analyticsbox | Aug 18, 2022
Is DC looking out for the average American?
Why am I even asking this question? Isn't Congress supposed to be representing the interest of the American public? Of course they are, but are they?
Not as I see it. When I look at the programs they pass, it feels like cronyism at its worst. Let’s face reality, the big corporations and special interest groups are promoting their interest, not ours. They have the money, and connections to curry favor with our politicians. And what they want is rarely in my best interest, it is in theirs. They get their way because of the money and power they have. And the politicians are interested in getting re-elected and the big money comes from these special interest groups and big corporations.
And under the guise of looking out for us, they pass programs which benefit a few at the cost to many. Let’s just take a few examples:
Student loan forgiveness. Most of the benefit will go to those who can afford to pay, yet we propose across the board help. The program that was supposed to make the government $100 Billion, is actually costing $200 Billion. Whoops! And it is your money they are giving away. We didn’t borrow the money and we shouldn’t be paying it back for them.
Electric Vehicles. In Facts, No Spin #1, I explained they do very little for the carbon footprint with today’s technology. They are expensive to buy and operate compared to gas powered cars, mostly the wealthy buy them. But they are a good product, and if someone wants to buy one, have at it, but don't use my tax money to subsidize them. This subsidy, like many others, doesn't even accomplish the ‘goal’.
Ethanol. In Facts, No Spin #48, I explain this boondoggle. It is not clean, it is an inefficient fuel, it is corrosive, we don’t need it for fuel, it uses 40% of our corn crop that could be used for food or animal feed, but we still require it. Who's benefiting from that? Not us. And President Biden wanted to double down by allowing 15% ethanol, when this corrosive supplement cannot even be dispensed by 98% of gas stations.
Solyndra - how much did that crony project cost US taxpayers? Hundreds of millions of dollars when this boondoggle went bust.
Obamacare. It was a poorly thought out plan which passed with no one having time to even read it. And we keep trying to fix that mess which benefits a few and costs all of us taxpayers a lot as a result of much more expensive health insurance as well as the expensive subsidies.
Chip manufacturers. They get $54 Billion of our money as a subsidy to build here. I wonder how that bargain happened. If the plant makes sense, they will build anyway, they are quite profitable.
Agricultural subsidies. Are you benefiting from the resulting higher prices? And the taxpayer in many cases has to buy for the excess crops, and store them until they rot or we give them away. How is the taxpayer benefiting from that?
Just last week, Senators Manchin and Sinema held out for special interests to allow the senate to pass the ‘Inflation Reduction’ boondoggle. (See Facts, No Spin #63). One got a pipeline for WV and one got favored tax treatment for her benefactors. I wonder how that helps all of us taxpayers.
This list is, unfortunately, endless. We didn’t elect our representatives to do this to us, they are supposed to be watching out for OUR best interests, not those special interests who have the money and power to help them. We, the taxpayers, don't have a lobby group to curry favors. It is time we hold our representatives accountable for their actions, which should be focused on the American people. Sadly, it just doesn't work that way.
BOTTOM LINE
In DC, they spend OUR money like drunken sailors, which is an insult to sailors - at least they spend their own money. This is shameful, and they know it, and they are piling up unbelievable debts which will eventually bankrupt our country. (See Facts, No Spin #59, The Debt Bomb) It will not stop until we demand better.
So, who will be for me, for us? No one in DC, and that makes me sad.
LEARN ECONOMICS, THEN VOTE SMART