I am just back from a brief family trip to our nation’s capital. The efficient cause of our sojourn was a twelfth-night party at some friends’ in nearby McLean, Virginia, but we took the occasion to visit the Air and Space Museum, a reliable hit with our 13-year-old son and a source of wonder for his 4-year old sister. We also — that is, my son and I also — visited the International Spy Museum, an establishment I hadn’t known about before, meeting up later with the distaff side at the Natural History Museums (gems, butterflies, dinosaurs). Tootling around Washington, I was struck by — well, not by its prosperity, exactly, but by what is clearly a lavish outlay of funds — your funds, in fact. Everywhere I turned there were huge building cranes. In one spot, I counted seven over the space of a few blocks. It looked a little like a third world country suddenly flush from newly discovered mineral reserves of some sort. Which I suppose describes the situation in Washington accurately enough, except that for “mineral reserves” you need to substitute “deficit spending.” I remember meeting my friend Edward Shils several years ago in Washington: “My, they live well on our money,” he said. What would he say today, I wonder, when Washington has come more and more to resemble Versailles circa 1780.
I confess to feeling despondent about our political class — what Peter Schweizer, in his depressing and revelatory book Throw Them All Out, calls the PPC, the “Permanent Political Class.” Schweizer’s book provides lavish documentation for something Sarah Palin complained about a few months ago: that the people who go to Washington to be Public Servants tend to leave several years later (those who do leave) vastly richer than they arrived. How is it, for example, that Nancy Pelosi, who was helping to shape credit card legislation, made a 50 percent profit in two days from her $1-$5 million investment in Visa? Or that John Boehner profited so handsomely from real estate speculation along a highway route that he knew about before the general public? Why is it that congressmen are allowed to invest on the basis of insider knowledge when the same behavior would bring down the scrutiny of the SEC on us plebs?
Kevin Williamson has some characteristically intelligent things to say about this and other depressing facts of government financial life and its Wall Street friends in his National Review essay “Repo Men“:
Wall Street can do math, and the math looks like this: Wall Street + Washington = Wild Profitability. Free enterprise? Entrepreneurship? Starting a business making and selling stuff behind some grimy little storefront? You’d have to be a fool. Better to invest in political favors.
But it’s not only this spectacle of banana republic favoritism that is depressing. There is also the reality of what George Will calls “The Redistributionist Behemoth.” “Liberals,” Will notes,
have a rendezvous with regret. Their largest achievement is today’s redistributionist government. But such government is inherently regressive: It tends to distribute power and money to the strong, including itself.
Prominently including itself. That’s one of the disturbing ironies of Obama’s desire to “spread the wealth around.” Most of what’s spread around doesn’t find itself in the pockets of folks like Joe the Plumber but the bureaucrats who manage the distribution. Will has it exactly right:
Government becomes big by having big ambitions for supplanting markets as society’s primary allocator of wealth and opportunity. Therefore it becomes a magnet for factions muscular enough, in money or numbers or both, to bend government to their advantage.
Adam Smith explained that when profits are derived from government the businessman would turn his attention from the consumer to the politician.
Roger,
I’ve lived in DC for more than 35 years now and I’ve never been fond of the place. But it’s misguided to characterize the town solely by its most visible figures, its elected politicians. This class, I will agree, always seems to do well by itself from public service, whether Democrat or Republican. But Washington is more than these visible showmen and women, just as New York is more than Mayor Bloomberg and the impossibly wealthy who are the only people able to afford to actually live in Manhattan now. My neighbors in Silver Spring, Maryland are teachers, doctors, nurses, lawyers, bureaucrats, military personnel, and small business people and all of them work hard and nearly all of them believe strongly in the value of what they do. Knowing them as I do, I’d say our ongoing federal government and attendant services are in pretty good hands. Its the elected officials and their appointees who all too often tie those hands. Of course, local DC government is another matter, what with cronyism and corruption being virtually endemic. Only Adrian Fenty broke the mold and might have done even more if he’d been reelected as mayor, but he wasn’t enough of a glad-handing people person. Not least, while Washington may fall short in numerous ways, it’s useful to remember that when Bill Clinton left office there was a government surplus, it was the Bush administration that turned that into a deficit, along with the help of the venal plutocrats of Wall Street and the overpaid CEOs of most American corporation. The Occupy Movement may be Utopian and reductionist in its political thinking, but they do have a point: The rich are still getting richer and the poor are struggling to find jobs and pay the bills.
