Strange Bedfellows

Teamsters Union President James Hoffa, and, well, us.

Hoffa and his allies at the Sierra Club and Public Citizen have sued in federal court to stop the government from issuing permits to Mexican freight haulers. Their lawyers argued in court that Mexican trucks pose a danger on the roads and threaten increased human and drug smuggling.

"Dangerous trucks should not be driving all the way from Mexico to Maine and Minnesota," said Hoffa in a prepared statement. "What is it about safety and national security that George Bush doesn't understand?"

My emphasis. OK, so the Teamsters are likely more interested in protecting their union than the public safety.

But still. They donate a metric assload of money to Democrats. It's always nice when your interests and those of your opponents coincide. Even on a smallish (for now) issue like this.

"We chose to do this incrementally and cautiously," said John Hill, who runs the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which regulates truck safety and is responsible for the cross-border trucking plan. "These carriers are going to be safe."

Right. For about five minutes, which is the time it takes for all manner of Mexican smugglers to corrupt them.

Be fun to see what turns up at the weigh stations when these trucks start hitting the road, which could start as early as this coming week.

posted by Laura. at 07:07 PM

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