Stop Me Before I Vote Again

Ralph Nader -- gotta love the guy. Here's the old sparrow hawk at his best, a propos the whole Democratic righteous-indignation thing about "K Street". Ralph says, Hey big ears, skip the hee haw -- forget pompous pledges to "forever" close the books to any more swindling lobby induced finagles. Dracula has not left the building. Bar the door and he's still comfortably inside drinking his rougey pina coagulata. The real Rx for K Street mayhem: blow up what's already in there.

That's right -- blow up the whole damn corporate welfare rockery once and for all. Or in Ralph's own words:

Congress should decree that every federal agency shall terminate all below-market-rate sales, leasing or rental arrangements with corporate beneficiaries, including of real and intangible property; shall cease making any below-market-rate loans or issuing any below-market-rate loan guarantees to corporations; shall terminate all export assistance or marketing promotion for corporations; shall cease providing any below-market-rate insurance;..... shall eliminate all liability caps; and shall terminate any direct grant, below-market-value technology transfe or subsidy of any kind.

The bill should also amend the Internal Revenue Code to eliminate all corporate "tax expenditures" listed in the President's annual budget.

Some of what gets cancelled in such a bill might be good public policy. If so, Congress should reauthorize it. But there's too much accumulated contribution/lobbyist-driven institutionalized graft for a case-by-case review to eliminate what's in place.

Now that's a real nuclear option, eh mates? If your local House donkey won't sign onto it put him (or her, Nancy) on notice that you won't vote for His Lesserhood. If you're gonna have a K Street stooge representing, or rather failing to represent you, better at least have an open one.