[Victory Girls] Last week at his Battle Creek rally, President Donald Trump pondered whether late Congressman John Dingell, Jr. was in Heaven or Hell. The legacy media, social media, and his widow, Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, all reached for their smelling salts. How dare the President insinuate that the recently deceased, great man was not singing with the choirs of angels in Heaven. The Dingell family has ruled Detroit for nearly a century. Is it really wrong to take a deeper look at the Dingell family and what they have gained from their inherited privilege?I had never heard of any member of the Dingell family until the Bush/Gore debates during the 2000 Presidential election cycle. During one debate, Al Gore bowed up next to George Bush and asked, "What about the Dingell-Norwood bill?" Apparently, it was a Patients Bill of Rights, but I found the phrase "Dingell-Norwood" hysterically funny. Nineteen years later, I can crack myself up just by thinking "Dingell-Norwood". Laughing now.
Watching C-Span hearings (Yes, I am that girl.), I found John Dingell, Jr. to be a nasty piece of work as head of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. I knew nothing about the family history. Until now. Daniel Greenfield has an article in Front Page Magazine that is devastating. It is titled "The Hellish Legacy of the Dingell Family", and you MUST read it. Here are the opening paragraphs:
A decade ago, Time Magazine unveiled an in-depth article on the death of Detroit. One of the politicians whom the article blamed for Detroit’s woes was Rep. John Dingell.Nearly one hundred years. Let that sink in. I have always had a huge problem with inherited positions. The concept is antithetical to our Republic. Elected officials were supposed to serve and then return to their homes and resume their jobs as teachers, landowners and plumbers. They were not supposed to make a career out of public service, enrich themselves and their families, and become permanent swamp dwellers.
The Dingell clan has held a congressional seat outside Detroit since 1932. Their 87-year tenure has not coincidentally coincided with the decline of a thriving industrial city into a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
But it’s been good for the Dingells, three of whom have sat in their congressional seat since the days of Herbert Hoover, the rise of Hitler, and the radio age, and fattened their pockets on its sinecures.
The Dingells have done well in public service. Again, from the article:
By 2014, Dingell Jr. was listed as the third richest member of Congress from Michigan with a net worth of $3.5 million. When Debbie took over for him next year, her net worth was up to $3.6 million. The salary for House members was $174,000. The median household income is $57,000 in the 12th.
Not bad for a family whose business was and is the 12th district from western Detroit through Ann Arbor. Much of the Dingell money came through GM. And Rep. John Dingell had vocally fought for the GM bailout. The GM couple, which had millions in GM stock, had a lot riding on taxpayers bailing them out.
Yes, the sordid, filthy lucre. In case you have forgotten about the GM bailout, although the government was repaid and the shareholders did well, the bondholders got screwed.