This should be on the front page of every newspaper.
Charley Reese's final
column for the Orlando Sentinel... He has been a
journalist for 49 years.
He is retiring and this is HIS LAST COLUMN.
Be sure to read the Tax
List at the end.
This is about as clear and
easy to understand as it can be. The article below
is completely neutral, neither anti-republican or democrat.
Charlie Reese, a retired reporter for the Orlando Sentinel,
has hit the nail directly on the head, defining clearly
who it is that in the final analysis must assume responsibility
for the judgments made that impact each one of us every day.
It's a short but good read.
Worth the time.
Worth remembering!
545 vs. 300,000,000 People
By Charlie Reese
Politicians are the only people in the world
who create problems and then campaign...........against them.
Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats
and the Republicans are against deficits,
WHY do we have deficits?
Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians
are against inflation and high taxes,
WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?
You and I don't propose a federal budget.
The President does.
You and I don't have the Constitutional authority
to vote on appropriations.
The House of representatives does.
You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.
You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.
You and I don't control monetary policy,
the Federal Reserve Bank does.
One hundred senators, 435 congressmen,
one President, and nine Supreme Court justices
equates to 545 human beings out of the 300 million
are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible
for the domestic problems that plague this country.
I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board
because that problem was created by the Congress.
In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty
to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered,
but private, central bank.
I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists
for a sound reason.
They have no legal authority.
They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman,
or a President to do one cotton-picking thing.
I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars
in cash.
The politician has the power to accept or reject it.
No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the
legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.
Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy
convincing you that what they did is not their fault.
They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.
What separates a politician from a normal human being
is an excessive amount of gall.
No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker
who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits..
( The President can only propose a budget.,,,,,,
.......... He cannot force the Congress to accept it.)
The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land,
gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives
for originating and approving appropriations and taxes.
Who is the speaker of the House?
John Boehner. He is the leader of the majority party.
He and fellow House members, not the President, can approve any
budget they want.
If the President vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.
[The House has passed a budget but the Senate has not approved
a budget in over three years. The President's proposed budgets
have gotten almost unanimous rejections in the Senate in that time.]
It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million cannot...
replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts --
of incompetence and irresponsibility.
I can't think of a single domestic problem
that is not traceable directly to those 545 people.
When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise
the power of the federal government, then it must follow that
what exists is what they want to exist.
******************************************************************************
If the tax code is unfair,
it's because... they want it unfair.
If the budget is in the red,
it's because... they want it in the red.
If the Army & Marines are in Iraq and
Afghanistan it's because... they want
them in Iraq and Afghanistan.
If they do not receive social security
but are on an elite retirement plan not
available to the people, it's because...
...they want it that way.
There are no insoluble government problems.
Do not let these 545
people shift the blame to bureaucrats,
...whom they hire and whose jobs
... they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts
and advice... they can reject; to regulators,
to whom they give the power to regulate and
from whom... they can take this power.
Above all, do not let them con you into
the belief that there exists disembodied
mystical forces like "the economy,"
"inflation," or "politics" that prevent them
from doing what they take an oath to do.
Those 545 people, and they alone,
are responsible. They, and they alone,
have the power.
They, and they alone, should be held
accountable by the people who are their bosses.
Provided the voters have the gumption to manage
their own employees...
We should vote all of them out of office and clean
up their mess!
This might be funny if it weren't so true.
Be sure to read all the way to the end:
Tax his land,
Tax his bed,
Tax the table, at which he's fed.
Tax his tractor,
Tax his mule,
Teach him taxes are the rule.
Tax his work,
Tax his pay,
He works for peanuts anyway!
Tax his cow,
Tax his goat,
Tax his pants,
Tax his coat.
Tax his ties,
Tax his shirt,
Tax his work,
Tax his dirt.
Tax his tobacco,
Tax his drink,
Tax him if he Tries to think.
Tax his cigars,
Tax his beers, If he cries tax his tears.
Tax his car,
Tax his gas,
Find other ways
To tax his ass.
Tax all he has
Then let him know that you won't be done till he has no dough.
When he screams and hollers; then tax him some more,
Tax him till he's good and sore.
Then tax his coffin,
Tax his grave,
Tax the sod in which he's laid...
Put these words upon his tomb,
'Taxes drove me to my doom...'
When he's gone, do not relax,
Its time to apply The Inheritance Tax.
Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
CDL license Tax
Cigarette Tax
Dog License Tax
Excise Taxes
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Gasoline Tax (currently 44.75 cents per gallon)
Gross Receipts Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Luxury Taxes
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Personal Property Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Service Charge Tax
Social Security Tax
Road Usage Tax
Recreational Vehicle Tax
Sales Tax
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone Federal Excise Tax
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
Telephone Recurring and Nonrecurring Charges Tax
Telephone State and Local Tax
Telephone Usage Charge Tax
Utility Taxes
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax
> STILL THINK THIS IS
> FUNNY?
>
> Not one of these taxes
> existed 100 years ago, & our nation was the most prosperous
> in the world. We had absolutely no national debt, had the
> largest middle class in the world, and Mom stayed home to
> raise the kids.
>>
> What in the heck happened?
> Can you spell 'politicians?' I hope this goes around THE USA at
> least 545 times!!!
