Nice Economy You've Got There. Be a Shame if Anything Were to Happen to It.

From Opinion Journal:

"Rep. Barney Frank has priorities in the new Congress other than gays in the military, the Boston Globe reports:

"Frank has proposed in a series of meetings with business groups a 'grand bargain' with corporate America: Democrats would agree to reduce regulations and support free-trade deals in exchange for businesses agreeing to greater wage increases and job benefits for workers. . . .

Frank proposes that if businesses support a minimum wage increase and provide protection for workers adversely affected by trade treaties, Democrats would be more willing to ease regulations and approve free-trade deals. Frank also would support changes to immigration rules favored by businesses, and noted that allowing more immigrants would put needed funds into the Social Security system.

Frank casts his proposal as a way for capitalists to quell some of the populist fervor that was expressed in last week's election, when many Democrats vowed to crack down on companies moving jobs overseas.

In the private sector, this is known as a 'protection racket'."