The country finds itself in the midst of a financial crisis that harkens back to the days of the Great Depression. So what do our esteemed Members of Congress do? Some of them hold out their votes until the Powers That Be lard on the pork. Now, all of the sudden the Congressmen who were vehemently against the so-called bail out are all for it. Nice.
What kind of pork?
The New York Post reports this morning that the special provisions include tax breaks for:
* Manufacturers of kids' wooden arrows - $6 million.
* Puerto Rican and Virgin Islands rum producers - $192 million.
* Wool research.
* Auto-racing tracks - $128 million.
* Corporations operating in American Samoa - $33 million.
* Small-to-medium budget film and television productions - $10 million.
Also, according to the Post, another measure inserted into the bill appears to be a bid aimed at winning the support of Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), who voted against the original version when it went down in flames in the House on Monday.
That provision - a $223 million package of tax benefits for fishermen and others whose livelihoods suffered as a result of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill - has been the subject of fervent lobbying by Alaska's congressional delegation.
Unfortunately for the country our elected officials are often measured by how much "government support" they bring home to their respective districts. This best explains why Washington has turned into a bottomless ATM where just about everybody has the PIN. It also explains why the government is running up scary debts, debts that future generations of Americans are going to have to pay.
Kudos to our local Congressional representatives for doing the right thing - voting for the bailout without holding the country for ransom. It's incumbent on the rest of us, however, to start making a stink about the pork that is going to choke this country.
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