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 now? 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.
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!
What you do with this article now that you
have read it is up to you. This might be funny if it weren't so true.
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,
It's time to apply
The inheritance tax.
Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
CDL
license Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income 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, if agreed, 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!!! YOU can help it get there!!!
GO AHEAD... BE AN AMERICAN!!!