On March 26, President Biden made a speech about the destruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. He said,
It’s my intention that [the] federal government will pay for the entire cost of reconstructing that bridge, and I expect to — the Congress to support my effort.
When a reporter reminded him that a ship “appears to be at fault” for destroying the bridge, and asked, “Is there any reason to believe that the company behind the ship should be held responsible?”, Biden, as well informed as ever, replied: “That could be, but we’re not going to wait if that happened. We’re going to pay for it to get the bridge rebuilt and open.”
If I had been a reporter in that room, I would have asked, “You say ‘we,’ Mr. President. How much are you personally going to contribute to this effort?”
After all, Biden had just said to the people of Baltimore, “We’re with you. We’re going to stay with you as long as [it] takes. . . . You’re Maryland tough, you’re Baltimore strong, and we’re going to get through this together.”
When do you expect to hear language like that? “You’re tough . . . You’re strong . . . We’re going to get through this together?” You expect to hear it when someone has received some terrible news, has received some awful diagnosis, and a friend or relative is trying to inspirit that person and pledging his own help. Not the country’s help. Not “our” help. His own help.
I’m not aware that Baltimoreans or Marylandians are famous for their spiritual toughness. But Biden did claim a strong affinity with them and with the Francis Scott Key Bridge. He said he had traveled across it “many, many times commuting from the state of Delaware either on a train or by car.” It’s true, of course, that the bridge had no train tracks — never had any, wasn’t built to be a railway bridge. It’s also true that Biden has frequently bragged about not commuting by car. Nevertheless, one thing is clear: there’s nothing the ruling class won’t spend money on, as long as it’s other people’s money. Forbidden by the Supreme Court from taking over people’s college debts, Biden does it anyway. Required by duty not to let people in need of welfare benefits into the country, Biden does it anyway. Required by common sense not to fund the civil service and pension system of a place that is notorious as the most corrupt country in Europe, yes, Biden does it anyway. And now it’s only the stray reporter who thinks to ask, isn’t there anyone but the taxpayer who can pay these bills?
If it be said that “this is what we pay taxes for,” the obvious answer is, “Nobody asked us, any of us, and besides, we shouldn’t have to pay for things that are illegal, unnecessary, or both.”
The less obvious, but equally important answer is, “We don’t have the money — and that’s why you think you can get away with this.”
Thanks to Biden and his ilk — his very numerous ilk — the debt of the United States is now greater than $270,000 for every household in America. That’s how much we — the real we, the people — owe. Plus compound interest. But the intention is not to pay this debt — or the interest of this debt — in taxes. People would notice that, and vote the ruling class out of power. Certainly no one in the ruling class expects “the rich” (i.e., the ruling class itself) to pay it. If they expected that, they would not be flocking in their thousands to contribute to Biden’s re-election. No, we will pay it, in inflation and in subservience to Communist China and whoever else is willing to keep funding our national mortgage. Meanwhile, the ruling class will keep spending more and more of what we do not have.
In these circumstances, wouldn’t it be a good idea if someone, anyone, asked Biden to donate a few hundred thousand out of his own household’s ample funds? Then everyone would have a lot more confidence that “we’re going to get through this together.”
