Reason.com - Free Minds and Free Markets
Reason logo Reason logo
  • Latest
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Subscribe
    • Crossword
  • Video
    • Reason TV
    • The Reason Roundtable
    • Just Asking Questions
    • Free Media
    • The Reason Interview
  • Podcasts
    • All Shows
    • The Reason Roundtable
    • The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie
    • The Soho Forum Debates
    • Just Asking Questions
  • Volokh
  • Newsletters
  • Donate
    • Donate Online
    • Donate Crypto
    • Ways To Give To Reason Foundation
    • Torchbearer Society
    • Planned Giving
  • Subscribe
    • Reason Plus Subscription
    • Gift Subscriptions
    • Print Subscription
    • 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

2 Controversies Over Political Rhetoric Illustrate the Perils of Blaming Gun Control Critics for Murder

Jacob Sullum | 10.9.2025 4:30 PM

Bari Weiss Is Powerful, Establishment Media Is Not

Robby Soave | 10.9.2025 4:00 PM

D.C. Will Arrest This CEO if His Rideshare Alternative Doesn't Shut Down by Friday

Jack Nicastro | 10.9.2025 3:45 PM

Original Zyn: FDA Failures Allow Fake Nicotine Pouches To Flood U.S. Market

Sofia Hamilton | 10.9.2025 3:30 PM

What the Democrats Are Doing Right Now Won't Lower Health Care Costs—but Here's What Actually Would

Veronique de Rugy | 10.9.2025 3:12 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

© 2025 Reason Foundation | Accessibility | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use

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

Take Reason's short survey for a chance to win $300
Take Reason's short survey for a chance to win $300
Take Reason's short survey for a chance to win $300