None Dare Call It Reason

            A multi-million dollar bill for ‘team building’ and making meetings warm and fuzzy is rightfully classified as a little too ‘last century’ by the acting head of the IRS.  But here’s something else to think about:  most of the loudest complainers hold ownership or employment in organizations that do exactly the same thing, paid for by tax payers!  You see, every large corporate training department spends similar sums on this century’s version of feel-good team building activity.  Then they reduce their net taxable income by the cost of those events, because they are deemed legitimate business expenses.  Hence they pay no taxes on those gross income dollars they wasted.

            Well, what is it? A legitimate expense or not?  If it is OK for corporations to pay less in taxes (for the government to spend taxpayers’ money on deductions), if that is OK, then why the big scat storm when the government does it elsewhere?  This whole event is further proof that there are those in business, media, and government who believe they should be able to have it both ways. 

           Consistency may be the hobgoblin of small minds, and surely mine is as small as any.  Still, around here we think consistent application of principles (reason) will help produce the revenue this country needs.  The IRS shouldn’t be held to a higher standard than reason dictates.  But it should be held to a higher standard than it is.  Now, let’s go kick some IRS ass! 

We and They

            We believe in straight forward conduct, but they mislead, misdirect, and hide the truth with complex and nebulous legislation and procedures.  We believe in strengthening our infrastructure; they pinch off our ability to care for roads, bridges, parks, and landmarks.  We believe investigative journalists aren’t doing enough; they want to jail them, and their sources.  We believe in getting things done; they believe in 3-day work weeks, lunches, and frequent recesses.  We believe in taking care of our planet; they ignore or deny climate change and refuse to consider capping carbon emissions.  We believe too many are unemployed; they are busy trying to embarrass each other and cutting unemployment benefits.  We believe America has an education crisis; they want to put guns in schools.  We believe in helping others, but they slash away safety nets and programs that help people in need, and refuse to support cost effective care providers with whom they disagree.  We believe in a level economic playing field; they listen to lobbyists and legislate taxpayer supported economic favoritism.  We think labor unions protect workers from abuse; they have worked diligently for forty plus years to crush unions.  We believe in independent thought, but those we elect to Washington abandon independence for partisanship. 

            It’s us, isn’t it?!  We keep electing them.  Around here, we think 2014 would be a good year to clean house…and senate…to get off the ones who ignore what we believe, and vote for grown ups who listen to US.

Raindrops in my Eyes

Raindrops in my Eyes

            My congressperson, the honorable Adele Pate, shattered my world…I don’t know…recently.  She said her future is unfolding, and therefore she wasn’t running for congress again.  It ranked right up there with her best previous explanation, “I have a meeting.”  She’s a member of the Climbing Rose faction of her Party—they’re the ones whose prescription for every problem seems to be, “Grab my thorns!”  We have to raise the debt ceiling or our country will be internationally shamed: “Grab my thorns!”  We can’t permit the sequester or millions will suffer: “Grab my thorns!”  Obama’s health care program is what we wanted eight years ago: “Grab my thorns!”  Why did you do all that damage?  “I have a meeting!”

            It’s clear now that Adele is thinking about sharing her thorny philosophy with even more lucky people.  She’s surely got Imelda Marcos, ‘the shoe lady’, spinning with jealousy in her grave.  Adele’s future is blossoming!  I had to call her office and congratulate her.  First I had to wipe the water from my eyes.  Fortunately it was ‘towel day’ all over the galaxy, so I had my eyes dried in a twinkle.  Somebody named Clod answered the phone, and promised me he would convey my sobs to her honorable self.

            I asked if I might send roses.  He replied, “She already has plenty of thorns.” 

            “I know,” I said, still sniffling, “I thought she could use something that smelled nice, for once.”

            “Right,” he said, and hung up.

Summer Canning

            Time is nearly here to gather all the vegetables around us and start putting things by.  It’s a wonderful, bountiful activity that monopolizes our attention, except for the lawn, the occasional glass, and devouring the pablum of reality TV.

            Tearing away for a moment, we notice how quiet the air waves have been concerning the FBI’s passion for Associated Press reporters’ telephone call logs.  What should have produced an ‘Occupy’ movement barely garnered a whimper from us vegetables.  The agency’s review of two months of AP call records is chilling.  In the name of ‘National Security’ it seems no intrusion on privacy rights is too great. 

            Don’t misunderstand.  Our national security is vital.  But this comprehensive scrutiny of what is supposed to be (and occasionally is) an independent watch dog entity will make every patriot have second thoughts about blowing the whistle on government abuse of its power, its ability to hide misdeeds, and its natural tendency to lie.  Why? Because this administration has prosecuted more whistle blowers than all previous administrations combined! 

           The FBI’s important work must go on, and it would seem admirably patriotic for Washington to be more forthcoming.  But the fourth estate is our ticket to transparency.  More than any other influence on the three branches of government, transparency, provided by rigorous investigative journalism, keeps government miscreants in check.  That’s why it hurts every one of us when it is discouraged. 

           Around here, we notice that some ‘re canning, and some ‘re preserving secrets.

Moron congress And The IRS

            It’s breathtaking when a member of congress has the nerve to complain about an IRS employee being “in limbo…on the taxpayers’ dime” because she was put on paid administrative leave when she refused to resign prior to any determination of guilt.  It is just cheek up to here.  What about “innocent until proven guilty?”  And wasting the taxpayers’ dime has been perfected to an art form by members of the US House and Senate.  Can you say, “Pork?!”

            Lois Lerner is on paid leave pending an investigation into IRS stupidity.  It’s being done by the government, of all people, including the smear circus by congress.  Her paid administrative leave is appropriate, and the sooner we get past congressional obstruction inflicted for the purpose of partisan pandering, the sooner we might find out exactly what happened at the IRS.  THEN congress has a role in crafting preventive action.  The problem is, congress is the least effective piece of government work in existence, and probably won’t be able to agree on anything useful.  The 112^th “Do Damage” congress set the usefulness bar about shoe high, and the 113^th ”Save The Rich” congress, trying as it is, keeps leaping into that bar.  If anybody in government is wasting our dimes, you can be sure he or she was elected to congress.  

            Around here, it seems some pseudo-statesmen want to look like hecklers from the cheap seats.  It’s working.  We think they should get themselves busy with our country’s important bipartisan work.