from the Rooster
Ever wonder what “Fat Cats” and “Prostitutes” have in common? The latter work in Cat Houses and Fat Cats just take your money. What’s what? You say?
I am talking about the striking difference between the present day progressive politician who lives high on the hog (there I go again with the animal thing) at your expense. What gave me the thought was an article I read about how Chinese Communist bosses steal from the coffers. Remember the Communist motto, “One for all and all for one!” It seems Party bosses drive around in $100,000.00 dollar cars and military officers drive $560,000 Bentleys, etc. Their motto is “All for me and none for you”. Then I read, in Italy, members of Congress rip off the people with salaries of over $200,000.00. That is just the tip of the ice theft, with expenses covered for office, staff, travel, health care, families on the payroll, and inside trading. There is no end to their theft. Remember, Italy is broke. Progressives really like change. Well not so much… bills are better.
Politicians in Asia, Europe, and here, are actively stealing wealth from the taxpayers and it is not considered theft. On the other hand, a Prostitute, in most countries, is a criminal. Right? You see, if you pass the law, you have the power to exclude yourself from the definition of theft. But do they? Maybe it is just that no one wants to prosecute politicians for theft. After all, most prosecutors are politicians as well. Oh! It’s easy to find a District Attorney who will joyously prosecute a hapless lady or young lad who gives pleasure for money, but that same District Attorney will not even begin to bring to justice a Senator or Congressmen, etc. for dipping into the treasury far in excess of their worth.
In most States and Countries, theft is a simple crime. You take value from someone else, without their consent, and the law says you are thief. It can be by force or not. Not a complicated concept. What about when a politician who passes a law sucking up money, he or she is not worth. Isn’t that doing the same thing? Eureka!! Taxpayers have never given consent to have their taxes pay for something of no value. Taxpayers vote politicians in office, but not so they can steal from the treasury. Excess pay and benefits are things providing no value and are taken against the will. Where is the prosecutor who will demand an honest hour for an honest dollar? Not in my community.
No where in the Constitution of the US, Italy, or any of our States, is there a law which gives anyone the right to take, for their own benefit, money (directly or indirectly) from the Treasury. You have to go to the Criminal codes for your answer. What these selfish, self-centered politicians are doing fits the classic definition of theft. Why then do they get away with it? First of all, politicians vote for their own wage and benefits. Taxpayers only relief is to vote them out of office. Another reason is these politicians pay bribes to the voters, in the way of gifts (food stamps), stimulus packages for this group or that group etc. This puts their voters in the rip-off mode as well. A final reason is that their taking has snuck up on us. If your assemblyman/woman simply grabbed the money and ran, you would scream “theft”. When they take it by little pieces, everyone is hood winked. The same occurs when the bookkeeper embezzles from a trusting employer. The taking should be a crime, but few understand it or care. Well, I do and so should you.
Just to give you a homegrown example. In the early 60’s, a California Assembly person got $9,000.00 a year, an allotment for an apartment in Sacramento, and a meager travel allowance. ($9,000 today would be some $60,000). The apartment was to lessen the travel needed. It was a wash. He/she also got a meager staff. An office and maybe three people. One for the home district and two in Sacramento. That Assemblyperson was in session about 6 months of the year. Today, he or she gets a base salary of $95,000 plus and a per diem when in session (now, you know why they stay in session so long). Ok, let’s say they stay in session for 200 days. They get $141 plus a day or $28,000.00 plus a year. This is on top of the $95,000, for a total base pay of $123,000.00. Add to this a staff of some 5 to 10, offices, and stuff paid for, gifts from lobbyist, medical care, free travel, and on and on, and the real expenditure, each year, for a low rung Assemblyperson is close to $200,000.00 a year. Don’t forget extra pay for temporary duty. Compare that to the 1964 price and you can see we are being ripped off by about 60% . Don’t tell me they are worth it. Pay nothing and you will have candidates standing in line. It does not take a high IQ to figure out we are being ripped off. That, Amigos, is a synonym for stealing.