Ray LaHood Prefers Chicom Dictatorship to American Democracy

[wbcoleman]

Posted By Josh Rogin   Thursday, July 5, 2012 - 4:03 PM

http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/07/05/obama_s_transportation_secretary_hails_chinese_infrastructure



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."

This is a former Republican Congressman speaking!

OK, he demurs:

LaHood said that despite this, democracy is still preferable. "We have the best system of government anywhere on the planet. It is the best. Because the people have their say," he said.

Even so, I find this appalling but typical of the get-along-go-along political mindset.