Dr. Laurie Roth
What About Bailing Out American Workers?
January 31, 2009
 

There isn’t enough medication or laughing gas!!! What does our Government think it is doing? Have they gone mad; questing for a time-out in a straightjacket, left to drool in the corner of a padded, light-pink room? Do they think we are in the opposite corner of the light-pink room, staring cross-eyed back at them?

Nearly another $900 billion has been approved by Congress for "emergency” bailouts. This is money we taxpayers will be forced to pay. Of course, it is most likely that the Liberals among us will insist that I cultivate that "teamwork attitude” in order to save the nation. I mean, really, we might die without this bailout and these "emergency priorities.” Right?

Let’s look at some of these desperately needed initiatives that the agendized and opportunistic members of Congress stuck into the "bailout bill.”

▪ Film and Television Productions (of course that’s the first thing you think of when your raft is sinking at sea, sharks circling: What movie is airing Friday night?)

▪ Wooden Arrows designed for use by the kiddies (With terrorists threatening and attacking, all kids should have loaded wood and arrow sets)

▪ Let’s not forget the Exxon Valdez (There are pages of earmarks for litigants in the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill)

▪ We have to spend big bucks on Virgin Island and Puerto Rican Rum (Foreign rum is the first thing you need when losing your job and home)

▪ Then there is money for Auto Racing Tracks and Wool Research

On and on and on the insanity goes!

May I contribute, Mr. President? How about $2 billion for cuticle research. I want $6 billion to research shavers that don’t leave leg stubble within 24 hours; $10 billion to research and stop, once and for all, hair that grows on women’s chins (That is definitely a national emergency. Men don’t tend to like bearded ladies.) Other funded studies should include, Dog Hair and its relationship to mental illness and the effects of moles on personality.

Oh, it only gets better as we tackle the "hideous emergency” that only government can handle.

Just this week a top Republican congressional aide talked about how the over $800 billion economic stimulus measure could steer Government money to illegal aliens. So far the Democratic sponsored bill makes illegal aliens eligible for tax credits of $500 per worker and $1,000 per couple. Isn’t that precious? Of course, millions here working illegally and breaking our laws should have us all pitch in billions to pay them for the privilege.

Where are the earmarks and billions to pay for and fix all the carbon emissions trauma we cause just by being alive, driving trucks and shining the wrong light bulbs? There has to be at least $20 billion for that part of our melt down.

Seriously, when you look at the humongous golden parachute packages and payouts to the "talented” money people of the AIGs and Merrill Lynches of the world, then the good money after bad money to the big bankers, you have to pause and wonder: Is there any common sense left anywhere in our Government? I’m sorry, but the big, sick, debt-ridden banks, who pushed distorted loans upon loans upon loans, should go out of business!!! As it is with the billions given them now, it only stalls the inevitable and steals from all of us.

The only reason for allocating bailout money is to avert a national disaster. To date, I can’t see one.

With all the talk of billions, and now trillions, to bailout the opportunistic, the inept and the greedy, not once has our government talked about bailing-out and following through on their long held pension guarantees. We have millions upon millions of workers who have paid and are paying, in good faith, into pension funds; workers who believe – rightfully or not – in the backing of our government pension guarantees.

Last night, on my nationally syndicated radio program, I talked with a respected international finance expert and adviser who brought up the potential disaster of the pension plans being either dropped or drastically scaled back. If you want to contemplate a national disaster and devastating losses to our economy...

If our government insists on spending hundreds of billions of dollars for bailouts, forget the banks, do the minimum for car companies, tell the states to pull back and reorganize but make good on the American workers pension guarantees.

To avert a national crisis, a crisis that will more directly affect the American people than the failure of a large bank or a behemoth hedge fund, Mr. President, you must  secure and fund the Federal Guarantee on Pensions. Enough good money wasted on bad banks and bad financial practices, the working people's retirement accounts that have always been guaranteed by the government and are in major jeopardy right now.