In Defense of 'Honeybee Insurance'

[...the upshot of this is these overall losers in Congress are
grasping at any straw (no matter how lame or incorrect) to bring this
country down. Country First myass, these clowns are 'party
first'...always have been, always will be.]

-----

Congressional Republicans, desperate to find provisions in the
economic stimulus package that can be exploited to kill the bill, have
taken an interest in "honeybee insurance," a favorite of Senate
Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)

The LA Times' Michael Hiltzik explains today that GOP lawmakers just
aren't "doing their homework."

It turns out that the Senate minority leader took his cue from
Neil Cavuto of Fox News, who has been carrying on about the topic for
more than a week. Their campaign was joined Tuesday by Sen. David
Vitter (R-La.), who stood on the floor of the chamber challenging "any
member to come and explain what that provision was."

I'm no senator, but I'm pleased to inform Vitter that it is, in
fact, a disaster insurance program for all livestock producers.
Beekeepers obviously would be minor beneficiaries next to, say, cattle
ranchers, so it's a tad bit dishonest to label the whole program
"honeybee insurance."

The provision simply continues a program enacted by Congress last
year, overriding a veto by President Bush. In other words, the Senate
voted on it twice in 2008 -- once to enact and once to override.
Connoisseurs of political comedy will see the punch line coming:
McConnell and Vitter voted yea both times.

So it turns out that McConnell isn't really against honeybees.
He's only using them to pretend that he's got a principled objection
to a stimulus plan aimed at pulling the country out of the most severe
recession in decades.

The honeybees, and the rest of us, are merely collateral damage.

I like to think there will come a day when Republican lawmakers will
appreciate the gravity of their responsibilities and take public
policy seriously. I just have no idea when that day will arrive.

?Steve Benen
--

http://gssites.com/congrats/index.html
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