Voice Your Opinion On The Next Bailout...NOW!

It appears that the auto bailout is going to come up for a vote of its own next week.  Democrats are practically begging Republicans to give them cooperation to bail out the auto industry:

The Senate's senior Democrat is asking the top Republican to allow votes next week on new emergency loans for the Detroit Three automakers and more jobless aid to the unemployed.

Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., wrote to GOP Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Friday asking him to clear Republican roadblocks to passing the package in a postelection session that begins Monday.

Reid says aid for the auto industry and jobless is "especially urgent."

McConnell has not taken a public position on such a plan.

Does this sound familiar?  It should.  That's what happened when the Dems wanted to ram through the initial $700 billion bailout several weeks ago.  They had the votes to push it through without a single Rep vote then, and they have the votes to push it through without a single Rep vote now.  What's the catch?  They don't want to go out on a political limb and risk a backlash all by themselves.  Look what this compromise got the GOP on election day - the Dems successfully pinned the negative bailout vibes from the American people on the GOP, giving them a decided advantage in the outcome of the election.  My suggestion to the GOP:  GET A CLUE, AND GET A SPINE!!!

How does the saying go?  Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.  Compromise never helps the Right.

These bailouts have been one disaster after another, making things worse rather than actually saving anyone.  The American people are starting to get pissed about it, too (more on that in a moment).  I suggest you burn up the phones and swamp the inboxes of your Senators and Rep to voice your opinion on the matter.

Here's another reason to stop the madness now: the line is getting longer.  Now there are not just poorly run businesses, but poorly run cities who want some of the American taxpayer bailout money!

Three big city mayors asked the federal government Friday to use a portion of the $700 billion financial bailout to assist struggling cities.

The mayors sought help with their pension costs, infrastructure investment and cash-flow problems stemming from the global financial crisis.

The mayors—Michael Nutter of Philadelphia, Shirley Franklin of Atlanta and Phil Gordon of Phoenix—made their request in a letter to Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson.

The madness will not stop until Congress pulls their collective heads out of their butts and wakes up, and that won't happen until the American people make it clear in no uncertain terms that they will hold their reps accountable for each and every bailout.  When you contact your reps, inform them that you will be watching their record, and that you will not vote for them again if they support these bailouts.  The only currency they understand is the threat of being sent home after their current term ends.

It sounds like a few may be finally getting the point, belatedly:

The House held hearings this morning on the bailout debacle. Quite a spectacle. Every member wants his/her 15 minutes of grandstanding fame. It's all well and good to express outrage at the Treasury Department and grill Paulson protege Neel Kashkari now.

But if the Chicken Littles had kept their heads on before they handed over unfettered powers to clueless Hank Paulson, if they had asked the tough questions before rushing into the bailout abyss, if they had called the emperor naked before joining the TARP parade, they wouldn't be clucking so indignantly today.

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Believe it or not, I am going to say something nice about Democrat Rep. Dennis Kucinich. He voted against the bailout every time. In a ready-for-YouTube exchange, he snorted when Kashkari said, (paraphrasing here) "taxpayer money shouldn't be poured into businesses that are going to fail." Kucinich retorted that Kashkari would be hearing that line played back to him for the rest of his career.

Damned straight. Snort of the year material. Along with this ignominious line. And this one.

But there are signs of hope:

It looks like Republicans may be able to foil the narrow Democrat majority in its quest to dole out money to the first in a list of private companies making bad business decisions that should be rewarded with your tax money:

House Republican leader John Boehner, Richard Shelby, the top Republican on the Senate Banking Committee, and Alabama Representative Spencer Bachus, have all criticized aspects of the aid package being crafted by Democrats in the House and Senate.

"I don't know of a single Republican who is willing to support'' the auto bailout, Democrat Christopher Dodd, chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, said yesterday, adding that he would be careful about bringing up any measure that might fail.

General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC would receive $25 billion in loans out of a $700 billion financial bailout package approved earlier this year under the legislation, which Representative Barney Frank of Massachusetts and Senator Carl Levin of Michigan are writing. The Bush administration opposes using those funds for the auto companies.

Not everyone is seeing straight; some would allow the bailout if certain strings were attached.  Bottom line: the American people still need to get involved in a big way.  Here's the good news:

If Republicans can stand up to the Washington pressure to do this, they're likely to come out on the right side of this issue, according to numbers from Rasmussen:

Forty-six percent (46%) of Americans are opposed to a taxpayer-backed bailout of the Big Three automakers. Thirty percent (30%) support such a plan, and 25% are undecided.

A near identical percentage (45%) are opposed to a specific government bailout for General Motors, which says it is facing bankruptcy in the near future without an infusion of federal aid. Thirty-five percent (35%) of Americans support a GM bailout, with a sizable group (20%) not sure.

A whopping 73 percent are worried the government will run out of money if it keeps bailing companies out, recognizing that there's likely no end in sight once GM gets the goods. If Republicans need more incentive to oppose this, there's the fact that women are more worried than men, and younger Americans more than older Americans. Good government is the most attractive part of the Republican message right now, and it's an inroad to groups Republicans lost this time around.

And do you know what happens when the government 'runs out of money'?  You got it: tax increases.  You not only have a personal stake in the current bailout, but you've got a personal stake in every future one they may contemplate, too.  Here's the reality of the situation in regard to these failing companies:

Bankruptcy may be the quickest path to profitability, painful though it is. A court-supervised opportunity to streamline production and costs would undoubtedly make union bosses and executives uncomfortable, but it's what they need to do to become viable in the long term. BMW, Nissan, and Toyota all make money making cars in the United States. Most of them do it in South Carolina and Alabama, where workers have been glad to trade insurance-covered massage therapy for steady jobs working for companies that aren't constantly on the verge of collapsing.

Bingo!  This is a very, very slippery slope, and most people (who are paying attention) understand that once we start down that slope there's probably no coming back.  If you're angry about the completely useless waste that Paulson and this bailout thing has made of your taxpayer dollars, then you need to act now.  Call your Senators, call your Rep.  Demand fiscal responsibility from them.  Demand they stop any and all bailouts RIGHT NOW.  Inform them that your future votes for them depend on their opposition to these bailouts.

We live in a Representative Republic form of government (at least until Obama gets his way, but that's another debate).  That means they represent YOU.  Exert your right to be heard, and do it NOW.  If you don't, you will most certainly regret it.

There's my two cents.