The fine print: New spending plan includes some raises to be concerned about ...

The U.S. Senate has passed a spending plan and, of course, you have to look closely to see why, once again, your representatives in Washington have proven that you need to scrutinize everything they do.

The spending plan includes budget increases in several departments and totals about $1.1 trillion -- and they have not even finished talking about the military budget needs yet.

If you are reeling about the fact that any kind of plan for your money that comes out of the federal government in the middle of a recession/recovery has any kind of spending increase in it, you might want to sit down for this next tidbit.

This spending plan also includes some pay increases for federal employees.

That's right. Many millions of Americans are taking pay cuts, managing unpaid furloughs and losing their jobs, and the federal government has seen fit to recommend pay increases.

Sigh. Perhaps there is something in the water in Washington that leads those who go there to fits of delusion. Or maybe when you are in a big house where everybody caters to your needs and you do not have to look your constituents in the face, you lose perspective and make dumb decisions.

Whatever it is, it is getting expensive.

There will come a point where there is simply no more money. And if we are not careful, we will have had no say in where our tax dollars have gone.

That is, unless we start reminding those senators just whose money they are spending.

And we had better do it quick.

Published in Editorials on December 12, 2009 11:53 PM