Connelly (Seattle PI): The energy bill would be a hoot if it wasn't so sad

[Dudley_DUright]

If you ever wondered whether Congress was being run by boobs, consider that a tax credit tucked away in the 1,400-page House-passed energy bill will subsidize the opening of a Hooters restaurant in Bossier City, La.

The chain's trademark buxom waitresses will serve up finger food in the $180 million "Louisiana Riverwalk," which is being underwritten by taxpayers to "showcase futuristic energy systems." The Riverwalk's main drawing card will be a live alligator exhibit.

The gators and Hooters girls are a pet project of Rep. Billy Tauzin, R-La., chairman of the House Energy Committee and one of a tiny group of Republican lawmakers who crafted the energy legislation behind closed doors.

Appropriately, the U.S. Senate is taking up this turkey of a bill just before going on Thanksgiving break. Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., are, to their credit, seeking to stop it.

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