Hypocrisy of financial patriotism

Patriotism Starts at the Top, Sen. Biden
By Arnold Ahlert

Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Joe Biden thinks paying more taxes is "patriotic." You wanna talk patriotism, Mr. Biden? Here we go…

First and foremost, let's talk about why Joe thinks people should pay more taxes: to fund a government run with no concept of fiscal responsibility. Zero. This year's budget is close to three trillion dollars. That’s a number so large it's almost meaningless, so let me put some meaning behind it: Since the population of the entire country is 300 million, every single American is getting charged an average of TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS apiece by our "patriots" in Congress.

Here's some of the things those patriots get just for themselves: staffs of 14 assistants for each member of the House and 34 for each Senator, on average. Top-notch health care and insurance plans. Pension benefits two to three times more than those paid in the private sector on similar incomes. Limousines, and special parking spaces on Capitol Hill and at Washington's two major airports. First-class travel all over the world. Their own private health clubs, one for the House, one for the Senate. Their own doctor's office on premises. And last, but not least, a work schedule with numerous holidays and a full month off in August.

All of it paid for by us.

You wanna be a patriot, Joe? Here's a few suggestions: Get you and your colleagues to stop taking earmarks. Cut down on your staffs. Pay for your own health and life insurance. Travel coach. Stop pretending you're "one of us" when nothing could be further from the truth. Oh, and one more thing:

Stop spending us into economic ruin–even as you have the gall to tell us it's for our own good!

Spending other peoples' hard-earned money isn't patriotic, Joe, especially when most Americans know that billions of dollars are wasted on out-of-date and ineffective programs. Programs whose primary functions are to bribe certain constituencies–or to make guys like you look good. Take a gander at Congressional poll numbers, Joe. Most of us don't think you guys look good at all. Most of us think Congress stinks to high heaven.

I do want to thank you for one thing however, and that's letting the cat out of the bag on what you and Barack Obama consider "change." Who could imagine such "revolutionary" ideas as taking even more money out the private sector and giving it to government to "redistribute"–in the middle of an economic downturn, no less? Higher taxes on the "rich," aka small business owners, is also pure genius. Why? They'll fire "little people" employees to make up the difference. And what can possibly compare with the "brilliance" of putting us all in even deeper hock than the NINE TRILLION DOLLARS of debt that you and your cronies have already amassed with years of irresponsible spending?

That's 35 years in the Senate just for you, Joe. 35 years of insinuating government deeper and deeper into the lives of every American. 35 years of ever-increasing amounts of waste, fraud, corruption and out-of-control spending by a bunch of self-interested, self-aggrandizing egotists.

Egotists whose concept of patriotism begins and ends with one idea: getting re-elected.

And you have the nerve to tell us WE should be more patriotic?

Take your "patriotism" and shove it, Senator Biden.

atahlert@comcast.net

(for the record: my annual income isn’t even sniffing $250K)