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Let's End Business Of Meddling

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By TOM JACKSON

tjackson@tampatrib.com

Published: December 3, 2008

As a consistent and determined advocate on behalf of liberty and personal responsibility, This Space is second-to-none in its empathy with all who decry the recent spate of government bailouts for foundering industries. Those corporate captains who have come, hat-in-hand, fresh from private jets to lament precarious times - hoist them on their own platinum petards.

It's crowded on the bandwagon, where the attitude toward the bigwigs of business is, "Punt 'em and the golden parachutes they floated in on." And our opinion: On its face, that sentiment is not unreasonable.

We are offended that these private sector titans would come seeking taxpayer guarantees at the same time they are foreclosing on our neighbor's home. And we wax outraged that our schadenfreude - our pleasure at their discomfort - might be short-circuited by dollars plucked not just from our paychecks, but from those of our children, and their children as well.

The nerve! Around here, our annoyance sent congressional incumbents Ginny Brown-Waite and Gus Bilirakis, both reliably antibailout, to resounding Election Day wins.

Reality Check (Is In The Mail)

The problem with our unvarnished self-righteousness is that it overlooks how deeply involved government is in both the day-to-day operations and the long-range planning of the very industries that have lately sought relief on Capitol Hill.

Failure to acknowledge those intrusions prevents us from acknowledging how government mandates not only contributed the kindling but helped spark the current economic conflagration.

One hesitates to recommend repeal of federal tampering in the workplace and the economy. After all, substantial contrarian evidence notwithstanding, conventional wisdom holds that we have plunged into recession because of regulatory failures.

In such an atmosphere, to urge dismantling, say, OSHA (the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration) and its production-limiting, job-suppressing nitpickers risks being considered a heretic. (Are there no lawyers to whack companies that endanger employees?)

However, if we are unwilling to give other reforms a fair hearing, we need to shut our yaps when the private sector seeks help from its de facto public partner.

One Hand Washes The Other

For instance, given the staggering price to taxpayers of the government-fueled real estate Ponzi scheme, is it outlandish to demand reforms in the Community Reinvestment Act and the bottom-feeding mandates of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac?

Also for instance, if Washington could solve most of the Big Three auto makers' troubles - at no cost to taxpayers - simply by rescinding a demonstrably awful, costly and counterproductive piece of legislation, shouldn't we demand it? Of course we should.

Alas, until we muster a militant majority, the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) boondoggle will require Detroit to crank out miniature cars the public doesn't want at money-losing prices - owing, substantially, to United Auto Worker contracts that put per-hour labor costs 40 percent higher than their U.S.-based Japanese competitors.

So, you want the big shots and their corporations to get by without government assistance, just like you and your neighbor? This Space enthusiastically agrees, adding only this slender caveat: For getting out of our wallets, we get out of their business.

For each side, the sooner the better.

Tom Jackson can be reached at (813) 948-4219.

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