Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Part IV: Revolution!

We are not to expect to be translated from despotism to liberty in a feather-bed.
–Thomas Jefferson


I am calling for revolution! A bloodless, ballot box coup de’ tats! It is long past time.

Okay, this is the last blog of this series. This blog has been a long time coming. The reason why is well, I am very disappointed.

Too many (and even one is too many) readers met my last blog with the proverbial “not in my back yard sentiment.” You know that sentiment, when everyone thinks a group home for the mentally ill is a great idea, but not if it is too close to them. A group home is only a great idea if it is in your cross-town neighbor’s backyard.


Sadly, this is the same approach that too many have to government funding. Take away the other guy’s entitlement, boondoggle or earmark, but DON’T TOUCH MINE!

Well, then. Let me enlighten you. We have a lovely pedestrian bridge across the Missouri river. I have walked it and it is lovely. So thanks! Even though it is absolutely unnecessary and in a few years will be graffiti-ed, rusted, and forgotten. And while most of you will never, ever get any use out of it, your tens of millions of tax dollars went into building it (That is eight figures worth of money). Thank you so much! It must be okay with you, because if you want to preserve you earmark, you can’t say no to mine.

Or

You can let the oxygen back into your brain; admit that the federal government has no business building foot bridges (or any other boondoggle, entitlement or earmark) for the few with the money of the many; and go to the polls and vote the bums out. Quit protecting your piece of the pie and do what is right and honorable--leave the money in the blistered hands of those that earned it.