Entry in progress—B.P.
 
Jewish World Review
May 7, 2009 / 13 Iyar 5769
We have just seen an episode of Gangster Government
By Michael Barone
Last Friday, the day after Chrysler filed for bankruptcy, I drove past the company’s headquarters on I-75 in Auburn Hills, Mich. As I glanced at the pentagram logo, I felt myself tearing up a little bit. Anyone who grew up in the Detroit area, as I did, can’t help but be sad to see a once great company fail.
 
But my sadness turned to anger later when I heard what bankruptcy lawyer Tom Lauria said on a WJR talk show that morning. “One of my clients,” Lauria told host Frank Beckmann, “was directly threatened by the White House and in essence compelled to withdraw its opposition to the deal under threat that the full force of the White House press corps would destroy its reputation if it continued to fight.”
(...)
In the meantime, who is going to buy bonds from unionized companies if the government is going to take their money away and give it to the union? We have just seen an episode of Gangster Government. It is likely to be part of a continuing series.
 
Kudlow’s Money Politic$
Thursday, May 07, 2009
Gangster Government: An Interview with Tom Lauria
Hat tip to my friend Michael Barone, who coined the term “gangster government” to describe Team Obama’s bullying threats against the senior bondholders in the Chrysler bankruptcy, where constitutionally backed contract rights have been overturned. It shows the corruptive nature of the whole TARP program and the government’s control along with it. This is corroding the animal spirits of democratic capitalism, which rely on the rule of law.
 
C-SPAN Congressional Chronicle
Bachmann, Michele [R-MN]
Special Orders
Begin 2009-06-09 21:28:30
End 21:32:44
Mrs. BACHMANN. I thank the gentleman from Missouri.
 
And I’m very concerned again about these motor takeovers from the Federal Government. One thing that I am very concerned about, a story came out today where there’s been approximately 1,500 letters that have gone out to GM dealerships.
 
One story that came out today, there is a dealership that I know of that applied to their Democrat Senator to appeal for help so that they could stay open. That Senator was able to arrange a meeting between the dealer and the officials at GM. We all know GM is now Government Motors because it’s owned by the American people. It’s been nationalized. There is no private corporations the way we used to think of GM. Now, the main stockholder is the American Government. So this Democrat Senator who
was applied to for help was able to secure a meeting with General Motors and a car dealership, and they were able to get their dealership back.
 
[Time: 21:30]
 
Well, that’s great, that’s wonderful.
 
There is also another article I saw today where a constituent had contacted one of the representatives, a Democrat representative here in this Chamber, Representative Barney Frank. Barney Frank was able to go and talk to the right people and get this dealership back open. Is that what we have come to in this country, that rather than a private business with a private contract with another private corporation, they’re no longer able to work out their agreements because, as columnist Michael Barone has called, he said, Now we’ve moved into the realm of gangster government. We have gangster government when the Federal Government has set up a new cartel and private businesses now have to go begging with their hand out to their local—hopefully well politically connected—Congressman or their Senator so they can buy a peace offering for that local business. Is that the kind of country we are going to have in the future?