Please Sir, May I Have Some More?

In a cleverly titled piece over at the Daily Beast, author Stephen King says Tax Me, for F@%&’s Sake!  This bit really tickled my fancy.

The U.S. senators and representatives who refuse even to consider raising taxes on the rich—they squall like scalded babies (usually on Fox News) every time the subject comes up—are not, by and large, superrich themselves, although many are millionaires and all have had the equivalent of Obamacare for years. They simply idolize the rich. Don’t ask me why; I don’t get it either, since most rich people are as boring as old, dead dog shit. The Mitch McConnells and John Boehners and Eric Cantors just can’t seem to help themselves. These guys and their right-wing supporters regard deep pockets like Christy Walton and Sheldon Adelson the way little girls regard Justin Bieber … which is to say, with wide eyes, slack jaws, and the drool of adoration dripping from their chins. I’ve gotten the same reaction myself, even though I’m only “baby rich” compared with some of these guys, who float serenely over the lives of the struggling middle class like blimps made of thousand-dollar bills.

 

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16 thoughts on “Please Sir, May I Have Some More?

  1. No one is stopping Mr. King from writing checks to the US government. If he has a need to pay more than pay, no one is stopping you Steven. But like most liberals and progressives he talks the talk but has no plans on walking the walk.

    1. I love it when the Lords of Wingnuttia rise to the bait like zombie fish:

      What charitable 1 percenters can’t do is assume responsibility—America’s national responsibilities: the care of its sick and its poor, the education of its young, the repair of its failing infrastructure, the repayment of its staggering war debts. Charity from the rich can’t fix global warming or lower the price of gasoline by one single red penny. That kind of salvation does not come from Mark Zuckerberg or Steve Ballmer saying, “OK, I’ll write a $2 million bonus check to the IRS.” That annoying responsibility stuff comes from three words that are anathema to the Tea Partiers: United American citizenry.

      You know, I include the link so you can, you know, go read the fracking article.

    1. Honestly, they stumble into my RSS feed from a variety of sources. The trick is to read the blogs of other well-read people who like to link. That’s my “secret sauce” for being well informed.

  2. Yes, John, Mr. King and Mr. Buffett can write checks, but what they are looking for is a PLAN TO INCREASE revenue for the government. They are smart people and know that simply sending money without a viable plan that covers the nation will be pointless. Remember what Bush did with our surplus?

  3. And all the government does when they increase revenue is fine more ways to just piss it away. Government is unable to live within their means they are too cowardly to make cuts that would balance the budget. More taxes more money does not solve problems or fix anything. Sure wish more people would understand that simple concept but when you are raised cradle to grave to dependent on government….well you just don’t care about fiscal responsibility

  4. Actually, John, you are describing Republican behavior. Clinton used surpluses to pay down the debt. Look, just because Republicans do it doesn’t mean you should say all politicians do, John.

  5. Steven, who was that Republican that burned up tax dollars by giving hundreds of millions to Solyndra?

    1. Nemo: Bucket, meet drop… Even the Romney campaign, despite their daily gaffes and stumbles, recognizes the idiocy of that talking point. But sure, keep it alive. It makes the GOP look like fools…

