Observations on Role Models, Taxes, and Blog Comments

From the Department of They're Laughing Their Fannies Off At Us Again comes this article from The Telegraph newspaper in Britain: U.S. Porn Actress 'to run' for Senate Against Disgraced Politician. Yes, porn actress Stormy Daniels is considering a run for election to the seat of Louisiana Senator David Vitter, who is in disgrace after being connected with a ... um ... prostitute. Ms Daniels has challenged Senator Vitter to a debate, and offered to wrestle him if he refuses the face-to-face discussion of the issues. Well, all I can say is that if a senator who's a porn actress can't deliver a good stimulus package, we may as well give up.

I know you're tired of me grousing about the economy and taxes, but this one is just too good to pass up. Former Washington, DC mayor Marion Barry - superior role model for DC citizens that he is - has federal prosecutors after him yet again for failure to file his tax returns. The prosecutors cite Mr Barry's "recalcitrant" attitude toward paying his taxes, and note that the former mayor and current city council member has failed to file his returns on time in eight of the past nine years, and he is already on probation for other tax offenses. Mr Barry has called efforts to get him to pay his taxes "frivolous" and has said his tax problems are a "personal matter." I'm sure that average persons like you and I can use that excuse with the ever-understanding tax authorities. If Marion Barry isn't the poster boy for shameful refusal to do a basic civil duty, I don't know who is. What a role model for DC's citizens. This clown belongs in jail.

The Republicans are still whining that the President's proposed economic stimulus legislation doesn't contain enough tax cuts. Now, I freely admit that I don't understand higher economics...or lower economics, for that matter...but I fail to see how the government is going to pay back the $1 trillion-and-growing stimulus package if it deliberately reduces its major source of income. If you're brain-dead enough to still believe in that old snake oil about tax cuts being the answer to every economic problem, go for it. There's a chance it may help now, but when the time comes for our grandchildren to pay back all the loans the government will have to take out to make up for the lost tax revenue, they won't be singing hosannas for us.

Finally, if you haven't checked out the comments on yesterday's post about bus seat selection, go back and check out the comment posted by Moose, dealing with the creative application of knitting needles in seat selection. I knew we raised our daughter right!

That's all for now. Some of us have to get to work to make the money the government needs to tax to make up for the taxes the Marion Barrys and Tom Daschles of the world don't think they need to pay.

Maybe I can hit them up for a loan.

Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo