Tell me again why I should share?

The next time I hear a politician talk about "shared sacrifice", the likely sacrifice will be my flatscreen when the remote flies through it.  The elected class loves to talk about everyone pitching to clean up the mess made, in total, by the elected class.  Medicare and Social Security are not on the verge of implosion because of me.  I did not offer up hundreds of billions of dollars to bankers who made bad decisions, nor did I take your money and use it to thank campaign contributors.  Further, I did not enact a prescription drug benefit during dual wars and I have not used your money to subsidize any number of businesses.  No, folks; the sacrifice needs to come from Washington.  It's called leadership.  Look into it. 

Establishment DC has collaborated on making such a colossal cluster of the nation's finances that it hopes you are so dizzied by the numbers that you will not notice neither side has a claim to the high ground.  For six years, Republicans had both chambers in Congress AND the White House, and spending went up.  Then Democrats had both chambers plus the White House for two years, and spendint went up even further.  We have the party of big government and the party of bigger government; the only difference is the things that each likes to spend your money on, whether you actually have the money or not. 

Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan dared to, out loud, notice the elephant in the living room when he put forth a budget proposal that would overhaul Medicare.  The Democrat response?  Cheesy, not to mention dishonest, ads about grandma being tossed over a cliff.  The donkey party could have put forth its own plan, so could the President.  Neither did.  How come?  If you have no plan, then just say you have no plan.  Otherwise, stop bitching about the other guy's proposal. 

The folks in Washington believe you are their personal ATMs and they believe you can be tapped on a whim. Which, actually, you can, which should also make you mad.  When the government talks about investing, subsidizing, or anything else, it is talking about your money.  When it whines about the "cost" of tax cuts, it is also talking about your money while simultaneously saying that it can spend those dollars more responsibly than you can.  How's that working for you? 

The problem is not one of revenue, it is one of spending.  Too much spending on too many things that have little, if anything, to do with the role of the federal government.  Oil does not need your money any more than Planned Parenthood does or ethanol producers do or NPR does.  I am perfectly willing to be bipartisan is saying no to all these leeches who see the federal treasury as their personal playground.  If they want your money, they should have the good grace to ask for it through fundraising campaigns, delivering quality service that you want to support, and other traditional means, not through donating money to members of Congress who them become industry and non-profit bagmen.  It is a disgusting scenario, one created solely by the elected class and one that can only be fixed by the elected class sacrificing.