5 Richest Members of Congress

One element of the American Dream is that anyone, anytime, anywhere is free to make as much money as their ability, work ethic, and desires allow. I applaud the person who can. Not all of us are as blessed. But we all are free to do so.

Where I have a problem is the wealthy politicians trying to get us to believe they really want to pay more taxes. How stupid do they think we are?

Many voters believe the lie that, for example, Senator John Kerry actually wants to pay more taxes & that he'll push through legislation that will force him to (even though the money is really from his wife, heiress to the Heinz fortune).

Frankly I'm not dumb enough to fall for that load o'crap. If they're sincere & honestly want to me/us to believe they have my/our interests at heart, then roll back or discard all they perks they have such as franking privileges, the best health care (for which, incidentally, they don't pay one cent for), meal allotments, flying on so-called "fact-finding" soujourns at taxpayer expense, pushing pork barrel projects to cement their legacy, etc.

The perks they have dwarf anything the average taxpayer has gained through Union contracts and performance wage & benefit increases. These perks are paid for by John Q. Public & don't come out of their personal wealth.

Wake up, America!!! ANY politician who tells you that the wealthy ought to pay more taxes (because they're not paying their fair share) is nothing more than a L-I-A-R.

Don't fall for it. It's a diversion for a power grab.

Let us suppose, for argument's sake, that Jay Rockefeller says he wants to jack up the tax rate for the wealthiest Americans from an imaginary 26% to an imaginary 35% - do you really believe he's going to pay another 9% in taxes? In fact, it's doubtful he'll pay anything in the 26% neighborhood. Why? Because he has accountants & tax experts that look for every loophole so he avoids that level of taxation. And who do you think helps create the tax loopholes that Senator Rockefeller's tax experts utilize? You got it! Mr. Rockefeller's associates on the Committee that writes the tax laws, who are also going to be affected by what they pass into the tax code!!!!

Yep, if you believe they have your interests at heart - you're sadly mistaken.

Ben of OH 7:15AM April 20, 2011