The bailout of Detroit, using TARP funds, is illustrative of the deficiencies inherent in crafting legislation in times of crisis, no matter how necessary. Blaming Hoekstra for it is disingenuous and not really credible.

Cash for clunkers was a not-very good idea, but understandable, and no worse than a myriad of other little noticed ideas, such as tax credits for energy-efficient furnaces and the like, that government distributes willy-nilly still today. That the entire tax code, its incentives and disincentives, needs overhaul should not be in debate, and certainly not on these pages. That Hoekstra would not be a firm advocate for doing so is a position in search of evidence.