sword and Sextant

And he hasn’t for a good while.

Now that the Senate has struck down a foolish ploy to keep the UAW in power (remember: the only way UAW is diffused is bankruptcy).  The House bill lacked any reform to union practices, and little if any enforcement of better business practices.  35B seems like chump change compared to 700B, but this defeat represents a return to some semblance of gibbering sanity, if such a thing can be imagined.

Bush now is thinking of bailing out the Big Three anyway, despite the Senate signaling resistance, via the original bailout of all bailouts, our 700B friend whom nobody has thought of a way to pay for yet, particularly with the shadow of Obama’s community organizing budget looming on the horizon.  In a time where the economy, we’re continually reminded, is so terrible, the answer is to spend a bunch of cash we don’t fucking have?  Remind me not to lend the government my car for the afternoon EVER.

Why on Earth do you bail out a company that sells a product that no one wants?  Is there any reasonable outcome other than being in this same position in a few months/years?  They aren’t making money because they aren’t selling cars.  The UAW and their union contracts hurt the Big 3, but lack of sales is the real problem here (honorable mention to CAFE standards, however).

Let’s also question the fairness of a bailout.  We sure hear about fairness quite a bit from Obama’s peeps, so its gotta be on the national conscience right now.  What about Toyota and Honda?  They employ a ton of people, make cars people buy, and still thrive in this crappy economy.  They don’t deserve anything for doing well and having a better business model, but three failures get billions to right the ship?  I really can’t think of a better deterrent to utilizing sound business practices than to simply make it okay to suck.  I assume its a hell of a lot easier to suck, really.

This bailout is a foolish idea and a horrid choice.  The true course is to let these businesses undergo bankruptcy.  Kmart did it, and they’re back.  Businesses use bankruptcy to get back to profitability all the time.  The difference is dealing with reality, and the fact that unions have shelled out untold billions to left-wing candidates for decades.  Democrats have no interest in diffusing the power of such a great asset for their electoral prospects, and so we’ll see every attempt to saddle the American taxpayer for keeping their power consolidated until they finally get their way.

Finally, what a disaster Bush has become.  I voted for the man once (only 17 during his first run), and felt great doing it.  Other than fighting some important wars in a mediocre fashion, cutting taxes sensibly, and protecting this soil without fault since 9/11, there isn’t much left but huge gov’t expansion in Medicare, education, the banking system, and maybe even three failed auto producers.  I am forced to agree that the Reagan revolution has died, but it died when W got the nomination, and not afterward.  His father was bad enough, actually.  I don’t regret keeping Gore and Kerry from office one bit, but I rue the fake-conservatives that have hijacked the party so completely.  Seriously, McCain for President?

/vomit

/vomit more

At least we get a new chance every four years.  We just have to hope that being a conservative isn’t against federal statute by then.  Being Rush Limbaugh is already on its way to criminality, so I just assume its a matter of time.  Luckily, we’re 3 for 3 since Obama got elected.  Two tight races for Congress in LA, and one Saxby Chambliss.  Next up is a win for Norm Coleman.  Harry Reid simply doesn’t have the stones or foolishness to seat Franken when it doesn’t even matter for the filibuster deal, does he?

/eats sandwich carefully

/vomit