Political Bankruptcy

It's hard to imagine how destitute your ideas must be if you have to pay your own supporters to talk up your policy proposals:

Amstrong Williams, a prominent conservative commentator who was a protégé of Senator Strom Thurmond and Justice Clarence Thomas of the Supreme Court, acknowledged yesterday that he was paid $240,000 by the Department of Education to promote its initiatives on his syndicated television program and to other African-Americans in the news media.

Can I just emphasize "conservative commentator"? This slimeball, who one might predict would support the policy proposals of a conservative president, STILL has to be paid a quarter million embezzled taxpayer dollars to furnish the propoganda the Bush administration needs to garner support for anything they do.

However, do I really believe Williams needed to be paid? No, I do not. This is merely one more instance of Republicans finding a way to make the friendly rich richer by looting the public coffers. So, who else is on the payroll? How many other "journalists" and "commentators" are richly compensated mouthpieces feeding at the trough of public money?

Couldn't we just eliminate the middleman? Here's my proposal for tax reform: we abolish the Federal income tax system, and instead, taxpayers each select 5 of the richest Americans from Forbes' annual list, and all citizens divide 50% of their income between the lucky winners.

Then the nation can depend on the public spirit and investment of these patriotic Americans to fund whatever public works seem advantageous to them.

What could go wrong?