The Universe Exists for My Amusement

Cities Line Up at the Trough. I’ve got a much better idea: Cut your bloated budgets.

As three major U.S. cities asked the federal government for a slice of the $700 billion bailout plan, other cities were considering whether that was the right move for them.

Illustrating the complexity of the situation, San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed told The Associated Press early Friday he planned to request 2 percent — or $14 billion — of the federal government's bailout package to pay for mass transit improvements and expansion of the area's clean-technology businesses.

Hours later, the mayor issued a statement saying he would not ask for any of that money, unlike Philadelphia, Atlanta and Phoenix.

"I do not plan to ask Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson for TARP bailout funds for San Jose at this point in time," Reed said. "However, if TARP funds become available to cities, I will work to ensure that San Jose is allotted its fair share."

Bailout for Car Makers Failing. Good. Maybe Republicans are growing a pair. They’ll need them once the Obama machine starts socializing the country.

Facing an uphill battle in Congress and stiff opposition from President George W. Bush, supporters of a government bailout for the sinking U.S. auto industry are offering to reduce its $25 billion size.

General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC, battered by an economic meltdown that has choked their sales and frozen credit, are lobbying lawmakers furiously for an emergency infusion of cash. GM has warned it might not survive through year's end without a government lifeline.

Other auto suppliers and dealers with showrooms empty of customers plan to join the effort Monday when Congress returns following the Nov. 4 elections. The key Senate vote on preventing opponents from blocking the package could occur as early as Wednesday.

States line up at the Trough. Sure, the Feds fucked up the economy. But the states made their own blunders with their bloated budgets. The states need to do the same thing everyone else is doing: Cut back!

Led by California with a $28 billion hole in its budget, 41 states are in financial trouble, and many of their leaders are looking to Congress to bail them out.

State officials are hoping to join the ranks of the financial industry and auto manufacturers, who've found a sympathetic ear on Capitol Hill. They've found some key supporters: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other top Democrats are promoting aid to states as part of a broad stimulus package that could inject more than $300 billion into the ailing economy.

The idea is getting a strong bipartisan push from governors across the country, with California Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and New York Democratic Gov. David Paterson among the chief proponents. Both are blaming Washington for their states' mounting troubles.

Testifying at a recent House of Representatives hearing, Paterson said that New York was "at the epicenter of a national emergency" after federal oversight bodies "utterly failed in their duty" to protect Americans' savings and the U.S. financial system. Speaking Wednesday before a Chamber of Commerce group in Fresno, Calif., Schwarzenegger said that "government is really at fault" and that Washington was obligated to "get us out of this mess."