A random thought, or two, as April 15th approaches…

Thanks to Larry Kudlow for pointing out that those IRS tax rebate notices everyone recently received cost us taxpayers a “cool $42 million.” And speaking of government waste at the local level, kudos to Comptroller Peter Franchot for initially sending out Maryland’s quarterly vouchers, for this year, with “2007” printed on them… wonder how much that cost us in re-printing and re-mailing costs?

As for these rebate checks, talk about an idea whose time has definitely not come… oh, and by the way, those who comprise the top 5% of taxpayers and pay 60% of all personal income taxes, will find their rebates either reduced or completely phased-out. This brings to mind Thomas Jefferson’s observation—“A government big enough to give you everything you want, is big enough to take everything you have.”

The entire rebate scheme typifies the half-baked, reactive thinking we’ve come to expect from the public trough that is Washington, DC. But is anybody truly surprised as our political class fatuously conducts “the peoples’ business” in a photo-op setting, solemnly attempting to answer that burning question on each of our minds—Roger Clemens… did he or didn’t he take steroids? Is it just me or does there seem to be an increasing disconnect all around us—the media screams the economy is falling off the cliff, there’s an ongoing War on Terror, but, hey, we’ve got to get that consumer spending revved back up, so let’s throw ‘em all a little dough?!?

In talking with my father, a World War II veteran, not long ago, he commented that the real difference he notices between his service and the current War on Terror is a complete absence of any type of sacrifice on the home front. The only segment of our society to which that statement doesn’t apply is the steadfastly brave men and women of our military and their families & loved ones whose lives are subsequently discombobulated. Here’s a novel idea—to generate a feeling of shared sacrifice, why not direct all of the rebate checks to those who have been doing all the sacrificing, for a very long time?
—Geordie French