CLUB FOR GROWTH NEWSLETTERS

Home > Club for Growth Newsletters

March 10, 2010

The Wednesday Update

March 10, 2010  Volume 4, Number 10   IN THIS ISSUE:  Constitutional Chaos; Railroaded;

March 10, 2010 Vol 4, Number 10	Wednesday Update
In This Issue: 1. Constitutional Chaos 2. Railroaded 3. Dilweg's Job Insurance	Constitutional Chaos The United States is not a pure democracy because the founding fathers viewed simple majority rule as a gussied-up version of mob rule. They deliberately designed checks and balances to thwart the application of raw political power. But 17 Wisconsin legislators, led by a pair of Madison Democrats, are ready to show us how the founders went wrong. State Rep. Kelda Helen Roys and State Senator Fred Risser have introduced Assembly Bill 751, which would nullify the electoral college and choose the president and vice president by national popular vote. As part of a pact with other states, they want to bypass the constitution and award Wisconsin’s electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote—not necessarily the candidate who wins Wisconsin. AB 751 says the pact becomes effective when adopted by states holding a majority of electoral votes. That in itself rigs the game. There’s nothing odd about Madison Democrats conniving to let the East and West Coasts and a few big cities dictate who runs the country. Regrettably, a couple of Republicans, State Reps. Dean Kaufert (Menasha) and Al Ott (Forest Junction) are among the cosponsors of this mess. Anyone who’s stumped as to why it’s an extraordinarily dangerous idea should reflect on two things: 1) Wisconsin’s population is 5.7 million, compared with the Chicago urban area’s 8.7 million; and 2) We are nearing, and may even have passed the point when more people receive benefits from the federal government than pay federal income taxes. If you’re still wondering whether pure democracy would be a real problem, ponder a system without any barrier to your fellow citizens simply voting themselves a right to whatever you have.  Railroaded Last week brought yet another example of “stimulus” money, otherwise known as your tax dollars, stimulating the economies of foreign countries. This time by way of a no-bid contract.  Governor Doyle and his aspiring successor Tom Barrett celebrated the announcement that Spanish firm Talgo will keep to itself the $47 million contract to build rail cars for the Doyle Express, rather than subcontract the work to Milwaukee’s Super Steel. Tuesday, March 2 brought word that Super Steel was filing for receivership. It’s true that Doyle and Barrett were celebrating that Talgo will do the building in Milwaukee. It’s also true that Super Steel will remain in business. But what a comment on the liberal vision of economic growth: Job creation depends on throwing taxpayer money at a foreign business for a “high-speed” rail system that no one will ride.  The concept of building prosperity on a foundation of government handing out tax dollars is more than problematic, but since that’s what we’re doing right now....would it be too much to ask that the dollars go to Wisconsin companies to solve problems Wisconsin actually has? The present unavailability of two-hour train rides between Milwaukee and Madison shouldn’t be on the list. Dilweg’s job insurance Wisconsin Insurance Commissioner Sean Dilweg made the big-time last Friday, when he was mentioned in Kimberly Strassel’s Wall Street Journal column. A Doyle appointee in a position previously held by some very capable individuals, Dilweg has distinguished himself by spearheading a plan that would allow environmentalists to meddle in all phases of commerce. He headed a committee of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners that developed a scheme to bully insurers into forcing greenie concessions from their clients, on the pretext of quantifying risk associated with global warming. Meanwhile, Dilweg is busy entrenching himself to continue the mischief, no matter who’s elected governor this fall. Last Tuesday a bill eliminating the statutory provision that the commissioner of insurance serve at the pleasure of the governor was introduced in the Assembly. Coauthored by nine Democrats, the bill gives the commissioner a fixed term. If it passes and Doyle reappoints Dilweg, he’ll be around to undermine Doyle’s successor for more than two years. Mr. Dilweg has proven himself philosophically, umm… flexible, managing to be comfortable on the payrolls of both Republicans and Democrats over the years. But Assembly Bill 787 is about more than one bureaucrat’s job security. It’s about one formerly flexible bureaucrat becoming decidedly less so, once he’s guaranteed a free hand to force unwilling businesses to advance the green agenda.