Joel Hefley: “the spring issue of Audacity magazine has an article on Malcom McClean. He is the man who invented those intermodal…”

“the spring issue of Audacity magazine has an article on Malcom McClean. He is the man who invented those intermodal containers that you see used on trains, trucks, and ships. Here is a real self-made man with a high school education who works his way up from hauling dirt in a pickup truck to raising the world's standard of living. A story of triumph over adversity. Unfortunately, those adversaries included the Federal Government. Listen to this quote: * * * his moves alarmed railroaders, who complained to the Interstate Commerce Commission. And the ICC responded by telling him he must choose between trucks and ships. Here is a man poised to revolutionize an entire industry--and the ICC worked to stop him. That, in a nutshell, is the problem with the Interstate Commerce Commission. The ICC does not protect consumers; it protects industries. It does not lower transportation costs; it raises them. And it does not protect communities from abandonment; it speeds the process up! Last year, an amendment I offered came a handful of votes short of eliminating this unnecessary agency. Today, let me address several of the issues raised during that debate. quasi-government Mr. Speaker, some Members argue that the ICC's quasi-legislative, quasi-executive, quasi-judicial nature makes it more accountable. I suggest this is a quasi-bad idea.”