While Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid's Congress have presided over the most profligate, spend-aholic Congress in our nation's history – they seem to have developed a distinct aversion to raising taxes to pay for it all.
The Democrat constituency of illegal aliens and natural-born "have nots" were tossed the bone of "it's all free to you – we'll tax the rich" during the coronation campaign media orgy that put Obama in the White House.
Now they're about to learn the Democrats lied to them, not only about "having it all," but about who would be paying for it all. That's because the money they'll be sending to "uncle" won't be deducted from their paychecks (how many Democrats have one?), but rather paid as fines and penalties on pretty much anything Congress can think about (and exempt themselves from).
"Fines and penalties?" you ask? "What kind of fines and penalties?"
Well, I'm glad you asked. Charlie Rangel, the Democrat heading the House Ways and Means (tax) Committee, wants to increase fines and penalties – and reduce legal defenses – for folks who have run afoul of the IRS with their taxes. He wants, among other things, to prevent the IRS from forgiving taxpayers who erred in good faith.
Of course, a "good faith error" is precisely the defense this pious windbag used when it was recently revealed that he had failed to report millions of dollars in land transfers and business deals he was involved in.
At least William Jefferson, the New Orleans Democrat convicted on Aug. 5 of this year on 11 counts of corruption, had the decency to keep his hundred thousand dollar payoffs in his freezer, possibly to control the odor. Here's an excerpt from his bio in Wikipedia:
"Jefferson is the brother of New Orleans Assessor Betty Jefferson, Democratic field operative and convicted felon Mose Jefferson, Archie Jefferson and Brenda Jefferson Foster. He is the uncle of Angela Coleman.
"In 2009, Betty, Mose, Angela Coleman and Mose's longtime companion, former New Orleans City Councilwoman Renée Gill Pratt, were under indictment for violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. On 2009 June 5 all the defendants pleaded not guilty. Brenda Jefferson Foster is serving as a witness in the government's case against them. Mose Jefferson is also facing a separate trial for bribing Orleans Parish School Board President Ellenese Brooks-Simms. Archie Jefferson is a convicted felon."
It's worth noting that Mr. Jefferson "served" from 1991 to 2009. That means he was re-elected by the voters in Louisiana who were dumb enough to believe he was going to "spread the wealth around" beyond his family.
Note that as with Rangel, the Democrat-controlled Congress did nothing to prevent Mr. Jefferson "serving" the people of Louisiana, even after the odor of corruption had permeated the halls of Congress.
This Democrat Congress is as isolated from the people it "serves" as if it were governing in another country.
Come to think of it – maybe it is?