Thanks, Folks, I’ll Be Here All Term
Posted by hope on November 20, 2008
I am glad to see that, at least for now, the government is not planning to throw $25 billion at the American auto industry to bail them out. Oh, the weirdness of being on the same side of an issue as Mitt Romney and the Bush Administration.
But what I really wanted to say after reading about the auto execs taking their tin cups to Washington is that I wish elected officials would refrain from the irrelevant chatter during committee hearings.
…[M]embers of the committee wanted to turn the session into a special edition of “Car Talk.” Rep. Mike Castle (R-Del.) spoke of his ‘99 Jeep: “It probably has about 150,000 miles on it, and it’s still running doggone well.” Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Tex.) invoked his ‘98 Jeep Cherokee: “Small problem with the back hatch staying open; we can talk about that afterwards.” Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) praised her Chrysler minivan. Rep. Judy Biggert (R-Ill.) had good words for her Jeep but complained that it didn’t come in a hybrid version.
“I drive the same ‘66 Plymouth Valiant that I’ve always had,” Ackerman proffered. He went on to discuss a problem with the GPS system in his Cadillac. “I wanted a loaded car in blue; I had to reach out to five states to find one in blue,” he complained.
It seemed everybody had a car story to tell. Rep. John Campbell (R-Calif.) let it be known that he was a car dealer for 25 years. Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) disclosed that he had worked at the GM plant in Framingham. Rep. Donald Manzullo (R-Ill.) wanted to see more ads for the car made in his district, while Rep. Michael Capuano (D-Mass.) said the Edsel was once made in his home town. Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.) read from Cicero and held up photos of cars. And Rep. David Scott (D-Ga.) had no car stories to tell but delivered the surprising news that the problem with the Titanic was not its collision with an iceberg.
Seriously, y’all. Nobody cares about your vehicles, or their problems, or how hard it was to find what you wanted, or how you have a personal connection to the history of the automobile. That isn’t why those guys came to town, and it doesn’t inspire much confidence in your focus on the pressing public policy issue before you. I’ve witnessed this same tendency to shoot the shit and waste time with pointless comments at the Texas Legislature. They do it in committee, they do it on the floor, and every time I just want to smack them.
Its like they think they got voted in to do stand-up routines and monologues.
Chip said
Oh dear, it isn’t just federal or state. I know from my own experience of chairing a city commission that if you put us up on a dais and stick a microphone in our faces, we’ll be glad to prattle on about any fool thing, as if people really care and are there to hear what we think.
I’ve felt that pull, and I mostly resist (I think). I ascribe that success to my native introvertedness (which is not commonly found in politicos), and not some great character accomplishment.
Liz said
I’d like to see the $25 million go straight to programs to revitalize Detroit and re-educate/re-train/re-locate those that lose their jobs. Haven’t seen anyone else with a real voice suggesting this, though.