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Guinta Sponsors Trucking Bill & Collects from Lobbyists

by: William Tucker

Sun Jul 17, 2011 at 10:21:04 AM EDT

Earlier this year, 1st District Congressman Frank Guinta sponsored a bill to regulate freight brokers and to "increase the effectiveness of Federal oversight of motor carriers."

With the backing of three powerful trucking lobbies, the “Fighting Fraud in Transportation Act 2011, FITT, (H.R. 2357),” introduced last week by Reps. Russ Carnahan (D-MO) and Frank Guinta (R-NH), would increase bond amounts and strengthen requirements before anyone can begin brokering freight.
Guinta and Carnahan worked closely with OOIDA, the Transportation Intermediaries Association, and the American Trucking Associations in writing up the legislation.

Now it seemed out of character for Guinta to be taking the lead on regulating the trucking industry. After all, this is a man who said the "central focus of the challenges that we face in this 112th Congress" is ending the "overregulation that is strangling our small businesses." This is a man who disdains federal regulation so much that he said we don't even need the FDA to regulate food safety.

But then I reviewed Guinta's second quarter campaign finance report and I see $1000 contributions from, you guessed it, the Owner Operator Independent Drivers Association PAC (OOIDA PAC), the Transportation Intermediaries Association PAC (TIA PAC), and the Trucking PAC of the American Trucking Associations, Inc. (Truck PAC).

Also filed under Miscellany, Blue.
William Tucker :: Guinta Sponsors Trucking Bill & Collects from Lobbyists
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Guinta Sponsors Trucking Bill & Collects from Lobbyists | 9 comments
Surprise! (0.00 / 0)
Or maybe not.  That's quite a list of Frank's constituents, isn't it?
Having worked in trucking industry management for 4 years... (4.00 / 1)
...it has always been the case that federal regulations on truckers are written in such a way as to stifle competition from small entrereneurs.  Most regulations (including insane requirements requiring 18-point truck checks after every stop) were authored by the trucking companies themselves, and the fines for violations designed to be a mere 'dent' in the revenues of large companies, but destroy the annual profit of small competitors.

Gunita's two-facedness, crying for govt to 'free up' business on one hand, and sponsoring legislation that mnerely creates regioanal and nation trucking oligopolies on the other hand, is a continuation of the GOPs raw hypocrisy when it comes to how their policies affect 'the little guy down on the ground'

Just another way (0.00 / 0)
Frank talks pretty here in NH and then goes to DC and votes to screw us.  
[ Parent ]
Are we forgetting? (3.00 / 1)
The 3 rules of the GOP
1 All government benefits must go to the top 10%
2 All government costs  must go to the other 90%
3 Use fear and loathing..... to distract the 90%
What a long, strange trip it's been. n/t (4.00 / 3)

Indeed! (0.00 / 0)
My first vote for President was for Lyndon Johnson in 1964 and things have just gotten weirder and weirder since then.  
[ Parent ]
American commercial enterprise seeking protection. (4.00 / 1)
Just as it has always done.  The commercial class looks for "protected" territories from which competitors are excluded. From the participants' perspective, the purpose of competition is to destroy each other and come up with a "winner." Having the state keep competitors out is easier.
But, I'm not sure who's being suckered here.  Requiring brokers to be bonded sends a stream of money into the pockets of insurers/bond issuers.  Thousand dollar donations are really just tokens which Guinta is extorting with a proposal that probably won't go anywhere.
Guinta used to be in the insurance business.  Insurance is a racket.  It "protects" against events that, unless they're perpetrated by criminals (vandalism and sabotage), can't be prevented, only significantly mitigated by public foresight and intervention.  In a very basic sense, what we organize governmental bodies for is to prevent or mitigate catastrophes.  If building standards and fire departments are working well, we're already insured against fire burning down the house.
"Protecting" us against fraud in the freight transport industry is a lot like the campaign against voter fraud.  It addresses an imaginary problem to hide real ones.  In this case, it's insurance companies to refuse to pay up.  The motto of insurers ought to be
"Collect first; don't pay later."  Legal thievery. Deprivation under cover of law.
When asked to comment, Guinta explained (4.00 / 2)
The doodah man once told me, "You've got to play your hand, 'cause sometimes the cards ain't worth a dime, if you don't lay them down."

Whole purpose of running for office (4.00 / 1)
for these guys - the payoff.  There are great jobs at right wing think tanks, as lobbyists, etc., waiting for you if you do your job in Congress and vote for your "constituents."
[ Parent ]
Guinta Sponsors Trucking Bill & Collects from Lobbyists | 9 comments

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