Funny if it wasn't true

One Father for Dean has a post up (no permalinks, perhaps he's worried about being bloggered) on Neil Cavuto's dumb ass rant about sending back tax cut checks if you disagreed with the tax cut.

Here it is:

"So I'm imagining myself at my big Reunion shindig this coming weekend with largely conservative alumni -- (yes, there are a few. Quite a few, actually, despite what the college conservatives would have you believe) -- who decide to gang up on me for my support of Howard Dean’s pledge to repeal President Bush’s tax cuts when elected President in 2004.

'A blatant sop to the unions, special interests and you bleeding-heart liberals,' one said.

'Our economy (and my business) will suffer,' another railed.

When it was my turn to speak, I said simply, 'You guys look like you're doing okay. If you don't want the government, don’t take what the government gives you.'

My point would and will be this:

If you don’t want that interstate highway coming your way, don’t drive on it.

You don't want workers to have any government-funded education in their backgrounds, start hiring some others now.

You don't want more international business development dollars, or more research and development grants, or more defense contracts, give them back. Divest yourself of all stocks, bonds and mutual funds for whom government sources of revenue, tax breaks and/or incentives total more than 0.5% of gross receipts. Don’t do business with or (gasp) own small companies of a similar non-individualist character.

And certainly don’t own any healthcare company that takes Medicare or Medicaid. Or own stock in investment banks utilizing privitized Social Security funds. Or manufacture voting machines.

You think the top earners’ bank accounts and personal assets are a better place for our money, give them your own money directly and leave our federal, state and local governments out of it. Think of it as a venture capital fund – about the same returns, these days, anyway.

You think our families’ already limited government services are better used on your projects, give back the government services that secure, protect and defend those projects.

You think you have all the answers, then eschew yourself, your family and your assets of all of government subsidies, every last one: the oil, timber and minerals from public lands; the military that protects your foreign subsidiaries. And including the airwaves over which major corporations broadcast – we can share the spectrum and do just fine, thanks.

It's too late for you to lecture other people what we should do with 'our' government. Practice what you preach and return 'our' government and its littered commons.

Quite a few of you are very well off and still you say you need government. Prove it, then... or give it – all of it – back to those who do.

As for the rest of us who think we know more what to do with our government than what you want to destroy of it, may I suggest this:

Instead of a speech, write out your 2004 presidential absentee ballot or your voting intentions:

I'll even give you the address:

Dean for America
P.O. Box 1228
Burlington, Vermont 05402
www.deanforamerica.com

You think you have all the answers? Don’t expect anything from the rest of us who want to work on solutions for this great nation.

Stop using and abusing our country and its government, and then for goodness sake – be quiet."