Obama’s Economic and Constitutional Ignorance

Barack Obama is co-sponsoring the Patriotic Corporation Act, which is such a blatant example of wrong headed and damaging legislation that it boggles the mind.  The great irony is that the Democrats who have for so long accused conservatives of abusing the term "patriot" are now using the term as a smoke screen for a bill that advances an insidious agenda. The following is taken from the National Association of Manufacturer's website:

February 12, 2008

Government-Defined Patriotism

An interview in The Nation's blog with Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH):

I've talked to Barack a lot about his Patriot Corporation Act, which is not trade per se, but it's certainly part of the economic package around globalization. ThePatriot Corporation Act has not gotten the attention that I would hope it would. But, basically it says that if you play by the rules, if you pay decent wages, health benefits, pension; do your production here; don't resist unionization on neutral card check, then you will be designated a "Patriot Corporation" and you will get tax advantages and some [preference] on government contracts.

There is so much here that's profoundly objectionable. On card check, it's "patriotic" to support the elimination of the secret ballot in the workplace? It's "patriotic" to pay an employee $14 an hour, but not $13.83? Play by the rules? What does that mean?

The most striking offense here is the idea that the federal government would be defining patriotism, company by company. And if the federal government defines a company as a patriot, than it will be defining -- if only by omission -- the companies that are not patriots.

A terrible, terrible idea.