The American Fascist Party

Update: Rereading this, it sounds awful shrill. However, every conversation I've had recently in comments or on Twitter with progressives echoes the sentiment given below by Ray LaHood. There is not a hint of a desire to check the power of the government, no limit on what they can regulate or tax or outright own.

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I read this and thought, "Just what is wrong with you people?"

Echoing the laments of pundits like Thomas Friedman of the New York Times, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood argued Saturday that China outpaces the United States in building major transportation infrastructure like high-speed rail because of its authoritarian system and because the Chinese don't have the Republican Party holding up progress.

"The Chinese are more successful [in building infrastructure] because in their country, only three people make the decision. In our country, 3,000 people do, 3 million," LaHood said in a short interview with The Cable on the sidelines of the 2012 Aspen Ideas Festival on June 30. "In a country where only three people make the decision, they can decide where to put their rail line, get the money, and do it. We don't do it that way in America."

Huh? We long for the kind of place where Smart People make decisions for the Masses? How can anyone actually come out and say something like that and not cause a firestorm of criticism? How is this not front page stuff? This isn't crypto-fascism, but the real thing.

Life would be better if we could do away with political opposition? Maybe life would be better if we just took them out and shot them, Ray. I mean, don't get all misty-eyed about this, let's get on with it!

Ray LaHood isn't some wild-eyed loon that has to be tied back to the President through three chance linkages and an anonymous donation or two, this is the Transportation Secretary. And he wasn't fired after he said it, either.

The urge for totalitarianism in the Democratic Party is simply mind blowing.

Hey, if they're not going to be voting, maybe your political opponents could, you know, like, do some work.

Elsewhere: I know I'm late to the party - Our Monks of Miscellaneous Musings tore into him here with this lovely bit of vitriol.

Memo to Ray LaHood, you petulant, whiny-ass, little brat: go out and campaign for your side, make sure the President gets re-elected and take back the House so you can get as close to the one-party bliss of China that is legally allowed in this country and then you can build your g-dm'd high speed choo-choo system out in the wilds of Wyoming with money we don't have and for a people that don't want it.