Buck McKeon's Infamous Earmarks

Lloyd Garver looks back at the year, highlighting some of the more egregious political scandals. Not to be left off the naughty list is Congressman Buck McKeon:

This was a year when some things were all turned around. I don't know about you, but I can remember when people went to banks for money instead of the other way around.

And didn't you think pirates were a thing of the past?

One of the most outrageous Congressional earmarks was $50,000 proposed by California Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon. He felt the money should go to the National Mule and Packers Museum. And they say government doesn't support the arts.

Garver mentions a story about Burger King's new cologne, which makes a man smell like flame-broiled meat, then wraps things up with a little more snark for Buck McKeon:

If "Flame" actually turns out to be a hot product, watch for the banks to follow suit. They could sell "Bucks," a cologne that smells like money. That way, Americans can walk around in 2009 with nothing in their pockets, but at least they'll smell like money.

Nice.

Source: Norwich Bulletin

Buck McKeon: Bail Out Wall Street, not Main Street

Buck McKeon voted for the $700 billion bailout for Wall Street.

But he voted against the $14 billion bailout for the auto industry.

So let me see if I get this straight...

Buck McKeon is in favor of giving taxpayer dollars to multi-millionaires who gambled and lost in the financial markets, but turns a cold shoulder to middle-class Americans struggling to hang on to their jobs and support their families.

Of course, no one thinks the auto bailout is a perfect piece of legislation. It's a stop-gap measure meant to help American automakers survive long enough for the Obama administration to find a better solution next year. But those 2-3 million auto industry jobs are worth saving. Letting GM, Chrysler, and Ford collapse would send shockwaves through our devastated economy.

Apparently Buck isn't satisfied with the current Republican recession. He's willing to drive us into another depression.

For what? A discredited ideology? Revenge against unions? Knee-jerk obstructionism?

What the hell is this man thinking?

Of course, former banker Buck McKeon pretends to sympathize:

“Employers and families across America are struggling to meet their financial obligations and remain prosperous at a time when the economy has weakened to recession levels,” McKeon said. “The auto industry in particular has been hit by low consumer confidence and spending, which has in turn created a spiked decrease in automobile manufacturing. The consequences to a failed auto industry are dire, to be certain, based solely on the potential for job losses in a massive production environment. While it is clear something must be done to restructure the automobile industry, I don’t believe a taxpayer-funded bailout is the answer, so I voted against the bailout legislation.”

Crocodile tears.

Auto workers are not responsible for the collapse of the auto industry. Consumers have stopped buying cars because they can't get credit. They can't get credit because the banks won't loan. The banks won't loan because they don't trust each other. They don't trust each other because no one understands the shadow banking system. No one understands the shadow banking system because of deregulation. Deregulation is the result of...

...guys like Buck McKeon.

Buck McKeon voted in favor of socialism for the rich. But he won't lend a hand to hard-working Americans. Once again, Buck gives the middle class the middle finger.