Most of you probably missed it when Sen. Lincoln attempted to eliminate tarriffs on some forgien-made goods imported by Wal-Mart.  The press gave it very little attention, and as this Washington Post article points out, it’s quite common.

For three generations, the Dungey family of Auburn, N.Y., has produced handmade dog collars and leashes for pet stores around the country. The family’s six-person shop has staved off competition from cheaper foreign labor by offering a range of products, from affordable “Sparky’s Choice” leashes to a $100 beveled-brass collar known as the “Gatsby.”

One day this spring, the company president, Anita Dungey, happened across a few words on a Web site, leading her to a startling discovery: One of her small advantages over imports was about to disappear, thanks to a little-noticed proposal in the Senate. The plan, it turned out, had been promoted by Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

Each legislative season, corporate executives and lobbyists quietly draft hundreds of bills to suspend tariffs. Over time, the changes cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars in lost revenue, a Washington Post analysis of U.S. trade data found.

Lawmakers usually introduce the provisions at the behest of companies in their districts. Many of those companies and their executives have given federal campaign contributions totaling millions of dollars.

The dog-collar proposal was introduced by Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D), who represents Wal-Mart’s home state of Arkansas.

Since 2003, Wal-Mart’s political committee has contributed $9,000 to Lincoln’s campaigns.

They don’t count the many thousands from individual Walton’s and others with ties to Wal-Mart.  I guess they know a good investment when they see it.  With the hundreds of millions she has helped them save, I’d say the money is a very good investment.  Unfortunately, future generations will have to pay off the trillions of dollars of debt.

I never understood why taxing inheritance is unfair, but not the passing of debt (taxes) to future Americans.