All of which said, there’s still way too much traffic in Washington and the summers are miserable.
md
The Occupy movement and the PPC have much in common. Chiefly, their mantra is Gimme,Gimmme,Gimme, IT’S ONLY FAIR!!! If I had my way, the word ‘fair’ would be stricken from the English language.
The word “fair” is a good word. We need to reclaim it, not vanquish it. It is fair that a human being who does something productive enjoys the fruit of his labor, and does not have it confiscated and resdistibuted to others who did not earn it.
actually, i think it’s a very bad word. now co-opted to mean “however I think things should be, from my vantage point which is the only vantage point that matters.” like “tolerance”, this word has been turned on its head by the liberal ideologue; his average brain so muddled by the liberal-speak he consumed in college as to be totally incapable of reasonable coherent thought. these are the people that teach your children, write your newspaper articles, deliver your news on tv. they have no idea what it means to be “fair” or “tolerant.” they are as far from knowing as anyone on earth.
The Occupy movement is saying “Gimmie, gimmie, gimmie…the same opportunities that existed 30 years ago.” You know, when college was a lot cheaper, there were not only jobs but decent paying jobs around, the middle class was larger, there was a much greater chance to get somewhere in life.
What is wrong with wanting opportunity?
There is nothing wrong with wanting opportunity. It is unfortunate that people have been so poorly educated as to think that “opportunity” is somthing that is “given” to you. You must seize opportunity, you must create opportunity yourself. The children known as the ‘occupy’ movement simply need to CREATE an opportunity for themselves. quit bitching and get to work. no one is GIVEN an opportunity, unless of course they have paid their lobbyists enough to buy one for them.
Clinton only managed a ‘surplus’ by raiding the Social Security trust fund and using its surplus to balance the budget.
Now that Social Security receipts have gone negative, those notes are being called in, and are being paid out from the general fund. (This is that ‘lockbox’ talk that people make fun of.)
In other words, Clinton only had a surplus because he stole money from right now to do it.
Absolutely right. There has never been a “surplus”. It was smoke and mirrors, manipulating external debt and inter-agency debt. Clinton can’t take credit – and neither can Gingrich.
Absolutely, the surplus was “projected” and would have only been realized if the internet bubble hadn’t burst. There was 6-8 percent growth projected out as far as the eye could see, that is where the “surplus” came into effect. It was never really there, but the progs keep beating that same drum over and over and over…..
You Americans ain’t seen nuthin’. Ever heard of the European Union that wants to overtake the Unites States? Well this is one area where they have already done so.
Apparently, the ruling class wants Romney to run against Obama. I and a lot of people I know are asking, “Is Romney a bum?” In other word, is Romney merely Obama-lite; should we throw the bum out before he gets in?
Our only hope might be the election of more and more true Conservatives to the House and Senate.
Exactly… Mittens IS Obama lite… and the MEDIA wants us to elect him so much that it is scary… I live in SC, I am VERY active politically, I know hundreds of people.. I know 2 people, 2 that support Mitt, and one of them is our Governor who owes him… so where are these mythical supporters? Are the Democrats (who are allowed to vote in Republican primaries in SC) going to put Romney on top because he is the ONLY one Obama thinks he can beat? That’s what I will assume has happened if Romney wins… also suspicious… my husband and I are poll workers, but for this election they decided they didn’t need us? Hummmmm? Funny business planned? Dead people voting, with Eric Holder’s striking down our ID law… this may be our LAST free election and it won’t be ‘FREE’ if the Marxists can steal this election they will.
