Bailout blarney

Debate about a federal bailout of the economy’s financial sector offered several John Locke Foundation experts the chance this week to share their expertise. President John Hood discussed the proper role of government in a Thursday appearance on WUNC Radio’s “The State of Things.” Hood also shared his perspective on the bailout for an article published this week in the Grand Forks Herald. (Speaking of federal issues, the Fayetteville Observer recently sought Hood’s input for a story about members of Congress who are disregarding earlier pledges to honor term limits.) Policy Analyst and Research Editor Jon Sanders generated two columns for TownHall.com that poked fun at bailout bloviation. Meck Deck blogger Jeff Taylor discussed the bailout during an appearance this week on WDYT Radio’s morning program, “The Brainstorm.” Taylor also discussed the Charlotte-area economy and what he calls the “stupid gas policy.” (As an aside, much of North Carolina’s current problems with gas supplies can be linked directly to the state’s price-gouging law, a fact confirmed by JLF Vice President for Research and Resident Scholar Roy Cordato in a press release reprinted recently in the Tryon Daily Bulletin.) The proposed bailout also generated concerns for Paul Chesser of Climate Strategies Watch, who noted on the American Spectator blog that the bailout plan includes provisions that could open the door to a new carbon tax. Chesser’s concerns were distributed widely in the blogosphere, including the NewsBusters.org site. (Chesser also distributed his ideas in person this week, during a presentation at the Heartland Institute’s Emerging Issues Forum Thursday in Chicago.)