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An excellent article from Charley Reese - his final column for the Orlando Sentinel

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Charley Reese's Final column!

A very interesting column. COMPLETELY NEUTRAL.
Be sure to Read the Poem at the end..

Charley Reese's final column for the Orlando Sentinel... He has been a journalist for 49 years. He is retiring and this is HIS LAST COLUMN.

Be sure to read the Tax List at the end.

This is about as clear and easy to understand as it can be. The article below is completely neutral, neither anti-republican or democrat. Charlie Reese, a retired reporter for the Orlando Sentinel, has hit the nail directly on the head, defining clearly who it is that in the final analysis must assume responsibility for the judgments made that impact each one of us every day. It's a short but good read. Worth the time. Worth remembering!

545 vs. 300,000,000 People
-By Charlie Reese

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.

Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?

Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?

You and I don't propose a federal budget. The President does.

You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.

You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.

You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.

You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.

One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one President, and nine Supreme Court justices equates to 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.

I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.

I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a President to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.

Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.

What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits.. ( The President can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.)

The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House?( John Boehner. He is the leader of the majority party. He and fellow House members, not the President, can approve any budget they want. ) If the President vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to. [The House has passed a budget but the Senate has not approved a budget in over three years. The President's proposed budgets have gotten almost unanimous rejections in the Senate in that time. ]

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million cannot replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.

If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.

If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red.

If the Army & Marines are in Iraq and Afghanistan it's because they want them in Iraq and Afghanistan ..

If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.

There are no insoluble government problems.

Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power.
Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like "the economy," "inflation," or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.

Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible. They, and they alone, have the power.

They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses. Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees... We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!

Charlie Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper.

What you do with this article now that you have read it... is up to you.
This might be funny if it weren't so true.
Be sure to read all the way to the end:

Tax his land,
Tax his bed,
Tax the table,
At which he's fed.

Tax his tractor,
Tax his mule,
Teach him taxes
Are the rule.

Tax his work,
Tax his pay,
He works for
peanuts anyway!

Tax his cow,
Tax his goat,
Tax his pants,
Tax his coat.

Tax his ties,
Tax his shirt,
Tax his work,
Tax his dirt.

Tax his tobacco,
Tax his drink,
Tax him if he
Tries to think.

Tax his cigars,
Tax his beers,
If he cries
Tax his tears.

Tax his car,
Tax his gas,
Find other ways
To tax his ass.

Tax all he has
Then let him know
That you won't be done
Till he has no dough.

When he screams and hollers;
Then tax him some more,
Tax him till
He's good and sore.

Then tax his coffin,
Tax his grave,
Tax the sod in
Which he's laid...

Put these words
Upon his tomb,
'Taxes drove me
to my doom...'

When he's gone,
Do not relax,
Its time to apply
The inheritance tax.
Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
CDL license Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Excise Taxes
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Gasoline Tax (currently 44.75 cents per gallon)
Gross Receipts Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Luxury Taxes
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Personal Property Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Service Charge Tax
Social Security Tax
Road Usage Tax
Recreational Vehicle Tax
Sales Tax
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone Federal Excise Tax
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
Telephone Recurring and Nonrecurring Charges Tax
Telephone State and Local Tax
Telephone Usage Charge Tax
Utility Taxes
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax

STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY?
Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, & our nation was the most prosperous in the world. We had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.

What in the heck happened? Can you spell 'politicians?'
 
Re: An excellent article from Charley Reese - his final column for the Orlando Sentin

Great article, yet the voters generally don't care. Most are simply sheeple that willingly accept almost any law, since if that law is disobeyed (and they get caught) then they will get bad marks on their "permanent record", making them lose even more what little freedom they had left. What one must realize is that each law passed by our congress critters, and blessed by our nine robed umpires, takes away a little bit more of our freedom, all for a good cause we are always told, just for our own good. Taxes are a necessary function of gov't yet are largely used for social engineering purposes and not simply to collect revenue - some go out of their way to ensure that they apply only to a minority of voters, lest they are too "unpopular" to allow re-election.

Our FIT code is a fine example, 90% of it is not based on "taxing income from all sources" to simply get revenue, but taxing that income based on how (and upon who) it was later spent - herding the sheeple in the way that the gov't wants our paychecks to be spent. What in our Constitution allows for taxation of two citizens, working side by side for exactly the same pay, at exactly the same job, to pay differing amounts of taxation? This seems to directly defy the 14th amendment, as well as the spirit of the 16th amendment, requiring equal protection of the laws. Someone needs to throw the challenge flag and get this play reviewed by our nine robed umpires!
 
Re: An excellent article from Charley Reese - his final column for the Orlando Sentin

I sure do miss Charley Reese! Pretty much everything he said was right on the money.
 
Re: An excellent article from Charley Reese - his final column for the Orlando Sentin

I don't agree with the article. This idea that politicians are forcing entitlements or war upon us why we kick and scream (and vote them back in!).

The problem is American voters want lower taxes. American voters want a large military force. American voters want entitlement programs.

THE ONLY! thing you can blame on politicians is the fact that they take each of those messages or policies and never talk about what they require. If you want lower taxes....you can't have entitlements and a large military. If you want a large military or entitlements you have to be taxed for it.

So really....this article seems to strip responsibility from American voters and heap it on politicians which is just unfair and an rejection of responsibilities by US citizens.

One of the most Popular Presidents of the modern era Reagan had massive deficits, increased spending on the military, made a point to not cut entitlements, and lowered taxes. That's what Americans want.
 
Re: An excellent article from Charley Reese - his final column for the Orlando Sentin

Charley Reese's Final column!

