MUFFIN MADNESS AND THE "PAY THEIR FAIR SHARE" PRESIDENT

Dear Mr. President, if I hear you use the words “pay their fair share” again I am going to stuff a $16 muffin down your skinny little throat. How dare you ask any American to pay any more taxes when you, your administration and many of the thieves running the myriad of boards, councils, advisory panels, and departments in our government squander money on over-priced meetings, meals and conferences?

Just in case your campaign promises have disappeared from your lexicon, let me remind you. Remember your promise of Hope and Change? And you were going to “fundamentally change Washington?” Have you forgotten your pledge about absolute open and transparent government? And you were going to eliminate fraud, waste and abuse?

Well, Mr. Oh-I-Forgot-My-Promise, what about these items? And you can’t get away with blaming the Republicans. Democrats have been in charge of Washington’s purse strings since 2007, as you and I both know.

Item 1: From October ’07 to September ’09 there were 10 conferences held by various governmental bodies that cost the American taxpayer 4.4 million dollars.

Item 2: August ’09, DOJ conference, $4200 spent on 250 breakfast muffins. That’s $16 per muffin.

Item 3: July ’08, Drug Enforcement Task Force meeting, $15,600 spent on coffee breaks. That’s $52 per person in attendance.

Item 4: February ’08, U. S. Attorneys’ Conference, $54,000 spent on food and beverages.

Item 5: December ’07, Emergency Response Conference, $90,000 spent on food and beverages.

Item 6: August, ’09, DOJ conference, $2880 for 300 cookies/brownies. That’s $9.60 per cookie/brownie.

Item 7: 2007, DOJ conference, $6360 for lunch for 120 people. That’s $53 per person – for LUNCH.

Item 8: 2007, DOJ conference, $60,000 for a reception serving Swedish meatballs that cost $5 per meatball.

Item 9: February, 2008, U. S. Attorneys conference, $5,431 for a dinner for 84 officials. That’s $65 per person. This elaborate dinner was served after the “84” had already eaten beef Wellington appetizers, which was billed separately, by the way. The next day 118 participants dined on crusted red snapper, stuffed chicken breast and beef medallions, along with hors d’oeuvres, side dishes and salads. Cost? $58 per person.

Item 10: The DOJ spent $600,000 for “event planning services” for five conferences. What? Don’t they have anyone on their employee roster who can plan an event?

Item 11: 2008-2009, DOJ spent $121 million on conferences, which exceeded its own spending limits.

So I say to you, Mr. President. This is not about anybody “paying their fair share.” This is about a government run amok, a government who thumbs its nose at the taxpayer, a government who views us as a never ending money supply. After all, it’s easy for you to get more greenbacks. Just raise taxes which is all we ever hear out of your elegantly fed mouth.

So my question is this: Why should any American pay more taxes, pay a “fair share,” as you have repeated over and over again, just so somebody in a fancy suit, silk tie and wingtips can have a $16 muffin and a $52 coffee break?

In passing Obamacare you cut $500 million from Medicare. And you expect us to believe that Social Security will die under the Republicans because of inadequate funding. Yet you refuse to cut spending in any meaningful way without raising taxes. You say there is no place to cut. How dare you? Why wouldn’t you protect Medicare and Social Security and cut $16 muffins??

So here, Mr. O., is my suggestion. Have you ever heard of teleconferencing? Just in case you are ignorant of the concept, it’s where people use their computers and Internet connections to “conference” from separate locations. It saves lots and lots of money, like $16 muffins, $52 coffee breaks, $5 meatballs, $10 cookies. Do I need to spell it out for you?

If you really want to do something to help save America you should sign an Executive Order that stops this kind of crap. Demand efficiency. Demand budget cuts for every federal department. Why would Americans give any more money to an administration that sanctions this abuse just to buy more $16 muffins? Or is it part of your “Fair Share Shakedown?”