  6. No Steven the GOVERNMENT both Republicans and Democrats find away to piss away our tax dollars.

    1.“Almost Empty” Mall Awarded Energy Grant ($5 million)
    2. Renovations for Federal Building as Expensive as New Building ($133 million)
    3. DTV Advertising Agency Generates Three Jobs ($5.9 million)
    4. Research to Develop Supersonic Corporate Jets ($4.7 Million)
    5. Water Pipeline to a Money-Losing Golf Course ($2.2 million)
    6. Police Boat Gets High-Tech Upgrade Even As Force May be Downsized ($190,000)
    7. Program to Control Home Appliances From a Remote Location ($787,250)
    8. 18-Mile Tourist Rail Extended ($2 million)
    9. Dinner Cruise Company Gets Terrorism Prevention Money ($943,190)
    10. Hanford Nuclear Site Gets Billions for Failed Cleanup Effort ($1.9 billion)
    All aboard the maxist train
    11. All Aboard The Wine Train!($54 million)
    12. Broadband Map That May be Obsolete by the Time It’s Complete ($350 million)
    13. Grant to Fund Search for Fossils … In Argentina ($1.57 million)
    14. Anti-Capitalist, Socially-Conscious Puppet Shows ($100,000)
    15. Trail to Minnesota Twins Baseball Stadium ($484,572)
    16. Inspector General Questions New Anti-Gunrunning Teams ($10 million)
    17. Buffalo Residents Paid to Keep Daily Journal of Malt Liquor and Marijuana Use ($389,357)
    18. Oklahoma River Cruise Boats Get Transportation Funding ($1.8 million)
    19. Government Spends Money on Salaries and Overhead ($186 million)
    20. Repaved Georgia Road … Getting Repaved Again ($88,000)
    21. Little-Used Bridge for Beachgoers Gets a Paint Job ($3.1 million)
    22. Federal Building With Uncertain Future Gets Huge Makeover ($117 million)
    23. Studying the Icelandic Arctic Environment in the Viking Age ($94,902)
    24. Bobber the Water Safety Dog Costumes ($21,116)
    25. Shakespearean Festivals ($225,000)
    26.“Clown” Theatrical Production ($25,000)
    27. County Agency Mismanages Millions, Gets Millions More ($11.9 million)
    28. Free Rides on a Water Taxi to Relieve Downtown Congestion ($1.6 million)
    29. Studying the Learning Patterns of Honeybees ($210,000)
    30. Money for Exit Polling……in Africa ($233,825)
    31. Contemporary Art Sculpture: A Series of Giant Tubes ($13,000)
    32. Surf and Squat Rest Stop in Texas ($13.8 million)
    33. Study on “Hookup” Behavior of Female College Coeds ($219,000)
    34. Developing the Next Generation of Football Gloves ($150,000)
    35. Study of Wildflowers in a Ghost Town ($448,995)
    36. Jazz Festivals ($400,000)
    37. Another Golf Course Gets Recycled Water ($831,700)
    38. Recovering Crab Pots Lost At Sea ($700,000)
    39. New Hampshire Buys Buses It Doesn’t Need ($2 million)
    40. Martini Bar and Brazilian Steak House Remodeling ($100,000)
    41. Stimulus-Funded Workers with No Work ($3.2 million)
    42. States Spend Big Bucks on Stimulus Highway Signs ($1.3 million)
    43. Highway “Beautified” by Fish Art
    44. Fish Food ($50 million)
    45. Museum Dedicated to “Man’s Relationship With the Horse”($1.2 million)
    46. Pennsylvania Police Department Purchases Two Horses ($40,000)
    47. College Students Visit Costa Rica for Summer Studies ($564,635)
    48. Pennsylvania Paves Bike Lane on Deteriorating Local Road ($2 million)
    49. California Gets Money to Upgrade Computer System … Twice ($60 million)
    50.Arizona Ants Work While Some Arizonans Remain Unemployed ($950,000)
    51. Study On Why Young Men Do Not Like Condoms ($221,355)
    52. Firm with Tax Fraud, Pollution History Wins Road Contract ($21.8 million)
    53. Agency with Habit of Losing Pricey Equipment Gets Funds for Major IT Upgrade ($85 million)
    54. Arkansas Teachers to Attend Education Conference ($413,124)
    55. Firm under Criminal Investigation Awarded Construction Contract ($6.4 million)
    56. Homeland Security Funds Assist Boat Tours of Alcatraz ($50,783)
    57. Money for Companies with a History of Environmental or Workplace Safety Penalties ($54 million)
    58.“Math and Literacy Coaches” for North Carolina Teachers ($4.4 million)
    59. OSU Professor to Study Alaska Native Grandparents ($1.1 million)
    60. Town of 838 to Renovate Old Hotel into a Welcome Center ($300,000)
    61. Methamphetamines and the Female Rat Sex Drive …($30,000)
    62…. Study on Mice and Alcohol ($8,408)
    63. Locals Plan Bridge Funding, Feds Insist on Paying ($5 million)
    64. Wastewater Treatment Center with “Talking Water Gardens”($8 million)
    65. Obsolete Bridge Converted to Bike Path ($5.6 million)
    66. Youth Summer Jobs Program Fails to Put Kids to Work ($1.2 billion)
    67. Colorado Climbing Gym Gets Renewable Energy Grant for Solar Panels ($157,800)
    68. Colorado Dragon Boat Festival ($10,000)
    69. Low-Priority Airports Get Money from FAA ($272 million)
    70. Storytelling Festival in Utah ($15,000)
    71. Beautification of Hollywood’s Sunset Strip ($1.1 million)
    72. Half of Stimulus Contracts Not Competitively Bid
    73. Hollywood Entertainment Museum ($20,000)
    74. Controversial Helicopter Program Gets Stimulus Boost ($20,000)
    75. Contracts Awarded to Firms Suspended for Suspected Fraud ($30 million)
    76. Amtrak Loses $32 Per Passenger, Rewarded with Windfall ($1.3 billion)
    77. Fire Station without Firefighters ($2 million)
    78. Low Priority Waste Water Projects Getting Stimulus Funds ($47.8 million)
    79. Money for Lighthouse Repairs on Uninhabited Island (Nearly $1.5 million)
    80. College with Teachers “Unqualified to Teach in Their Fields” Receive Millions ($31.3 million)
    81. Brooklyn Slumlord Gets Share of Stimulus Funds ($270,000)
    82. Protecting against Carpet Beetles ($187,632)
    83. Indiana Sending Half of Weatherization Funds to Politically Active Builders Group ($66 million)
    84. Pedestrian Bridge Few Will Use ($80,000)
    85. Town Doesn’t Know What to Do With Money ($25,000)
    86. Dance Troupe to Weatherize Homes in Washington, D.C.($935,000)
    87. SBA Loan Program Expects 60 Percent Default Rate ($255 million)
    88. Removing Lead Paint from a Pedestrian Bridge ($3.5 million)
    89. School District Splurges on iPod Touches ($75,129)
    90. Global Warming Field Trip to Copenhagen for 11 Students ($49,818)
    91. Audit Finds Abuse of Tax Credit Program ($504 million)
    92. Ohio Town to Turn Railroad Crossings into “Quiet Zone”($800,000)
    93. Pennsylvania Winery Uses Stimulus Funds to Help Pay for Building Already under Construction ($25,000)
    94. Abandoned “Eyesore” Train Station to Get Green Renovation ($1.8 million)
    95. Despite Delays and Overruns, Space Telescope Gets Boost ($65 million)
    96. Museum Receives Geothermal Grant after Hosting Stimulus Signing Ceremony ($2.6 million)
    97. Money to Airport Authority Cited for Having Problems Managing Federal Money ($9.6 million)
    98. Bureaucratic Bungling Slows Homeless Prevention Grants in Nevada ($4.1 million)
    99. Learning to Cooperate by Observing Birds ($90,000)
    100. Climate-Controlled Water Taxis Get New Home ($750,000)
    *Check out the Report:
    http://coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm
    ACCOUNTABILITY – WHERE IS IT?

