John Dingell: A cynical, useless old bastard?
The Honorable John Dingell (D-MI) is currently what they call the "Dean" of the House of Representatives. He is the longest currently serving member in the House, and the 2nd longest serving in the nation's history. He was a major part of the first round of fuel efficiency standards in the 1970s, and got a 100% rating on environmental issues from the League of Conservation Voters for his votes in the 109th Congress (that last embarrassment of a Congress we had before the 2006 elections).
But he is doing something now that seems almost beyond cynical. He is introducing legislation that would put a 50 cent per gallon federal tax on gasoline. I think that's a great idea, and it's about time that someone proposed it. But that's not why Dingell is introducing it. According to his statements, it's to show just how little Americans are willing to sacrifice to address global warming, not because he wants to introduce good, sensible legislation that helps us deal with global warming and our dependence on foriegn oil. Here's what he said:
I sincerely doubt that the American people are willing to pay what this is really going to cost them.
And he's probably right. But I would expect that kind of comment from a friend or neighbor, not an elected representative who is supposed to be protecting the public interest. And it is in the public interest to reduce oil consumption and carbon emissions. So he should be displaying leadership. Not cynicism. But why should I be surpised? He comes from car country, and profits from the big 3. From the Wikipedia profile of Dingell:
The three largest contributors to his campaign for the 2006 election cycle are political action committees, employees, or other affiliates of General Motors, Ford Motor Company, and DaimlerChrysler; since 1989, intermediaries for these corporations have contributed more than $US 600,000 to his campaign. Dingell also holds an unknown quantity, more than $US 1 million, in assets through General Motors stock options and savings-stock purchase programs; his spouse, Debbie Dingell, worked as a lobbyist for the corporation until they married, whereupon she moved to an administrative position there. At present Ms. Dingell is a senior executive at General Motors and vice chair of the General Motors Foundation.
I really want to think that Dingell is doing this for the public good. But it sounds like he's just being a grumpy, cynical old man. We need fewer of those in Congress, not more.
Comments
That it is very evidently that many proud capitalist democrat Mexican business persons, and public, them got Bowring and worry, because the much of the Mexican student public asking for money help, but this Mexican persons, them call for big moneys help, them got offence it, with the small money, them got with them charitable, many believe that the Mexican student public, them take it as true the communisms it is existing in Mexico, the real worry it is that the Mexican public, in the most the students persons, them call for money help, upon threaten at your own safe’s family, and at your own safe life, none body know why? The Mexican students, them call for money help how so much., upon none body can help them, or to sustain them own life, them want to be car driving, upon them stole to public for the gasoline, them go “pa la gas” them said it is communism. But why? The government them, leave to the Mexicans students to call for money, even more them like, choose, to be proudest doctor, with money help with them charitable, or proudest architect, them doesn’t like to study agriculture, them hate it those, some body does wrong tipping, to the Mexicans, in Mexico the socialism and communism doesn’t exist. Final point:
In America, the student people, them are. them own money, them studied half time, and them work half time, the American student almost it is a crime to call to the American student for money help, to the American student people, them can’t or them are not able to help to none body, that it is the proud as the capitalism, you can be your own fine, with none body worrying, upon them can be to jail, in America to ask, for money help it does the same as to be thief, them are going to grow the must to grow economically healthy, in Mexico the student persons, them doesn’t like to study them agricultures, them choose to be rich expensive carer, them are going to sustain that carer with them crimes, them said it is proudest to be criminal to be some body, but is not the way to be some body, many student person, in the most from the Mexican state in a location under name Guadalajara city in the Mexican country, there it is a hurts university under name Universidad de Guadalajara, the much of the students, them must to stole a car to can go to study, them sad, them must to stole money to can go to study, them must to stole money for the gas, them saying it is proudest to be a criminal to be some body, some persons saying that the military general from the Mexican capital, he commanding to the Mexican student persons, to fight at the public, many Mexican students with them stolid car and them stolid money also, them just going to give a turn off to any body, them can start to make sex man to man, it is communism proud, them said, and the Mexican student them are very fresh to insult to weman, many saying those Mexican student them have to make sex with the principal man, with the military man people, but in the most, some body saying that the Mexican student person, them are that way because the communism, in the Universidad de Guadalajara, but whom? does supporting that lien, the communist, saying never them like the Mexicans fresh it lien, or to never them like to support the as the nasty Mexican thief’s, them are only to be rich, the Mexicans them must to be quiet in about communism, economically to those public in Mexico, many saying that those student, them are stoling money to, proudest American, business places, as those under insurance, from mister Howard Hughes in Guadalajara Mexico, the students them can go to stole to those business administration, because under Mexican military command and support, some also with political commanding, that it is openly communism, those business places them must to automatically closed for the public, upon an American governmental auditor ship, another American governmental call, to closed with American military support, the Mexican students persons, them stolid to corona group, to Pepsi an American company in Guadalajara Mexico,, even to the American business place under name wonder bread, the Mexicans students, them can go to stole brand new car, under military support, many saying that the Mexican student persons, them are how leasy after all them doesn’t want to work to sustain them own studying, after all the many American business places from the many American people, them must to be removed from Mexico to stop them own supporting to those mad smelling leasy thief Mexican assassins, them are growing another aspect of the life, many saying that an exsoviet spy people, from the American country, them were supporting, communist activities to the Mexican student person, in the past many chair people from many. for the mister Hughes business places in the American country, them were giving help to Mexican leasy persons, many of those chairman, from American business places, them got kill, because giving communist support, it is the biggest crime, for the capitalism, it like the main expresident from the Chevrolet company, in Mexico, he were making wrong communist business, to help to the Mexicans auditor ship from the Mexican money from the Chevrolet, the American government them solicited and auditorship, latter then closed the Chevrolet from Mexico, never to open ageing, upon, that one got closed, in Mexico, but there are many other Mexican American business places, that must to be closed, because them are supporting to grow the communism in Mexico, after socialism it comes communism, my rules I got from the pentagon, it said that way, that with the a lot as Mexican socialism, them want every ting as for free it isn’t easy, but many them must to be socialism with the young student Mexican person, because them ever threading at the persons life, to sustain them need, many believing that it is better to start fighting at the Mexicans socialism and communism, better to sustain in them need but finally it is very evidently that the Mexican them doesn’t want to be the capitalism it is very truth that the American government them must to start to be worry to take the American people away from Mexico, to closed the Mexican business places, and to start with battle, to quiet to those Mexican people, in about some body must to sustain them mad smelling lifers, some powerful government must to push to those dearth Mexicans to grow in the own fills them own food mad, to grow biggest borders.-
Posted by: anonymous | October 27, 2008 8:20 PM