Through oil-fouled water, big government looks better and better

By Dana Milbank
Wash Post
Tuesday, May 4, 2010; A02

There is something exquisite about the moment when a conservative
decides he needs more government in his life.

About 10:30 Monday morning, Sen. David Vitter (R-La.), an ardent foe of
big government, posted a blog item on his campaign Web site about the
huge oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. "I strongly believe BP is spread
too thin," he wrote.

The poor dears. He thinks it would be a better arrangement if "federal
and state officials" would do the dirty work of "protecting and cleaning
up the coast" instead of BP.

About an hour later came word from the Pentagon that Alabama, Florida
and Mississippi -- all three governed by men who once considered
themselves limited-government conservatives -- want the federal
government to mobilize (at taxpayer expense, of course) more National
Guard troops to aid in the cleanup.

That followed an earlier request by the small-government governor of
Louisiana, Bobby Jindal (R), who issued a statement saying he had called
the Obama administration "to outline the state's needs" and to ask "for
additional resources." Said Jindal: "These resources are critical."

About the time that Alabama, Florida and Mississippi were asking for
more federal help, three small-government Republican senators, Richard
Shelby and Jeff Sessions of Alabama and George LeMieux of Florida, were
flying over the gulf on a U.S. government aircraft with small-government
Republican Rep. Jeff Miller (Fla.).

"We're here to send the message that we're going to do everything we can
from a federal level to mitigate this," Sessions said after the flight,
"to protect the people and make sure when people are damaged that
they're made whole."

Sessions, probably the Senate's most ardent supporter of tort reform,
found himself extolling the virtues of litigation -- against BP.
"They're not limited in liability on damage, so if you've suffered a
damage, they are the responsible party," said Sessions, sounding very
much like the trial lawyers he usually maligns.

All these limited-government guys expressed their belief that the
British oil company would ultimately cover all the costs of the cleanup.
"They're not too big to fail," Sessions said. "If they can't pay and
they've given it everything they've got, then they should cease to
exist." But if you believe that the federal government won't be on the
hook for a major part of the costs, perhaps you'd like to buy a leaky
oil well in the Gulf of Mexico.

It may have taken an ecological disaster, but the gulf-state
conservatives' newfound respect for the powers and purse of the federal
government is a timely reminder for them. As conservatives in Washington
complain about excessive federal spending, the ones who would suffer the
most from spending cuts are their own constituents.

***An analysis of data from the nonpartisan Tax Foundation by Washington
Post database specialist Dan Keating found that people in states that
voted Republican were by far the biggest beneficiaries of federal
spending. In states that voted strongly Republican, people received an
average of $1.50 back from the federal government for every dollar they
paid in federal taxes. In moderately Republican states, the amount was
$1.19. In moderately Democratic states, people received on average of 99
cents in federal funds for each dollar they paid in taxes. In strongly
Democratic states, people got back just 86 cents on the tax dollar.***

If Sessions and Shelby succeed in shrinking government, their
constituents in Alabama will be some of the biggest losers: They get
$1.66 in federal benefits for every $1 they pay in taxes. If Louisiana's
Vitter succeeds in shrinking government, his constituents will lose some
of the $1.78 in federal benefits they receive for every dollar in taxes
they pay. In Mississippi, it's $2.02.

That may explain why, as the oil slick hits the Gulf Coast, lawmakers
from the region are willing to swallow their limited-government
principles as they dangle federal aid before their constituents. Sen.
Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) said he would "make sure the federal government
is poised to assist in every way necessary." His colleague Thad Cochran
(R-Miss.) said he is making sure "the federal government is doing all it
can" -- even as he added his hope that "industry" would pay.

President Obama tried to remind the government-is-the-enemy crowd of
this situation in a speech on Saturday. "Government is the police
officers who are protecting our communities, and the servicemen and
-women who are defending us abroad," he said. "Government is the roads
you drove in on and the speed limits that kept you safe. Government is
what ensures that mines adhere to safety standards and that oil spills
are cleaned up by the companies that caused them."

For the moment, some of the conservatives have new appreciation for
governmental powers. "We're going to have the oil industry folks, the BP
folks, in front of us on the Commerce Committee," Florida's LeMieux
vowed in the news conference Monday. "We're going to talk about these
drilling issues."

But not before the taxpayer sends some more big-government money down to
the small-government politicians of the gulf.


***The private sector should pay for every damned dime spent to clean up
their mess, including the funds spend by the U.S., state and municipal
governments***

--
The Tea Party's teabaggers are just the Republican base by another name.