U.S. Rep. Jim Moran Is November’s Porker
Back on November 4, we growled about some members of Congress wanting to do away with 401(k) retirement plans. Part of that growl included a You Tube video of Rep. Jim Moran (D) explaining certain “simplistic notions” about wealth redistribution. For that contribution to economics, Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) named him its November Porker of the Month. According to the CAGW press release:
“The remark occurred during an October 27, 2008 Indian-American Forum Candidate Night in suburban Virginia with his challenger Mark Ellmore (R). Rep. Moran stated “Now, in the last seven years, we have had the highest corporate profit ever in American history, highest corporate profit. We’ve had the highest productivity. The American worker has produced more per person than at any time. But it hasn’t been shared and that’s the problem. Because we have been guided by a Republican administration who believes in this simplistic notion that people who have wealth are entitled to keep it and they have an antipathy towards the means of redistributing wealth. And they may be able to sustain that for awhile, but it doesn’t work in the long run.”
“Rep. Moran’s punitive conclusion about creating wealth reflects the prevailing ethos of the current Congress,” said CAGW President Tom Schatz. “His remarks offer a window into the soul of the congressional leadership and offer a bare-knuckled preview of the kind of confiscatory policies taxpayers can expect now that there are even fewer fiscal conservatives on Capitol Hill. This Congress intends to reward hard work and productivity with a government-mandated ‘sharing’ program.”
“It is no surprise that Rep. Moran cannot grasp the concept of benefiting from the fruits of one’s labor because all he has ever produced is hot air. He entered politics soon after graduate school, where he must have majored in putting his foot in his mouth. In 2003, he said, “If it were not for the strong support of the Jewish community for this war with Iraq, we would not be doing this.” In June, 2006 he told a local group that when he took the helm of a House appropriations subcommittee he was going ‘to earmark the s__ out of it.’”
CAGW says it’s “Porker of the Month” award “is a dubious honor given to lawmakers, government officials, and political candidates who have shown a blatant disregard for the interests of taxpayers.” The award seems well-deserved.
UPDATE (11/21/08): Ilya Somin, blogging at Volokh Conspiracy, explains why she doesn't "approve" of the "egregious Jim Moran."