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Wednesday, January 2. 2008

Santa Claus Politics

A quote from Sowell's piece:

Santa Claus is bipartisan. The Bush administration is unveiling its plan to rescue people who gambled and lost in the housing markets when the bubble burst.

We now have a bipartisan tradition of the government stepping in to rescue people who engaged in risky behavior -- whether by locating in the known paths of hurricanes in Florida or in areas repeatedly hit by wildfires over the years in California or by doing things that increase the probability of catching AIDS.

Why not also rescue people who gambled away their life's savings in Las Vegas? That would at least be consistent.

Apparently the only people who are supposed to be responsible are the taxpayers -- and they are increasingly made responsible for other people's irresponsibility.

Posted by The Barrister in Politics at 10:49 | Comments (3) | Trackbacks (0)

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I wish Thomas Sowell would run for a high office. But he is probably honest as well as sensible.
#1 TomR on 2008-01-02 20:24 (Reply)
(ahem!)

"We now have a bipartisan tradition of the government stepping in to rescue people who engaged in risky behavior -- whether by locating in the known paths of hurricanes in Florida-"

http://www.dr-mercury.com/tb/tbkatrina.htm

We don't need any "rescuing", thank you.

And what kind of nutcase would think that hurricanes have "known paths"? Look at the path of Hurricane Jeanne in the above link and tell me hurricanes have "known paths". Sheesh. I think "building 10 feet below sea level behind 40-year-old levees" would have suited his purposes much better.

"Rescuing."

Hmph.
#2 Dr. Mercury (Link) on 2008-01-02 21:30 (Reply)
Bush just doesn't want a nationwide credit collapse on his watch. The cash must flow.

OTOH, how does one remind irresponsible consumers that 1% teaser loan rates are a bait and switch scam? Or investors that riding atop a house of cards is gambling, not investing?
#3 commander clopfelter on 2008-01-03 14:48 (Reply)

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