It is truly sad, evil, and pathetic that the most lucrative investment anyone can make today is to make a contribution to someone’s political campaign. So long as the quantity is of a certain minimal level the returns on your investment will be huge.
I have long said that I would vote for anyone who promises (with some creditability) to bring the recession to Washington D.C.
Until the permanent bureaucracy understands that they too are subject to the laws of economics, nothing will get better.
“creditability” ??
misspelled, but oddly appropriate.
Romney is not Obama-lite. Nobody is Obama-lite. Obama is unique in his extremism. He was an empty vessel going into the last election, now we know what fills him and drives him. He must be defeated- if Romney’s the man to do it, get behind him and stop worrying about ideological purity. We cannot survive another 4 years of a marxist running this country. Think of it this way – none of us were particularly happy with John McCain as the nominee but I think its fair to say that if McCain had won the presidency, we wouldn’t be in the financial mess we’re in now. I’m concerned we’re going to have another wave of “protest votes/non-votes” because people aren’t getting their nominee of choice. The ONLY thing that matters is beating Obama.
This rational is pathetic. Just bring anyone, with any ideas, as long as it is not Obama… Are you upper middle class? I hope so because if the dudes you want in power do win, you are likely to see your condition worsening and you do not even see it coming. NOthing wrong about voting republican but only if voting republican is better for you .
Good God man… you must be part of the 47 percent that doesn’t pay any taxes??? That’s the scary problem here…
About half the people would rather the economy get worse so that they can continue to get the handouts from me/we or the 53 percent the people that do pay taxes…
So if Obama has it his way he will shore up his vote turning the tide so that less than 50 percent of the people pay all of the taxes…
Sooooo I agree with Matt and I will go one step further and bring in Mickey Mouse and if he’s only just right of the center he’s got my vote!!!
So if it is Romney Good God get the heck behind him…
Although there is a self correcting mechanism here and I refer to what Margret Thatcher said many years ago… “Socialism Only Work until the Money Runs Out” well if Obama get back into office get ready because that is exactly what will happen…
Exactly. Matt. The one thing you can be assured about Romney is that he isn’t going to “screw the pooch” for the Republican Party. He would be sane and sensible, compared to the opposition, no matter what else you might think of him.
Amen, Matt. Amen.
If you want to look at the endgame of DC politics, take a close look at the Kleptocracy of Massachusetts, nothing, and I mean nothing, gets done here without regular contributions to political campaigns. You want a job with the state? A promotion? Better be making regular contributions to the campaign fund of a select coterie of elected officials.
Don’t forget the unions there too…
Washington DC this year nudged the San Jose, Ca “Silicon Valley” metro area as the wealthiest metro area in the country. With an average (!) federal government compensation tilting the scales at $126,000 and change, no wonder.
De Tocqueville comes into play: democracy can endure up to the point when “politicians realize they can bribe people with their own money.”
Liberals are very similar to turkeys: 364 days per year the turkey farmer comes each morning to feed the turkeys. It’s that 365th day that’s the bitch.
The only political candidate today who is not associated with Washington’s profit making is Ron Paul. See what a Black man has to say about RP’s views on race at
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2011/12/29/pro-paul_super_pac_video_the_compassion_of_dr_paul.html
oh, sure – let’s totally slash the federal government, because the mulitnational corporations will totally take care of the average joe, no problem. and remember, wealth trickles down from the rich folks. and i’ve got some oceanfront property in arizona for you
I have an immodest proposal, hope VDH can comment on it.
How about exile?
For everyone who has served in elected office above the town level. Take your kids and $150 K, which is all anyone “deserves”. And yes, all the staffers go with them.
Let’s start over with the same Constitution.
