Democrats guilty of own laws
by Michael Graham
DNN Staff - EXCLUSIVE!
Tuesday, Sep. 8, 2009
“No Shame.”
That’s the motto of Massachusetts Democrats, and what makes them so much fun to watch. And they know we’re watching, too. They just don’t care. They’re the ultimate political exhibitionists, proudly struttin’ their stuff.
And taking it all off for us today is Rep. Michael Rodrigues of Westport. You heard the story: Rodrigues’ car parked in front of a New Hampshire liquor store, his “HOUSE 29” license plate proudly on display. When asked why he was buying sales-tax-free booze across the border, Rodrigues - who voted for our billion-dollar sales tax hike - allegedly told the curious Massachusetts voter to “mind your own business.”
When the story broke, Rodrigues blamed it on “Republican demagoguery.” “That’s why the Republican Party is in such bad shape in Massachusetts,” he told the New Bedford Standard-Times.
Both remaining members of the Bay State GOP were devastated by his words.If Rodrigues feels the slightest shame over avoiding a booze tax he stuck the rest of us with, it doesn’t show. And why should he? If you’re naive enough to think Massachusetts pols feel some duty to live under the laws they pass, where have you been since Sen. Edward Kennedy died?
In 2004, Democratic legislators rose up to denounce the very idea of a (Republican) governor appointing a U.S. senator. Now many of those same Democrats are demanding that we change the law immediately to let a (Democratic) governor appoint an interim replacement.
A talk host in Washington asked me yesterday if “Gov. Patrick and the Democrats were really blatantly partisan enough to do something this self-serving?”
My answer: “It’s Massachusetts.” No further explanation was required.
In a bizarre sort of way, I almost admire the shamelessness of our Democratic leadership. They’re going screw us, they’re going to raise our taxes, they’re going to flip-flop and that’s that.
These partisan hacks aren’t even hiding their hypocrisy. “Of course we’re changing the law to benefit us,” they’re essentially saying. “Whaddaya gonna do?”
Based on the behavior of Bay State voters, the answer seems to be “nothing.”
No, it’s not just Massachusetts. When you’ve got a president who appoints a tax cheat to oversee the IRS and then brags about having the highest ethical standards of any administration ever, well that takes chutzpah.
Meanwhile, the head Democrat for tax policy in the U.S. House - Ways and Means Chairman Charlie Rangel - keeps getting caught failing to report his taxable assets. When he gets caught (last week, for another), he just pays his back taxes and walks away.
No penalties, no fees, no hassles. And no shame.
In the private sector, con men and rip-off artists try to hide their identities and conceal their scams. In politics, they mount their vanity plates and head to the nearest press conference.
In Lowell last Friday, the city’s fire prevention officer parked his department car in the handicapped spot at the post office. Given that the car is literally fire-engine red and marked “Lowell Fire Dept.,” he was hardly inconspicuous. When a photo appeared, his answer was “I needed to mail some letters.”
The fire official was reprimanded, but not punished. After all, this public servant hadn’t done anything wrong. He was just a bit premature. He just needed to win an election first.
add a 6.25% tax on alcohol, was spotted last
weekend piling booze into his car - emblazoned
with his ‘House 29’ Mass. license plate - at
a tax-free N.H. liquor store. (DNN Staff photo)
Boston Graham O'Reilly Carr Siciliano
No comments:
Post a Comment