Just Wait for the Jurisdiction Creep On This One

by Severinus Flynn on 3/31/2009
If you though thought the Obama administration had tentacles, get ready for Barney Frank's latest "great idea": the Pay for Performance Act of 2009 (get a rundown at Little Green Footballs).

This capitalistic-sounding name hides the ability of the federal government to set wages, rates, perks, bonuses (*shiver* there's that word again), fringe bennies, reimbursement, everything an employee makes from any company, public or private, that accepts government funds from TARP or the 2008 Housing and Economic Recovery Act.

Much, much more after the jump...

While there is some strength to the thought that if you take the geld from someone, you have to dance to their tune. While this works perfectly well in the private sector where a person or group of investors or stockholders has a free decision as to whether to accept the strings associated with such funds, when the Federal Government does it, it is often without any choice, or even input, from those that own the business.

Take for example the current battle with Mark Sanford in South Carolina, where the Democratic leadership is attempting to force Sanford into accepting the funds and therefore the policy initiatives attached to the money. In what is most assuredy a violation of the Consititution, the most recent bailout bill specified that a State's legislature may override a Governor's say in the matter. So much for state's rights.

Do you work for any of these companies? If you do, you qualify.

Be that as it may, there are many industries that recieve subsidies these days, and usually because the trade restrictions authored by anti-free-trade forces almost require them to accept these funds to stay in business. How long will it be that the legislation is expanded to cover any business, or anyone, that receives government funds or subsidies? I bet it happens soon.

Some of these industries are:

Farming/Agriculture of corn, wheat, feed grains, sorghum, barley, oats, cotton, milk, rice, peanuts, sugar, tobacco, oilseeds, soybeans, etc. etc. etc...

Commodities goods: Biodeisel, Alochol, Methanol, Urea Fertilizer, Steel, wind power generation, solar power generation...

Services: Mass Transit (Bussing, Amtrak, subways, metros, airlines), "free" health care, child care, "Family Planning", adoption, research (of damned near every type)...

Sure, these subsidized business take up a big chunk of the workers in America, but it's not everyone.

That's OK...

READ IT ALL:

http://www.johngaltunderground.com/johngaltunderground/itemdetail.asp?ID=81