Tighten Your OWN Damned Belt
In a story on talkingpointsmemo.com today, Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska, speaking about the proposed pay freeze for federal employees, stated, "I wholeheartedly support it. In our office we froze salaries last year. We'll do it again this year. The Senate's gonna do it for a third year I'm sure. With many Americans suffering and not having jobs, worried about losing their jobs, we all have to share the sacrifice."
Well, Senator Nelson:
* If I made $174,000 a year, rather than not much more than one-fourth that salary;
* If I had at my workplace an attending physician at my workplace who saw to all of my medical needs for a flat annual fee of $503 a year, rather than having to pay over $200 every two weeks for health insurance PLUS copays;
* If I owned assets worth a MINIMUM seven-and-a-half MILLION dollars (and a maximum of just under fifteen million--which assets brought me an annual income of $175,000 to $450,000 a year, rather than draining my single bank account and maxing out credit cards to make my bills;
* If I had a 47-member staff (plus interns) to help me carry out even the slightest of my duties, rather than running around my workplace like a headless chicken to get everything done I need to;
... then perhaps I, too, would be just fine with "sharing sacrifice".
Until you are willing to shed foolish and disingenuous rhetoric and to proffer REAL solutions (because screwing two-and-a-half million middle class workers out of money they need to get by in a tough economy will save this country, over two years, five billion dollars. That's not even one-half of one percent of our current budget deficit.), you may feel free to keep your own mammothly-moneyed mouth closed.
When we're facing a flagging economy, greatly increased health costs, political theater like this is something NONE of us can afford.
... well, Senator; YOU'RE rich. maybe YOU could afford it.
But don't tell me to tighten MY belt while you're wearing the Rings of Saturn for YOURS.
[Source: The Senator of Sacrifice's own financial disclosures on Legistorm.com]
Well, Senator Nelson:
* If I made $174,000 a year, rather than not much more than one-fourth that salary;
* If I had at my workplace an attending physician at my workplace who saw to all of my medical needs for a flat annual fee of $503 a year, rather than having to pay over $200 every two weeks for health insurance PLUS copays;
* If I owned assets worth a MINIMUM seven-and-a-half MILLION dollars (and a maximum of just under fifteen million--which assets brought me an annual income of $175,000 to $450,000 a year, rather than draining my single bank account and maxing out credit cards to make my bills;
* If I had a 47-member staff (plus interns) to help me carry out even the slightest of my duties, rather than running around my workplace like a headless chicken to get everything done I need to;
... then perhaps I, too, would be just fine with "sharing sacrifice".
Until you are willing to shed foolish and disingenuous rhetoric and to proffer REAL solutions (because screwing two-and-a-half million middle class workers out of money they need to get by in a tough economy will save this country, over two years, five billion dollars. That's not even one-half of one percent of our current budget deficit.), you may feel free to keep your own mammothly-moneyed mouth closed.
When we're facing a flagging economy, greatly increased health costs, political theater like this is something NONE of us can afford.
... well, Senator; YOU'RE rich. maybe YOU could afford it.
But don't tell me to tighten MY belt while you're wearing the Rings of Saturn for YOURS.
[Source: The Senator of Sacrifice's own financial disclosures on Legistorm.com]