LOD: Auto Immune Proficiency

Legislators who claim they are champions of free enterprise and competition are ready to use the power of Big Government to thwart the marketing plans of a California company that makes electric cars.  The company wants to bypass North Carolina auto dealers by selling its cars to customers through the Internet or company-owned stores. That’s seen as unfair to the thousands of NC car dealers who are not shy about selling their point of view. Auto dealers have long been a key part of North Carolina’s buy-partisan, good-ole-boy network that puts in campaign money and labor in return for economic protection from legislators. This article from Slate gives the details, including a nod to the dealers’ contributions to Sen. Tom Apodaca, the pro-monopoly bill’s sponsor. It forgets to mention that Sen. Harry Brown, the Republican Majority Leader in the state Senate, is an auto dealer and vigilant advocate for his industry against all competitors.