Congress has Bailout Fever: Banks, Cars, Post Offices?

Meredith Jessup | September 24, 2009 3:51 PM

Democrats moved one step closer today to bailout out the country's dwindling postal service to the tune of $4 billion to help cover retirement benefits for its employees. The postal bailout plan has been attached to a stop-gap spending bill that's scheduled to come before the House and Senate during the next week.

According to Politico, the impact of the bailout on taxpayers is "controversial." There's been very limited talk of a possible bailout of the postal service, but it has now been attached to the must-pass spending bill to keep the federal government funded for the first month of the upcoming fiscal year.

House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey (D-Wis.) pointed to fact that Republicans had used a similar ploy three years ago when they were in power and insisted he had been upfront about the tactics in a public meeting. But his ranking Republican, Rep. Jerry Lewis of California, said the whole strategy was “one of the most cynical legislative maneuvers I’ve ever seen.”

I love how liberals point to prior precedents to justify crooked things. Newsflash: If it was wrong when the Republicans did it, it's still wrong now that Democrats are trying it.