    1. Everyone’s entitled to an opinion. Coburn’s is pretty stupid, though. (this response is from his silly 2010 report, not his silly 2011 report).

      But cleaning up these messes also wouldn’t save much money. At most, a couple billion in a $3 trillion federal budget. Coburn told ABC, “I would tell you that there’s hundreds of billions of dollars every year, that if the American taxpayer could go down through it, they’d say ‘wipe this off, this off, this off … we don’t think any of this is important.’” But there’s no evidence that this is actually true–which explains why, when state legislatures have to make budget cuts, they always end up making agonizing decisions. Employees get laid off, patients get denied organ transplants, and prisoners get shoved into overcrowded auditoriums. Believing that waste, fraud, and abuse are enough to eliminate the deficit is a nice fantasy, but it’s still a fantasy.

      You see, rather than actually taking up the reins of responsibility and tackle the true source of hugely wasteful government spending (from that funny looking building on the Potomac), Coburn obfuscates the spending problem, like the Wizard of Oz, waving his hands and telling us not to mind that 4-star General behind the curtain.

      Coburn, like the rest of the GOP senate caucus, is a fraud.

    2. It would be nice if Senator Coburn would work as hard at canceling the F35 boondoggle as he does nibbling at the edges of the Federal Budget.

      This grotesquely unpromising plan has already resulted in multitudes of problems — and 80 percent of the flight testing remains. A virtual flying piano, the F-35 lacks the F-16’s agility in the air-to-air mode and the F-15E’s range and payload in the bombing mode, and it can’t even begin to compare to the A-10 at low-altitude close air support for troops engaged in combat. Worse yet, it won’t be able to get into the air as often to perform any mission — or just as importantly, to train pilots — because its complexity prolongs maintenance and limits availability. The aircraft most like the F-35, the F-22, was able to get into the air on average for only 15 hours per month in 2010 when it was fully operational. (In 2011, the F-22 was grounded for almost five months and flew even less.)

      The price-tag for this albatros?

      The United States is projected to spend an estimated US$323 billion for development and procurement on the F-35 program, making it the most expensive defense program ever. The total lifecycle cost for the entire American fleet is estimated to be US$1.51 trillion over its 50-year life, or $618 million per plane.

      Holy… Fucking… Shit…

  7. Always taken back by liberals downplaying waste totaling in the tens (hundreds) of billions. But, then, waste is in the eye of the beholder. To Solydra execs, it was hardly a waste or a drop in the bucket.

    1. So are you gonna bring more of the B&S commentariat over here with you? That’d be sooooooo awesome. I can kick your asses in two places instead of just one!

      😉

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