Thune “Sings” The Same Old “Bad Government” Tune

(And I also posted over here.)

There’s no congressional summary today, since our elected officials returned from their break last Monday, and a summary of their activity this week isn’t available yet.

But in the matter of “activity under the dome,” The Hill (here) tells us that South Dakota Repug Senator John Thune has introduced a bill…

…the Freedom from Government Competition Act (S. 1167), that would require the federal government to rely on the private sector when providing services that are readily available. This legislation does not mandate the privatization of any federal service, but instead codifies the “Yellow Pages” test, which says that if a federal service can also be found in the Yellow Pages, that service or product should be subject to market competition.

And of course, Thune tells us that “studies” have found that such legislation could save $28 billion.

Yeah, sure.

I’m in favor of saving tax dollars as much as the next person, but if Thune is going to act in an intellectually lazy manner like this and not even go to the effort of spelling out which “services” he’s talking about (and I quickly scanned the summary of the bill, which was also short on details), then I don’t see why this bill should receive one iota of support (and the fact that Thune’s cosponsors are David Vitter, Jim Inhofe, Pat Roberts and the departing Sam Brownback should be a clue).

But of course, Thune has a natural antipathy to government jobs anyway, telling the “Morning Joe” talking heads that “government jobs don’t stimulate the economy” (here).

And before his election to the Senate, Thune made big bucks as a lobbyist. I realize there’s nothing illegal about that, but I would ask that you keep that in mind when reading about this from 2006…

Last year, his first in the Senate, Mr. Thune wrote language into a transportation bill expanding the pot of federal loan money for small railroads, enabling his former client to apply for $2.5 billion in government financing for its project. The loan (had) yet to be approved; Mr. Thune said he was trying to promote economic development in his home state.

"I don't apologize, and never will," said Mr. Thune, a Republican, "for working for South Dakota companies that are creating South Dakota jobs."

As long as they’re not government jobs, that is.

And did I mention that Thune, in addition to being a craven Repug capitalist, is also a social conservative?

This tells us that he tried to pass an amendment forbidding the reinstitution of The Fairness Doctrine (OK, wingnuts, I’ll tell you this once more, and I’ll say it slowly for your benefit; the…fairness…doctrine…is…never…coming…back…because…nobody…wants…it. Have you got that?). Also, Thune said a gay Supreme Court justice would be “a bridge too far” here.

Yep, a “social conservative” who owed his 2004 election victory in large part to a smear campaign perpetrated by Jeff Gannon against Dem (and Senate Majority Leader at the time) Tom Daschle (here) (and if Bushco hadn't kept Ellsworth Air Force Base open for him - it was originally slated for closure under Daschle - Thune would be toast by now).

Given all of this, tell me why I should trust Thune’s legislation to “codify the ‘Yellow Pages’ test.”

In fact, tell me why I should trust Thune on anything at all.

Update 6/22/09: More "Department Of The Obvious" musings from Thune here...