Jefferson Review

"Your Liberty is Our Interest"

Home /  Archives / Search / Links / Quotes / Book Reviews / Advertise /Contact us / Subscribe / Calendar

Have you ever noticed?

By Pat Pending

Have you ever noticed that the people who push the hardest for the government to be generous with other people’s money are often the same people who are the most tight-fisted with their own money?  And, at the same time, have you ever noticed that the people who press for restraint in government spending are often the most generous with their own funds? 

For example, do you remember Bill Clinton, who promoted big, “generous” government spending, taking large tax deductions for donations of his used underwear early in his administration, in order to reduce his taxes?  And do you remember Al Gore’s tax return, with a huge income and no charitable donations?

Here in Louisville, the metro council members, who now receive $42,691 a year for their part-time council jobs, will be receiving an automatic raise in January of about 2-3%.  Fifteen of the members sent a letter to Jefferson County Attorney Irv Maze asking how they could give back the upcoming raise.  According to The Courier-Journal, “All 11 Republicans signed the statement saying they wanted to return the raises, as did Democrats Tom Owen, Tina Ward-Pugh, Madonna Flood and council President Ron Weston.”  On the other hand, in that same article, “Cheri Bryant Hamilton, D-5th, said the symbolic gesture to refuse the raise wouldn't help 140 metro employees to be laid off Tuesday. And, she said, ‘I have two growing kids.’" Clearly, Cheri Bryant Hamilton is not willing to give up her 2% salary increase.  Could this be the same “generous” Cheri Bryant Hamilton who pushed so hard for a “living wage” for government workers?  Obviously, Ms. Hamilton, and the ten other Democrats who did not sign the letter, want to be generous with somebody else’s money, but not with their own. 

I hope the voters notice.

On a similar note, here’s what economist Milton Friedman says about spending our own vs. other people’s money:

"When a man spends his own money to buy something for himself, he is very careful about how much he spends and how he spends it. When a man spends his own money to buy something for someone else, he is still very careful about how much he spends, but somewhat less what he spends it on. When a man spends someone else's money to buy something for himself, he is very careful about what he buys, but doesn't care at all how much he spends. And when a man spends someone else's money on someone else, he doesn't care how much he spends or what he spends it on. And that's government for you." --Economist and Nobel Laureate Milton Friedman

Weather (Louisville) / Mapquest / Search / White Pages / Business Search / CNN / Dictionary / E-card / MSN