Bucco, take a look at my recent post regarding the Hartmarx bankruptcy and how the union, the old garment worker's union with a new name, is leaning on Congress and the White House to influence the banks to keep Hartmarx out of liquidation--even if liquidation is the obvious answer.

The banks are saying that it isn't sound banking to lend more money when you know you'll never get repaid. The union is saying that the banks were given taxpayer-funded TARP bailout money and therefore should be required by Congress and/or the administration to continue to keep troubled companies like Hartmarx afloat.

When the Treasury Department trampled the rights of the secured creditors in the Chrysler case in favor of the UAW, they probably had no idea the can of worms they were opening. Now, the employees of every company that is financially threatened with a big union is looking to the government for a bailout. The precedent set with Chrysler and GM is going to make it very difficult for the administration to say no.

Someone in the administration better make a very public announcement that this stuff has got to stop, as politically unpopular as such a proclamation might be.