could i have a receipt for that?

I’m apparently rich.

So say both of the leading Democrat contenders.

At least, that’s what I get from their plans for rescinding the “Bush tax cuts.”

Oddly, I make little enough that my family qualifies for the maximum of the coming prebate; but I earn enough that the government claimed a full 38% of a bonus my company gave me this year.

As one of my favorite radio voices would say, “for those of you educated in government schools,” that means I got to keep only 60-ish cents of each dollar my company intended to give me for putting in long days and finding ways to keep us running more leanly and meanly. Or should that be “leanlier and meanlier?” Regardless, there is something wrong with this picture.

Here’s a thought. When I go to Kroger, they give me a nicely itemized list of what I bought. I want one from the government as well. I want to see an actual breakdown of where each penny of my tax dollars went. I’m even okay with rounded dollars.

My guess is that “Administrative Overhead” would encompass a very large part of that ticket.

When investigating various charitable organizations, I’ve found multiple sources that give a percentage of how much of each dollar given goes to the intended purpose of the charity vs. the amount that goes toward administrative stuff. I want a similar rating on government expenses.

Oh, I know there are budgets out there. If I were a truly fanatical and bored, I might invest the time necessary to create my own receipt. But I have a life to lead and work to do.

After all, another day, another 62 cents.

politics = prostitution

Another politician has fallen prey to being human. Shock. Horror. Outrage.

Predictably, the chorus of the opposing party rose immediately in a righteous cantata, demanding resignation or impeachment.

Don’t get me wrong – I think the guy should go. I’m just noting that such is the way of politics. When the other side has some exposure, the instinctive reaction on both sides is to play it for all it is worth. And then play it a little more, if possible.

What differs is the reaction of the party of the offender. When a lefty strays, we see interviews on MSNBC and other MSM outlets where experts explain that prostitution is a victimless crime (please consult with the wife of a caught offender before you buy that line; especially where the offender couldn’t afford the $3,500 model), that it was strictly a personal matter (um, okay…but who was paying for that hotel room? And did this not open the door for blackmail, and show a tremendous lack of concern for his family and incredibly poor judgment?), and/or that government shouldn’t legislate morality (virtually every law legislates morality; it is just that there are some issues that are more or less agreed to as standards for all; murder and child molestation come to mind as examples). I don’t think I need to mention examples; we know the most prominent ones by heart.

On the other hand, what happens when a righty falls? Most of the voices on the right go silent. It’s like that moment in GI Jane where the troops who have largely been supporting their Master Chief in his relentless attempts to break O’Neill quietly turn their backs when they realize the Chief has crossed the line. Party loyalty prevents the GOPers from doing public hangings of their own, but neither do they rush to his defense. See Larry Craig as an example.

I give the rightists more points for consistency.

But there is another kind of prostitution that goes on in Washington that is quite legal, though perhaps more morally repugnant. In this red light district, we are standing still as the gigolos and gigolettes are aggressively pressing their flesh on us. “You know, for just a trillion dollars,” they coo, “I’ll keep you happy for the rest of your life. No more concerns about your retirement, no more concerns about your health care, nothing to worry about at all. Just show me the green stuff, honey, and I’ll take care of everything.“

It tempts us. But this is not a victimless crime.

American businesses are moving out of the country in droves. Why? Labor costs are too high. Taxes make it nearly impossible to please the owners (shareholders) and the workers. Regulation upon regulation have forced businesses to cut benefits so they can keep legal counsel and auditors to avoid imprisonment. When these companies move, nobody wins.

Despite Michael Moore’s assertion to the contrary, we do still have a health care system that brings people from around the world when their national (socialized) medical plans have failed them. People come here from Canada for cancer treatment. People come here from Britain for dental surgery. People flood across our southern border so they can get “free” treatment in hospitals where they won’t be turned away (free to them, maybe).

Our standard of living is the envy of most of the world. Travel abroad and you’ll see American faces, famous or not, in ads around the world. Nanchang, China was where Mao gathered his rag-tag army that routed the Nationalists and chased them to Taiwan; the Monument to the People stands in the shadow of a huge WalMart. Until recently, the only retail establishment built into the structure of Beijing’s Forbidden City was a Starbucks. The most popular restaurant on Gulangyu Island, just off the coast at Xiamen, Fujian province, is a McDonalds. We may not like ourselves much, and the world may have mixed emotions about our governmental policies; but they want to be like us.

But we don’t see ourselves in that light. We are seduced by the whispers and charms of those who would entice us, who would tell us that they can love us long, long time if the price is right. They have been seduced by power, and they want us to see how powerful they are.

But to buy what they are selling comes at too great a price.