Rolling Stone, a music industry magazine, has named Oklahoma Senator Jim Inhofe the No. 7 worst enemy of the planet. The worst worst enemy of the planet, according to the scholars at that magazine, is Warren Buffett. Needless to say, Rolling Stone is unrivaled in its moral authority and scholarly credibility on such issues.
In other news, Rolling Stone still exists.
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We’re now 11 months out from election day 2010 and Democrats have yet to find a credible candidate for Congressional District 5. According to the FEC, there are 6 candidates officially in the race–all Republicans. Is the current political environment for Democrats so poisonous the party can’t convince anyone to jump in the race?
Rumors swirled that State Senator Andrew Rice or former Corporation Commissioner Jim Roth would run, but time is quickly running out. They’ll be far behind in fundraising and organization. Both candidates will have other issues to overcome, too. Rice is a very liberal state senator who was recently trounced by Senator Jim Inhofe as he challenged Inhofe for his Senate seat. The damage done to Rice in that race by a very adept Inhofe campaign is still fresh in the minds of many voters (and probably Rice, too). His negatives would immediately start off high. Roth, on the other hand, is known to be a bright, well-spoken individual, who could moderate his liberal views to be more in line with the district. He has experience winning races in Oklahoma County, after all. But he is also viewed by some as a puppet of the energy industry after his stint on the Corporation Commission and the massive resources Chesapeake put into his failed campaign against Dana Murphy. The energy industry and their connections would likely be his primary source of fundraising, but they already have their candidate in the race, Corporation Commissioner Jeff Cloud.
Add to this the fact that the Oklahoma Democrat Party is leaderless and in disarray, much like the national Republicans after 2006. They’re constantly in debt and their influence is waning by the day as moderate and conservative Democrats are being pushed out of the party by the more liberal wing of the party. Though registered Democrats have been increasing in Oklahoma County, it’s still an overwhelmingly conservative, Republican-friendly district. The party probably doesn’t want to expend resources in a losing effort while focusing on a competitive governor’s race. Still, it’s pretty sad when one of the major parties can’t even draft a semi-credible candidate for Oklahoma’s most important Congressional District. It just goes to show you how damaged the Democrat brand is right now, in Oklahoma and nationwide.
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Unless you are a new car dealer or an advertiser, the “Cash for Clunkers” program that is the brainchild of the liberal Democratic majority in Washington DC is a billion dollar plus boondoggle. Oklahoma’s Congressional delegation has been rightfully vocal in its opposition to this costly socialistic experiment . . . and here’s why:
Cash for Clunkers is driving up prices of used cars for the millions of low and medium-income Americans who buy them because the program is creating a diminishing pool of used cars.
As Senator Inhofe put it, “This means that many Americans who, even with the government incentive, cannot afford to purchase a new car will end up being charged more when trying to purchase a used car.”
Charities are also taking a hit. This program is drying up the pool of clunkers that in the past were donated to charities. Charities have had such programs for years that involved collection of the clunkers and which were either used by the charities themselves, or turned around and sold to finance their charitable operations.
This program further entangles the government in the business of the free market (in addition to a few more billion dollars of theft from the American taxpayer). Again, Senator Inhofe describes the problem, “On the surface, the ‘cash for clunkers’ program may seem like a good idea, however, closer examination highlights why government should not get into the business of running businesses. It just doesn’t work.”
Citing an analysis by a private firm, Inhofe said the $1 billion already spent has provided a boost of only about 50,000 in additional vehicle sales above the typical 200,000 sales.
“That means that taxpayers have spent $20,000 for each additional sale,” he said. “The program simply feeds the myth that the government offers something for nothing when in reality, the program acts as a regressive tax.”
And finally, Cash for Clunkers adds to an already staggering debt. We are trillions in debt from all the reckless spending and borrowing, and this just sinks us a little further. Senator Tom Coburn, in voicing his opposition to the program, reminds us where lawmakers will get the additional money to keep the program going. “We are going to steal it from our children,” he said.
Any way you slice it, this program is . . . a clunker.