First of all, if the base assumption is that no matter how great an idea might be, DC politicians will find a way to corrupt it… why is the Penny plan singled out for special treatment? What makes anyone think that Romney’s 87-page PDF Economic Plan for instance won’t also be instantly corrupted and changed?
If the assumption is always that Congresscritters will instantly transform it into a basket of giveaways and boondoggles then ANY plan to balance the budget will also be corrupted. WHAT’s the POINT of making any proposals then?
We might as well lie down and die.
If the starting point of evaluating any policy proposal or plan is that Congress will get in there and mess it up, I honestly don’t see any reason to support any candidate on the basis of any issue. Because we’d have to assume that his/her great idea would just be transformed into a steaming pile of dung by Congress.
C’mon people; are we seriously contemplating that we’d all go to work trying to get the GOP nominee elected President, but skip out on all of the other races such that we’d end up with a GOP President and a Dem Congress?
The larger point — one which I’ve raised — is that the only way that the Penny plan (or any other plan on any other issue) is not transmogrified into some atrocity is the vigilance of the electorate.
There is simply no way to trust a politician — no matter whom, no matter what — to do the right thing time and again. Absolute the only way we as a nation can defend our rights, get the policies we want, and prevent corruption by politicians is to be vigilant against such things and to keep up the pressure on all of them to do the right thing.