These are the best of times to be watching the shenanigans across this great big wonderfully diverse nation. These are the worst of times to be a California Democrat Politician with a large war chest. Seems Kinde Durkee, treasurer for many of the top Pols in California including Diane Feinstein and Loretta Sanchez got sticky fingers and took a rather large sum of campaign cash to help defray some of her increasing expenditures.
Feinstein sources say she had a campaign war chest upwards of $5 million dollars, and now her balance is showing $47 and 13 cents. She will be completely wiped out once the bank charges her the $50 user fee for accounts that fall below $500 at anytime in any given month. Bad luck.
I have been a strong proponent of spending money before it is worthless or is stolen or is inflated away by well meaning bureaucrats in Washington, DC. A fat bank account is something to be treasured and affords its owner some wee bit of security, if even fleetingly.
When I was first out of college and gainfully employed I once bragged to an older colleague, that I had salted away $8,877 in my retirement account. He was a grizzled old timer who had bought and remortgaged his house 4 times making plays on gold mines through out his life time. He leaned back hand on chin and then came out with a very poignant observation that has affected me all the rest of my life.
He said, "Well young Jack Maybolt, your family is going to see to it that you get a really fine nursing home when you retire."
His statement burned me to my core. I had an epiphany.
Anyway, enough about my fine nursing home when I retire, I began this to comment on how the news of Ms. Durkee's appropriations of her Democrat Pol's campaign monies is big news akin to the headlines "Man Bites Dog", whereas if our taxes are raised by this bunch of crony capitalism practicing cretins or if they deficit spend by trillions, it is treated as a "Dog Bites Man" story relegated to the lesser read sections of the newspaper.
Of course Ms. Kinde Durkee should be charged with embezzlement and misappropriation of funds, and if convicted should serve her time as the law is written. But until that time, I believe she has placed the shoe on the other foot by her act of insightful taking from those who are used to doing the taking.
I would tax all political contributions at 50% and open up the money to all givers. Just post a list of your generous contributors to stay legal, and I would allow mountains of cash to flow from all over the world. Perhaps we could knock off some of the deficit if we had the good sense to do this. We are just kidding ourselves if we believe limiting contributions to US citizens and amounts keeps them any more honest. A turd is still a turd, even if served up on a fresh bed of lettuce with a parsley sprig garnishment, the turd will still stand out. Taxing turds will not change them either, but makes us think they have some skin in the game like the rest of us.
Jackson Delano Maybolt, President Urban Poverty Law Center
"Having Congress watch your money is like having your dog watch your food."
Mark Twain
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