Whether you're a Democrat or a Republican (or anything in between) you will probably agree that:
1. The government spends too much money, and
2. People who want special things for their own areas should pay for them themselves.
If so, you should be encouraged by some of the actions of a certain junior Senator from Oklahoma, Tom Coburn. It seems as though Coburn has been on a lonely crusade to end pork-barrel spending for a couple of years now, with little to show for it but grief and the wrath of his more senior fellows. He doesn't seem to care, though, because he has stepped up his attack on pork and everything connected to it lately, and is finally getting some positive results for his efforts.
Check out this article from Reason's Katherine Mangu-Ward, to get a pretty nifty accounting of his successes in this crusade. From his attacks on the "Bridge to Nowhere" to his collaboration with "Osama Obama" on a pork attachment transparency bill earlier this year, Coburn has been making a name for himself among those who think this federal government has simply gone swine crazy. It is not unusual to see the attachment of thousands of pieces of pork (earmarks) to a large appropriations bill nowadays. These kinds of additions used to-say in times of yore, as recently as the 1980s-number more like a few hundred, at the most.
If you're tired of hearing about the senator from Hawaii or Alaska (or Mississippi or Massachusetts, for that matter) larding on pet projects for their states to be paid for by the taxpayers of the other states, then you should applaud this man's efforts and try to vote in more like him.
Honestly, there's not alot to be hopeful about in our federal government these days, so when a federal politician commits to doing the right thing, despite rocking (more like upending) the boat in the gentleman's club that is the US Senate, it should be noticed and appreciated!
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11 comments:
I completley agree. I still say that there should be no income tax and a straight sales tax of say 30%. If Ben Affleck wants to buy another engagement ring at 20 grand, he can go right ahead without giult... 30%. If the illegals want to buy thier groceries and clothes and then go to the emergency room for a cold, fine... 30%.
It's not like I crunched any numbers or anything, I just like saying 30%. It this idea was to take hold, someone else could realisticly come up with a set of numbers. It just seems like a good idea that everyone pay the same and not on what we earn but on what we consume.
Sorry about the mispelling. I should have previewed first...
maggie,
I understand that reservation but I don't know if I would want to replace him. We have a state congressman in my area that I really admire (and that puts him in rare company). He campaigned on term limits, too and now he's on some county drain board or something. When his term was up, he left. And believe me, he would have been a good one to keep!
No, I probably won't be going down there for awhile. I'm trying to sell some property in the Breaks to my Uncle Bob and he's having a hard time clearing up the phoney judgements on the property, so you never know...It seems as though every time a Mullins defaults on a payment, the creditors attach a "judgement" against my father's property! Seriously, there were 19 and all but two were totally someone else's debts!
My oldest boy is now living in the Atlanta, Georgia area. We'll be going down there for Easter Break (so the wife has informed me), only because he will be here for Christmas. My wife is having a hard time with him being 900 miles away...
mig,
One other benefit to a sales/consumption tax, is that it draws in revenue from the people who don't pay income tax. This would include all illegally earned monies as well as those charitable groups, churches and government entities. All that drug money would finally begin to get taxed!
I'm totally for term limits all around. And for a flat tax or sales tax to replace the income tax, too.
I think my wallet feels "shredded" from the "pork". New Jersey is did last on the list of states (50th out of 50) for the amount of money it receives back from the Federal Government compared to how much its citizens pay in.
But that's OK. I'm doin' pretty well, and I like all you'se guys out there... so the treat's on me... capiche?
(:D) Regards...
Ooops! That would be "dead last"... sheesh!
Maggie,
Even shredded squirrel tastes like chicken...
Hawkeye®,
Thanks for all the dough, bud! I'm sure it's all being used wisely...NOT!
ELEVENTEEN!!!
FWIW, I'm "Jonesing" for some Kahlua pork...
Kahlua Pork sounds good but there ain't no Kahlua in it...
Beerme:
That's OK, I like it.
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