Reason.com - Free Minds and Free Markets
Reason logo Reason logo
  • Latest
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Subscribe
    • Crossword
  • Video
  • Podcasts
    • All Shows
    • The Reason Roundtable
    • The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie
    • The Soho Forum Debates
    • Just Asking Questions
    • The Best of Reason Magazine
    • Why We Can't Have Nice Things
  • Volokh
  • Newsletters
  • Donate
    • Donate Online
    • Donate Crypto
    • Ways To Give To Reason Foundation
    • Torchbearer Society
    • Planned Giving
  • Subscribe
    • Reason Plus Subscription
    • Print Subscription
    • Gift Subscriptions
    • Subscriber Support

Login Form

Create new account
Forgot password

Politics

Plutocrat Rattner Disturbed By Sequester, Canceling of Son's Possible Gov't Internship

Nick Gillespie | 3.12.2013 6:36 PM

Share on FacebookShare on XShare on RedditShare by emailPrint friendly versionCopy page URL
Media Contact & Reprint Requests

Was it Milton Friedman who said - with great sadness, no doubt - that "there is no free brunch?"

How tough is it out there now that the sequester is in, what, a second week?

Here's the lowdown from Steven Rattner, the plutocrat named by Barack Obama to oversee the government's illegal, unprofitable, and sadly bipartisan auto bailout.

the twitter.com

For the record, Rattner is, according to a 2009 Bloomberg Businessweek article, "worth at least $188 million."

You know what? When my kid can't apply for a summer internship program at the federal government due to automatic spending reductions, it's a recession. But when the son of a guy worth at least $188 million, who appears on Morning Joe alot, and is on a first-name basis with the president can't apply to a Defense Department young lords internship programme - let me tell, that's a depression.

And it's not just limited to Rattner, whom Businessweek said could be worth more than $600 million. No, this rotten economy has fallen like snow on the rich and even the merely incredibly wealthy alike, as a subsequent Rattner tweet made plain:

If you want to follow Rattner's real-time tweeting of life among the 1 Percent of the 1 Percent - or if you want to show your solidarity by telling him your kids' problems - send him a tweet at @SteveRattner. If your net worth is high enough, I'm sure he'd like to hear your kids' tale of woe.

And for even more true tales of desperation from the sequester - no White House tours! reduced budgets for military bands!  - read "5 Scenes from a Sequestered America."

Related: "Now Dems worry: Did President Obama Cry Wolf?"

Start your day with Reason. Get a daily brief of the most important stories and trends every weekday morning when you subscribe to Reason Roundup.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

NEXT: U.K. Manufacturing Figures Suggest Triple-Dip Recession

Nick Gillespie is an editor at large at Reason and host of The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie.

PoliticsSequestrationNanny StateCultureEconomicsPolicyBarack ObamaGovernment Spending
Share on FacebookShare on XShare on RedditShare by emailPrint friendly versionCopy page URL
Media Contact & Reprint Requests

Show Comments (48)

Latest

Review: A Superhero Struggle About the Ethics of Violence

Jack Nicastro | From the June 2025 issue

Brickbat: Cooking the Books

Charles Oliver | 5.9.2025 4:00 AM

The App Store Freedom Act Compromises User Privacy To Punish Big Tech

Jack Nicastro | 5.8.2025 4:57 PM

Is Shiloh Hendrix Really the End of Cancel Culture?

Robby Soave | 5.8.2025 4:10 PM

Good Riddance to Ed Martin, Trump's Failed Pick for U.S. Attorney for D.C.

C.J. Ciaramella | 5.8.2025 3:55 PM

Recommended

  • About
  • Browse Topics
  • Events
  • Staff
  • Jobs
  • Donate
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • Media
  • Shop
  • Amazon
Reason Facebook@reason on XReason InstagramReason TikTokReason YoutubeApple PodcastsReason on FlipboardReason RSS

© 2024 Reason Foundation | Accessibility | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

r

Do you care about free minds and free markets? Sign up to get the biggest stories from Reason in your inbox every afternoon.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

This modal will close in 10

Reason Plus

Special Offer!

  • Full digital edition access
  • No ads
  • Commenting privileges

Just $25 per year

Join Today!