Okay, so all of us know that it is time to start paying for the stuff we want. We all know that now more than ever. We have to start one day and according to the Spartans in Washington, it may as well be today.
There is not a single American citizen who is thrilled about the deficit. Haven’t heard one say, “Damn! Isn’t the growing national debt wonderful?”
So far, we have seen the House and the Senate piss in the wind when it comes to health care reform. Now, Senator Jim Bunning (R-KY) has decided to talk his way through the weekend holding up the opportunity to extend unemployment insurance for all of us who are now jobless.
For all the talk and all the print pieces on how Americans do not understand what is going on with health care reform and now the end of unemployment insurance extensions, it is evident that it is Washington who doesn’t understand. There is a deficit. We all know that. You can’t turn on the television or listen to a talk radio program without being reminded of it. We all know we need to do something about the deficit. And, most of us are somewhat willing to see some cutbacks on the fat that surrounds everything that happens in the nation’s Capitol.
Republicans are attempting to hold our feel to the fire on this issue for now. And, that may be a good thing in some respects. However, when the big bank bailout was imminent it took less than a week to cough up over $700 Billion. Now, that the average American citizen is in a crunch, we are all getting the pitch about the deficit.
I believe I heard President Obama mention during the health care summit something about $176,000 being paid to one of the senators or representatives. So, for the sake of easy math — I don’t have the CBO to do the funny stuff for me, so I’ll give it a go on my own — let’s say that one average there is $175,000 paid to each senator and each representative. I do believe there are roughly 535 of them. I think there may be one or two more these days, but I like working with 5′s and 0′s. So with 535 people each receiving $175,000 a year the estimated total is about $93,625,000 in just what we are paying the monkeys to scratch their asses in the Capitol building. Now, I’m betting with all the staff positions, the electricity used to keep the lights on, the pay of the janitors, and let’s not forget the Office of Attending Physician, I bet we could add another couple of hundred million dollars.
Oh, yeah — I almost forgot the Office of Attending Physician. The monkeys in the Capitol have a doctor in the building, on call, all the time. And, if the OAP should have the need, it may call in a specialist at any time for any reason. So, that takes a lot of money — more than the $500 each elected official pays annually just to know they can walk down the hall to best medical service available, excepting the White House doctor.
So, let’s say between all the expenses, including salaries, it costs at a bare minimum of $5 Billion to run the monkey show in the Capitol. Well, if they all went home, closed and locked the doors and turned out the lights, half the unemployment extension would be paid for. The best part is they monkeys couldn’t screw up anything else if they were not together. You see, that’s the problem. Monkeys are cute as a solo pet. But, when you get the lot together in one place, it starts to stink and they get into mischief with the monkey shines.
Let’s extend unemployment insurance for half the time requested in the bill, send everyone in the Capitol home, and close the doors. The American people have not benefited from one thing of major consequence this past year. And, we are paying those folks to perform monkey shines with our tax dollars. Send them home. They have wasted over $93 million in income none deserve in the past year. Why keep paying them? Let the taxpayers keep their money. We are more likely to help our neighbors than the government.
The bottom line: Bunning’s Republican counterparts enjoy wasting time and money or one of them would stand up and tell Bunning to shut up. But, they all seem to enjoy the mental masturbation they are putting America through when we least need it.
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