Mulally Calls for Government Thugs to Beat Up Taxpayers

I complained in this post about "the American businessman's apparent dearth of guts in the face of cumbersome big government, about their lack of idealism and economic philosophy when the going gets tough. 'If we can't beat 'em, we'll just have to join 'em,' they seem to mumble as they sidle up to the nearest legislator, checkbook in hand, instead of taking the more honorable and idealistic high road of public political debate."

Ford's CEO Alan Mulally has just confirmed my low impression of such businessmen's philosophico-moral compass by "urging US politicians to consider the hitherto taboo idea of raising petrol taxes as a way of encouraging fuel conservation." (Quote from an article by Bernard Simon in today's Financial Times.)

So the automakers are environmentally conscientious fuel conservationists? I don't think so.

What Mulally really wants is for the Washington politicians to imposed a tax on gasoline to entice--oh, let's just say it: strong-arm car purchasers into buying government-mandated hybrids, thus preserving Mulally's job.

What prostitutes many large corporate managers have become. Instead of protecting the future of business in America by fighting government mismanagement with a little courage and a handful of sound convictions, they choose to put their self-respect aside, along with their moral common sense, and jump into the orgiastic Big-Government fray.

Now, for those social liberals who hesitate to cast moralistic stones at prostitutes, you must acknowledge that the idea of selling access to one's body for money evokes some discomfort, at least in most of us; and we should also admit to the existence of culturally ingrained and/or biologically instigated emotional ties inhibiting the freedom of our physical relationships to a subjective degree. To deny this and defend absolute licentiousness would be to deny the observable, esteemed human pair-bonding behavior and the family solidarity it engenders.

A similar malaise should stem from this kind of corporate libertine behavior; and yet as soon as a government gets too big for its britches, all too many in positions of corporate leadership put shame aside and start to lower their own.


[Thanks to Pantsoffroad.co.uk for the image.]

What a pity. The cabal of entities trying at present to to feed at the taxpayer trough could instead be so much more effective (never mind be able to look at themselves in the mirror) if they would band together, keep their pants on, and take the high road.

And who knows? From within this more noble ilk might we elect our next small-government president.