More Money, Less Money

Continuing our chronicle of the federal government’s extension of power into the private sector, two new developments just yesterday. First, it seems the “pay czar” is soon to be a reality. Perhaps his authority to define the terms of executive remuneration will at first be limited to those companies which took federal bailout money. I wonder how many of those would have agreed to the money if their execs knew up front their pay and perqs were about to be seriously curtailed. This is “gotcha government” at its finest. Then the “clunker voucher” which Congress passed, agreeing, with the President’s urging, to provide a $4500 voucher for anyone who will turn in his gas guzzling SUV, hopefully to purchase a “greener” vehicle instead. Bait the hook and reel ’em in. Where is the Constitutional authorization for any of this? The federal government is taking advantage of America’s economic vulnerability by establishing its presence in the economy in unprecedented ways, a presence that will not easily be rolled back, but will almost certainly expand. What’s next, we wonder? This is governmental hubris in the extreme, and it bodes ill for such things as health care, education, tax reform, and a host of other economic issues still to be considered. We could point the finger at the federal government and cry, “Foul!” but it’s too early for that. The real test will come next year, in the round of Congressional elections. If the electorate returns the present crowd to Washington it will prove the concerns of Huxley’s