Billy Long Plays the Small Business Victim of Congress Card for More Pathos: He Fails to Tell You About a Blind Trust

Poor Billy Long, poor, poor Billy Long.

From yesterday's softball piece on Billy Long written by the Springfield News-Leader:

Under House rules, members of Congress are not allowed to engage in businesses that make money from providing goods or services to consumers. Lawyers must close up practices or take their names off the masthead of their firms. Doctors can maintain a medical license but they can't care for patients. The rules are intended to make sure no one can curry favor with a lawmaker by steering clients or work to their company or firm.

"I see their point, but it's very unfortunate because it discourages that many more businesspeople from running for Congress," Long said, admitting that when he learned he would have to sever ties with his auction company, he had second thoughts.

"I had about a 10-day period of remorse," he said. "Do I really want to do this? Do I really want to sell what I've worked for 30 years?"

In the end, Long decided to push on.

"As a practical matter, you can't run a business like an auction company while you're in Washington. So whether they force me to or not, I'm going to have to liquidate," he said, acknowledging that the $174,000 annual salary for House members may end up being a pay cut.



Why is Long playing a victim of House rules? He wanted this gig, and now he is complaining that he has to give up his businesses, but does he? Notice the House rules only say Long can't engage in business.

He says he now suffers from remorse after winning. Trust me, not as much remorse as the voters of Southwest Missouri will suffer when they finally realize he is a sellout to the establishment. Still, there was time when Long bragged about his sacrifice. I always felt this was manufactured BS to create more Billy Long pathos.

But does he have to sacrifice 30 years of hard work for a two year gig? Or is this just Billy Long playing the victim card once again as voters are fooled into believing Billy Long cares about me. He cares. Yeah right! Get that thought out of your head. Billy Long has already sold you out to the establishment and special interests. He's well on his way to make his Congressional millions because of it. When was the last time you saw a Congressman come home from Washington DC broke?

Auctioneer Bob Kollmeier of
Billy Long Auctions.

Billy Long can transfer ownership of the company to a member of the family to run for the next two years, which creates a blind trust providing Long doesn't try to manage the small business from Washington. In Billy Long auctions, he has Bob Kollmeier, another auctioneer to run the show. As for Murney Associates, he owns 1/3, so it should be easy for Long to hand over operations in a blind trust as well.

This idea that Billy Long is having to sell everything for a two-year gig is just more meaningless rhetoric from Billy Long. Oh look at the sacrifice he is making to go to Washington. I am not buying it. I don't think Long ever planned on selling his life's work and this is the charade he plays now as he even knows from the story, Lawyers must close up practices or take their names off the masthead of their firms.

This works great if the family members are not deadbeats with no sweat equity in the business. Isn't it sad the Springfield News-Leader continues to give Long a pass without checking out the real options for Billy boy?