March, 2013, Political Class Insanity, Part 1:The Price Of A Congressman, California Scheming, And More

Every month for the past few years we have spent the beginning of every month reviewing the insanity, idiocy, and wasteful antics from the American political class. Over time, we have had to devote more and more posts at the beginning of every month to their insanity. This month is no different. In fact, it is likely that we will set the record for most posts of political class insanity this month, this is how bad our politicians are becoming

As you read the following antics, both today and the forthcoming days, ask yourself the famous questions from the Seinfeld television show: “So, you want to be my latex salesman?” Do we really want, and deserve, these fools as our so-called leaders when we would not hire them to be our latex salesman.

1) A week or so ago we did a post on idiotic and criminal Democratic politicians which included the review of how U.S. Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. was likely to go to jail for the illegal and felonious use of campaign funds:


http://www.loathemygovernment.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-political-class-corruption-train.html


As a follow up to that news, consider subsequent details of the behavior that has come to light to find out what a Congressman trades his integrity and position for. The following list is what the former Congressman spent the illegally obtained money on:

• Gold-plated Rolex – $43,350
• Children’s furniture – $9,584
• Porcelain collector’s items – $1,553
• Bruce Lee memorabilia – $10,105
• Michael Jackson memorabilia – $14,200
• Martin Luther King Jr. memorabilia – $11,130
• Michael Jackson hat – $3,900
• Michael Jackson & Eddie Van Halen Guitar – $4,000
• Malcolm X memorabilia – $2,200
• Jimi Hendrix memorabilia – $2,775
• Michael Jackson fedora – $4,600
• Mink Cashmere cape – $800
• Black & Red cashmere cape – $1,500
• Mink reversible parka – $1,200
• Black fox reversible – $1,500
• Chicago politician blowing 3/4 of a million dollars on random, useless stuff – priceless.

How petty, how trivial, how stupid and how embarrassing for a member of the U.S. Congress to blow his career and debase the position. This is what a Congressional position is worth today.

2) I recently came across a House of Representatives report from its Energy committee from 2011. The report reviewed some EPA programs including one that has wasted about $100 million of taxpayer wealth over the past ten years which was given to China to improve their air pollution efforts.

This effort is obviously a failure if you understand how the Chinese government and economy are devastating the environment. The circular logic is insane: our Federal government borrows money from the Chinese to send back to the Chinese for a pollution control program that does not work. Nevertheless, the program has been going on for at least ten years.

By the way, the $100 million would account for a nice chunk of the impending sequester total giving you an idea of how petty and ineffective both this EPA program is and how small the sequester is.

3) Speaking of the sequester, newly appointed Secretary of State John Kerry was recently complaining that sequestration cuts will reduce the State Department’s 2013 budget by $2.6 billion which could affect sensitive areas like diplomatic security and aid to Israel. However, he failed to mention that U.S. foreign aid to Pakistan, a country where 92% of its citizens despise us according to recent polls, is about $2.4 billion a year. It is a country whose government shielded the top target of U.S. terrorism efforts for years. It is a country that has constantly undermined our efforts in Afghanistan.

Hey, Secretary Kerry: let’s bag the aid to Pakistan, which is really not an ally in any sense of the word, stopping this foreign aid insanity, and your sequester problem virtually goes away.

4) A recent Townhall article points out how fiscally incompetent most Americans politicians are. Specifically, the article reviewed how inept California politicians were at properly managing today’s taxpayer wealth and future generations’ taxpayer wealth:

• Santa Ana, California’s Unified School District used capital appreciation bonds to borrow $35 million to build new classrooms for its schools. The total repayment burden to pay off the loan will not begin until the year 2026, when future taxpayers will have to pay a total of $340 million to repay the original $35 million, an almost ten to one payback ratio.
• Folsom Cordova Unified School District is actually a bit better in managing its financials. It will have to repay $630 million on a $164 million bond, only about a four to one payback ratio, but still obscene.
• However, another $514,000 Folsom Cordova bond will cost taxpayers in the district $9.1 million, an outrageous 18 to one payback ratio.
• Poway, California Unified School District borrowed $105 million to modernize its school buildings. For using that $105 million in 2011, taxpayers will end up paying investors more than $981 million by 2051, an almost 10 to one payback ratio.

Let’s see, spend money today and stick future Americans with this horrendously huge tab. Sounds like Washington D.C. fiscal irresponsibility where this perverted money management skill has stuck future Americans with over $16.5 TRILLION in national debt with little to show for it.

5) Ever wonder why the Washington political class never gets tough with China for 1) manipulating its currency to our detriment, 2) for not implementing stricter pollution controls to improve the environment and level the manufacturing playing field for our domestic workforce, 3) for not supporting our efforts to get North Korea’s runaway nuclear weapons program under control, etc.? Well, a recent Washington Post report may explain their hesitation.

The Chinese government recently paid for an 11-day, all-expense paid luxury trip to China for a dozen Congressional staffers. Only two of the eleven days were spent on items related to national security, the official objective of the trip, with the remaining time used up by visits to tourist sites including the Great Wall and the Forbidden City.

This was not to be confused with a Congressional staffer 2011 trip to Thailand where staffers spent an afternoon at the beach at a resort town frequented by members of the country’s royal family, had lunch at a winery, visited an elephant preserve, visited a massage school, and visited a local tailor where staffers can bought suits and dresses.

In America, foreign lobbyists are not allowed to pay for a cup of coffee for a Congressional staffer or a member of Congress. But they are allowed to spend tens of thousands of dollars to send these same government employees on trips to far away, exotic places while the tough confrontations with China never seem to happen. Coincidence? I think not.

We are just getting warmed up, this is going to take a number of days to cover all of the idiocy. As your read the next several posts, decide for yourself if Step 39 from “Love My Government, Loathe My Government” is a good idea, a step that would impose term limits on all Federal politicians and hopefully, end the insanity.

Our book, "Love My Country, Loathe My Government - Fifty First Steps To Restoring Our Freedom And Destroying The American Political Class" is now available at:

www.loathemygovernment.com

It is also available online at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Please pass our message of freedom onward. Let your friends and family know about our websites and blogs, ask your library to carry the book, and respect freedom for both yourselves and others everyday.

Please visit the following sites for freedom:

http://www.reason.com/
http://www.cato.org/
http://www.robertringer.com/
http://realpolichick.blogspot.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08j0sYUOb5w