Roger Kimball is right, and Edward Shils was correct: we in the greater Washington, D.C. area live exceptionally well, our wealth fueled by the expenditures of the Federal Government. Government salaries are very generous, as are the accompanying health and pension benefits; recessions are unknown; real estate values rarely go down—at least not very far; museums, many of which are world class, are free; restaurants are expensive and full; and of course our elected ‘public servants’ come, but they seldom leave. Should they retire–or in that rare case where they are defeated for re-election–they simply move from Capitol Hill to K Street, or to a government-funded think tank. Similarly, the large and growing number of retired civil servants and military careerists, most of whom leave government with superb pensions, often then join a firm in the “private” sector, which typically turns out to be a firm funded by government contracts. Thus does the wealth of the area continue to increase unabated. The trend is entirely bi-partisan. Part of the secret: government programs never die; they are eternal, as is the continually rising compensation of those who manage them. And what the country doesn’t actually pay for, the government just borrows. Hence our staggering national debt, the bill for which Washington will soon be sending to the rest of the country. Sacrifices, after all, will have to be shared.
Last March, my wife and I visited Bejing. Among other things, we toured the Summer Palace and Forbidden City. While walking through these places, I was reminded of the Palace of Versailles in France and Saddam’s palaces. The ruling class seldom has much trouble spending vast amount of money on their pleasures.
It’s no accident that there are so many government subsidized forms of entertainment in and around the DC area. How much of the NEA’s annual budget goes to the Kennedy Center? How much of the treasury is spent on the Smithsonian? How many billion dollar government office buildings such as the Reagan building exist in the DC metro area? How much does the Air Force spend each year on “VIP transport” to carry the president, cabinet officials and other government types around the country? Like I said, the ruling class seldom has much trouble spending vast amounts of money on their pleasures. We just get to pay for it all.
It was not John Boehner, as alleged in the article, but Dennis Hastert who allegedly profited from real estate speculation involving knowledge of where a particular highway route in Illinois was to go.
@Mr. Kimball
“Something’s happening — maybe it already has happened — to the republic conceived in liberty. The Tea Party sounded the alarm in 2010 and there was a rustle-bustle of acknowledgment. Their voices seem oddly, ominously silent now.”
Well, as a distant observer with a big family of tea party members in fly-over-country, Cain’s withdrawl has killed the enthusiasm. Romney comes off as an east coast liberal as far his track records reveals and the GOP gatekeepers are determined to have another magnanimous “McCain” moment when the time to concede comes. When the choices are socialist vs socialist-light and full speed ahead– why bother getting enthusiastic what part of the Titantic you are sitting?
Mr. Kimball, I was going to say something sarcastic about your intro line…”Why is it that congressmen are allowed to invest on the basis of insider knowledge when the same behavior would bring down the scrutiny of the SEC on us plebs?” by pointing out that they make the rules etc.. We all know this.
Instead, if I were in charge of handing out writing awards, you would get the award of the day for; “….. this spectacle of banana republic favoritism….”.
Kudos. There is the problem in a nutshell.
Lets stop hyper-venting, and approach this from a direction that will work…..Lets go to a town meeting and disrupt the hell out of it…demanding the senator or rep tell us how many stocks he or she has traded under their platnum umbrillo…..I mean disrupt till you are thrown out of the area….every time …Put these lying thieves on the hot seat….and ask them what they are going to do to change that law…..Wash. DC is more rotten and putrid than any of these 3rd world puppet dictators that has been allowed to steal BILLIONS and hide it….Vote good people in office….and keep the Tea party people, they are a real decent lot… But when they are presented with the sure offer to make a wad on insider trading, it will be hard to say no to that….These Platnum perks has to go….But most of the really effective results will be ” IN THEIR FACE”…Lets roll….And friends we need to pray ever so much for a baptism of Purity in these hearts….Excuse my spelling….
This article does not begin to touch upon reality;
Hundreds of Billions of illegal Drug profits laundered through Banking systems in NY, Miami and Chicago. The Chicago Comex is used to launder tens of billions illicit drug profits each year, the NYSE in New York, and offshore accounts managed from Miami.
Audit the bank accounts and holdings of retired DEA / FBI / CIA / ATF employees. A large percentage have unaccountable millions in assets and equities, Gains earned from assisting smuggling of weapons, drugs and laundering money.