No, it really isn't. Charley Reese himself called all of the bastardizations of his column "Frankenstein Versions." This one's no different. If you want to read the real column? Click here: snopes.com: Charley Reese's Final Column

Much more succinct. All the tax references listed above? Frankenstein did it.
 
Re: An excellent article from Charley Reese - his final column for the Orlando Sentin

No, it really isn't. Charley Reese himself called all of the bastardizations of his column "Frankenstein Versions." This one's no different. If you want to read the real column? Click here: snopes.com: Charley Reese's Final Column

Much more succinct. All the tax references listed above? Frankenstein did it.

OK, so someone added the list of taxes and the peom...OK, so...that doesnt make the crux of what he said any less truthful.

The column was good, interesting as hell. He hit the nail on the head, things are the way they are because thats the way they want them.

Things could be very different if they would get their collective heads out of their collective asses and actually do something about it.

There is an old saying - Lead, follow or get out of the way
They have proved they cant lead, I believe they are too stupid and ignorant to follow so they need to just get out the way and let others fix the things they refuse to fix.
 
Re: An excellent article from Charley Reese - his final column for the Orlando Sentin

Great article, yet the voters generally don't care. Most are simply sheeple that willingly accept almost any law, since if that law is disobeyed (and they get caught) then they will get bad marks on their "permanent record", making them lose even more what little freedom they had left. What one must realize is that each law passed by our congress critters, and blessed by our nine robed umpires, takes away a little bit more of our freedom, all for a good cause we are always told, just for our own good. Taxes are a necessary function of gov't yet are largely used for social engineering purposes and not simply to collect revenue - some go out of their way to ensure that they apply only to a minority of voters, lest they are too "unpopular" to allow re-election.

Our FIT code is a fine example, 90% of it is not based on "taxing income from all sources" to simply get revenue, but taxing that income based on how (and upon who) it was later spent - herding the sheeple in the way that the gov't wants our paychecks to be spent. What in our Constitution allows for taxation of two citizens, working side by side for exactly the same pay, at exactly the same job, to pay differing amounts of taxation? This seems to directly defy the 14th amendment, as well as the spirit of the 16th amendment, requiring equal protection of the laws. Someone needs to throw the challenge flag and get this play reviewed by our nine robed umpires!

Our 9 robed umpires (I like that description) are as corrupt as the rest of them.

Do you actually expect the government to tell the government it is doing something wrong? Thats the problem with Judicial review...it is not a power given to the courts, just assumed to make it appear that the government is looking over itself.
 
Re: An excellent article from Charley Reese - his final column for the Orlando Sentin

OK, so someone added the list of taxes and the peom...OK, so...that doesnt make the crux of what he said any less truthful.

The column was good, interesting as hell. He hit the nail on the head, things are the way they are because thats the way they want them.

Things could be very different if they would get their collective heads out of their collective asses and actually do something about it.

There is an old saying - Lead, follow or get out of the way
They have proved they cant lead, I believe they are too stupid and ignorant to follow so they need to just get out the way and let others fix the things they refuse to fix.

Oh, I think you're absolutely right. I got so wrapped up in the Frankenstein analogy I forgot to talk about the crux of your post. It's an excellent letter. All of us should read it at least once a year. I've read it many times and written narrative around and about it. The absolute best.

The first line is a doozy.
 
Re: An excellent article from Charley Reese - his final column for the Orlando Sentin

I don't agree with the article. This idea that politicians are forcing entitlements or war upon us why we kick and scream (and vote them back in!).

The problem is American voters want lower taxes. American voters want a large military force. American voters want entitlement programs.

THE ONLY! thing you can blame on politicians is the fact that they take each of those messages or policies and never talk about what they require. If you want lower taxes....you can't have entitlements and a large military. If you want a large military or entitlements you have to be taxed for it.

So really....this article seems to strip responsibility from American voters and heap it on politicians which is just unfair and an rejection of responsibilities by US citizens.

One of the most Popular Presidents of the modern era Reagan had massive deficits, increased spending on the military, made a point to not cut entitlements, and lowered taxes. That's what Americans want.
I disagree. The American people want what they are told that they want. Doing the right thing could be so easy. It's just that doing the wrong thing, most of the time, is so much more profitable... for them, that is.
 
Re: An excellent article from Charley Reese - his final column for the Orlando Sentin

The problem is American voters want lower taxes. American voters want a large military force. American voters want entitlement programs.

The founders originally structured our federal government to be a small, limited one, not the monster it has become.

Americans wanting lower taxes isn't the problem, because that's the way it was supposed to be in the first place. Americans wanting a larger military force also isn't a problem, because that was one of the few functions the founders intended of the federal government in the first place. Even Americans wanting entitlements is fine, but it's up to the politicians to make them work, make them financially sound, or tell the American people that it won't work and it simply can't be done. That's supposed to be their job.

The problem is, politics has been allowed to become a lifetime career for politicians, instead of being a part time civic duty like it was originally meant to be. So instead of having congressmen, Senators, and executives who come to Washington in order to manage the nation to the best of their ability, we have a bunch of self centered, out of touch men and women who's only priority is doing and saying whatever it takes in order to get reelected and keep the gravy train of cash flowing into their bank accounts.

Todays over bloated, over reaching, intrusive federal government on the verge of financial collapse, didn't come to be because the American people wanted, or demanded it to be this way... It's because politicians knowingly allowed it to become this way in order to serve their own personal needs, rather than serving the needs of the nation as they were elected to do.

Now more than ever, we need to demand complete government accountability on everything they do, impose strict term limits for every elected official, and put an end to the "career politician" in America.
 
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