The county Democrats have accepted my gift!

[jmowreader]

The Kootenai County, Idaho, Democratic Party has a nice party in the summer we call the Huckleberry Social. Basically, you get together with your fellow Democrats, all forty of them (this ain't exactly the most-Democratic place in the world) have a cookout, laugh at our opposition and participate in an auction to raise funds for the party.

Unfortunately I can't make it because someone has to print the paper that evening...but I offered them something they really liked. The state representative for northern Kootenai County, Phil Hart, thinks income taxes are unconstitutional--he's on the Tax and Revenue Commission in the State House, nice?--and he has run up a bill of somewhere around $700,000 with penalties and interest. So...me being a Democrat who thinks we should ridicule Republicans any time we can, I offered up a fun gag gift:

"Here, for your perusal, is a one-of-a-kind Phil Hart Signature Edition sledgehammer, just like the one you and I would be breaking rocks with if we were $700,000 in hock to the government. It's good for squashing cockroaches, driving in stakes for big tents, or just putting on your mantle as a reminder to pay your taxes! Our suggested opening bid is $70--exactly one-ten thousandth of Phil Hart's tax bill. And remember, Freedom Is Not Free, Taxes Pay For It!"

They thought it was a wonderful jab at the worthless SOB, so today I went to a hardware store and bought a sledgehammer. I then went to a trophy shop and got a little plaque that says "Phil Hart Signature Edition" made. Tomorrow when it's done I'll take the hammer over there and have the plaque put on it, and turn it in to the county party office.

Oh, you'll love this one even better: Phil Hart wants to make a special coin we mint from Genuine Idaho Silver (we have a shitload of it) legal tender for paying your state taxes. He quotes the part of the Constitution that says "states will not accept anything but gold or silver coin in payment of debts" but missed the part in the exact same paragraph that says "states will not coin money."

[Gormy Cuss]

1. Wait --they allow Democrats in Idaho?

j/k.

I hope the sledgehammer is a big "hit."

[jmowreader]

2. Strangely enough...

Walt Minnick is ostensibly a Democrat although he only looks like one two days a week--you guess which two. There are also a few of them in the state legislature.

Idaho has, in the past, produced some of America's finest Democrats. Cecil Andrus (Carter's Secretary of the Interior) and Senator Frank Church. We need to start producing them again.

[Kali]

3. excellent!

I love it! Hope it raises a bundle!

[liberaltrucker]

4. "Freedom isn't free, Taxes pay for it"

I LOVE that! Nice t-shirt or bumper sticker idea!

:applause: :applause:

:toast:

[rurallib]

5. why is this guy not in jail, may I ask?

has he worked a deal with the gummint?

[jmowreader]

6. He's a Republican in Idaho

They had an ethics committee investigation into this gentleman's activities, based on three taxation-related votes he made. One of them involved how the state is to handle people who owe the Department of Revenue more than $50,000. He voted when he owed the DOR $58,000--it's a lot more than that now.

Anyway, to make a very long story very short, there are five Repukes and three Democrats on the ethics committee, and the vote to not censure him was 5-3.

The only thing any of us can do is to openly display our disgust with the ethics committee, by selling sledgehammers endorsed by him.