Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Kangaroo America

"Subpoenas Hit Toyota on the Eve of Hearing", Wall Street Journal, Tuesday, February 23, 2010, page A 4.

The appearance of conflicts of interest, said the Democrats at one time, is as important to eliminate as are the conflicts of interest themselves. Is it not an overwhelming appearance of conflict of interest when the United Auto Workers union-controlled so-called "U. S. auto industry" and its Democrat toadies can establish such a barrage to weaken another "U. S. auto company" -- but a predominantly non-union one? It is clear to most reasonable Americans that the rules of commerce in America have changed with this administration and Democrat-led Congress. The Rule of Law is out. The Constitution is so last century. Free enterprise? Who needs it? No wonder individuals are trying to hang onto whatever money they have, keep operations lean and not expand nor buy. America is run by Partialitists, those who are partial to one over another. It is arbitrary and anti-business. It is damaging America, American business and American jobs.




And those subpoenas? Is it bad luck that they were issued by Obama's Securities and Exchange Commission on the eve of the hearings? Or coincidence? Or a highly-coordinated conspiracy?



The leaders of the pack against Toyota? They are Democrats from union strongholds like Michigan and California. And how did they treat Toyota's response to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's complaints? "… [S]eriously deficient…" write the U. S. House of Representatives' Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman, Democrat Waxman from California, the chairman of the Committee's subcomittee on oversight, Bart Stupak, a Democrat from Michigan and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, ostensibly a token Republican but working for a Democrat. But that's only one hearing. Also piling on are the House Oversight and Government Reform [sic] Committee and the Senate's Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. That letter from Waxman, Stupak and LaHood also criticizes Toyota's engineering report as having "major flaws". Senators, Congressmen have you even read Toyota's response and report? And, finally, the entire process will likely enrich 1) trial lawyers with whom Toyota will likely be forced to settle; 2) Democrats, again, elected in part by the huge contributions of the afore-mentioned trial lawyers and 3) trial lawyers a second time for whom tort reform is quashed by the afore-mentioned Democrats.



The SEC goes after Toyota for, among other issues, "improper disclosure or misleading statements made to investors". But without any presentation of evidence, couldn't the media blitz by the Democrats be considered improper or even misleading?



All of this smacks of a Kangaroo Court, parroting those called by Eliot Spitzer, most or all of which were thrown out of court.


But wait!  There's more.  The Federal Bureau of Investigaton "visited" three U. S. offices of Japanese car-parts makers as part of an international investigation for anti-trust.  Makers were raided in Japan and Germany, too. 



And the final blow to the Constitution? Innocent until proven guilty. The Democrats and Obama's government seem to care not about guilt or innocence, much less facts. They attack with a vengeance those they do not like and they don't wait for evidence, scientific or otherwise.  But one wonders: If Toyota allowed its unionization, would the government suddenly backtrack?

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