Saudi Arabia is the worlds biggest supporter of Terrorism. This is never acknowledged by MSM, or even PJMedia for some reason. It is off limits and nobody is allowed to point out the Saudi royal family funds and maintains terrorist training schools world wide.
And we are about to arm them to the teeth with modern technology. The lessons of Iraq did not sink in, we will be fighting Saudi Arabia in the next 10-20 years, just as we armed Iraq and then invaded them.
The System is broken and its time to recognize and acknowledge the world as it truly is.
“..just as we armed Iraq and then invaded them.”
What did we arm them with? Can you provide some data on that?
Yes, please, tell me what we armed them with. Or do you not know where RPG’s come from? Here’s a clue- those tanks with turrets you saw flipped over, the crew having been hamburgered inside? Russian made T-72′s. Iraq had no American weapons. Some French, yes, but none of ours.
This quote from George Washington who warns US, but our schools do not teach!
“Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.”
George Washington
That is one of my favorite quotes. Government is indeed a dangerous, yet necessary evil. Keep it small and inside the box of the first 15 amendments. Top off the mags and lock and load.
Homeland Security Monitoring Journalists Online
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=48695
Congress and other public “servants” have perfected the art of corruption in plain sight. That’s the simple answer. No one sues them, prosecutes them and prominent mainstream outlets are in the same system because of access issues.
The single greatest argument against Big Government is graft, which is a bipartisan problem. It’s probably impossible to stop, because the politicians themselves control the process, and are the greatest beneficiaries of the crime.
Since Big Government graft is inevitable and is so difficult to control, the only best to combat it is to didmantle Big Government. That won’t stop the graft, but it downsizes it, and the closer the criminals are to the people, the better chance we have to punish them for their crimes.
This is so plainly obvious that the only way that Big Government has been able to grab a foothold in this coutry is because the politicians discovered the magic bullet…taxes. To weasle their way into their sinecures, the politicans buy supporters with our tax money.
Political graft should be a capital crime. That may be the only way to really stop it.
Yes. Failure to uphold the oath of office and engage in graft and corruption is treason. In a sane, ruled by law, society treason results in hang ‘em high.
Good solid column — but simply another in a long line of accurate, devastating, and timely diagnoses of our ill Constitutional government.
Even if we barely manage to excise part of the Democrat tumor in the election booth, the disease of Permanent Political Class mutates to a Republican variant.
What do we have to do to get to get our country to Rehab and fundamentally transform back to a nation of Constitutional law ? Or are we shrugging our shoulders and allowing ourselves to be led to hospice with a case of terminal liberty ?
I saw something like this first hand this past summer, as my coastal town was devastated by Hurricane Irene. The locals banded together, collected donations of food and water and other essentials from local businesses, put up a tent and helped each other out every day. A month later, FEMA showed up in a million dollar Winnebago festooned with large HHS signs and efficient people in crisp uniforms talking about small business loans and handing out free flashlights that nobody needed.
It’s this very behavior that convinces so many that “free markets” are in fact dead. This economic model, if you can actually call it that, is more reminiscent of the Soviet era model of corruption that benefited the elites while destroying the economy for the “little people.”
And that attitude is evident from out “leadership” from Pelosi to Reid to obango.
It attracts so little attention because it also owns the media.
And unfortunately most people’s beliefs seem to be what they read in today’s headlines or saw on the telly last night.
Sheep are not killed during shearing. They are merely used.
Investment or Malinvestment? Mises Daily: Wednesday, January 11, 2012 by Igor Karbinovskiyhttp://mises.org/daily/5864/Investment-or-Malinvestment
My oh my, Mr. Kimball, a little case of penis envy? Most of the buildings that you speak of, are built by private corporations, using private funds, for the use of private real estate investment firms. Now whether or not these investment firms lease such units to either the federal government or to private entities matters not one bit. After all, real estate if a capitalist business. So next time you want to critique what goes on here in DC you ought to educate yourself a bit more as to how the market forces work.
From a hard-working, REPUBLICAN, federal employee, with his office in a privately-owned building.