Hero or Nickname for Richard?

I'm sorry Jon Stewart--I love you, Man, but can't you see the beauty in the stand that Bunning (who knows how to spell, not me) took in the Senate? [In case you are someone who did not see Jon Stewart this week, he called Senator Bunning a nickname for Richard--yes, Jon Stewart has a bit of a potty mouth, but he has to sell that beer to stay on the air.] Anyhoo, Nancy Polosi just admonished the house that they should do what is right and not what will get them re-elected. Bunning is just one guy against the tide of public opinion, against his party, against the unanimous vote of the Senate, filibustering to ask the simple question--HOW WILL WE PAY FOR IT? That is a great question, because I thought we were paying unemployment insurance to pay for unemployment checks for a period of time after we were laid off from our jobs. I can do math the same as the next guy, but I'm pretty sure that there is a finite amount of money available in that insurance fund, so when those benefits are extended again and again and again, I'm right there with Bunning--HOW WILL WE PAY FOR IT? Oh, and again, call me stupid or a nickname of Richard, but I thought the really high federal taxes on my gasoline paid for road repair jobs. I'm driving a toyota that makes me really nervous when I hit a pothole and my electrical system goes haywire for a second, so I feel like I have a vested interest in getting those potholes fixed. I know that I'm part of the problem, getting such great gas mileage that I'm paying less taxes overall for my gas, but again, just thinking about the math--there's still a lot of money being allocated to this project. So if Bunning doesn't know where the money is coming from, I have to ask myself "would my beloved government spend that money for something else (war in Iraq) and use it all up so that they had to borrow to replace it when it was needed?" Being a rational human being, of course the answer is yes.

Being a cynical human being, I understand why congress is voting to extend unemployment benefits to over 1 million people looking for work--that is quite an army of people who will become as desperate as any Haitian looking for fresh water and food after the earthquake. Looting is scary, but I'm right there with Jean Val Jean stealing bread to feed his family. And I can understand extending road work projects whether you have the money or not, because lets face it--that is the most salient thing the government does for us on a day to day basis. War is far away. Crime happens to other people. Securities regulation--I don't own any stocks, please. Nope--pot holes. Right here, right now, everyday--don't mess with my car.

But I have to ask myself: How will we pay for it? Thanks Bunning. Good question. [Yes, since I'm a democrate, my answer is different than yours, republicans. Are we almost done with that war thing? I really want us to put a few dollars together to hire electrical engineers to regulate the hell out of the car company that sold me a deathtrap. Deregulation is a dangerous ponzi sceme, but I digress.]