Ports Sale

Message to Washington

This message was just sent to the folks in Washington, using congress.org:

Concerning the impending sale of our ports: President Bush, I am disappointed; I thought better of you.  To the rest of the recipients of this email, I encourage you to do everything necessary to stop the sale.

I have long said that I have every confidence in our system of government, but little or no confidence in some of those running it.  This action once more confirms my opinion.  The cabinet secretaries involved in the congressionally mandated review of this sale seem to have risen to the level of incompetence and thereby proved the Peter Principle.

Secretary Snow indicated that failure to approve the sale would send a terrible message that foreign investment is not welcome from some countries.  Where is it written that all U.S. assets are up for sale in the first place?  Isn't it enough that the taxpayers get bilked annually for bargain-basement sales and leases of publicly-held assets to U.S. corporations?  Do we have to put our major ports and our security on the block as well?

Secretary Gutierrez claims we are not relinquishing security of our ports, and that such assertions generate an instant emotional reaction.  He's right about the instant reaction, but it's interesting that the reaction of so many in Congress and elsewhere seems to disagree so strongly with the Secretary.

It is getting harder and harder to fathom the bureaucratic logic that spawns these travesties.  I am a conservative Independent.  I vote for the person, not the party -- and the last few elections many of those votes were cast for Republicans.  I'd like to think those votes were not cast in error, but this Administration is sorely trying my patience as a voting citizen of this country.