Of course, that's the point of the $33.9 million public relations stunt that the postal push represents. The tax-redistribution plan promoted by the Bush administration and passed by a Republican House and a Republican Senate was designed to cut taxes for the very rich while shifting more of the burden onto the shoulders of working Americans. The "refund" itself is simply a public relations stunt designed to fool the great majority of Americans into thinking they will benefit from the make-the-rich-richer scam.

And make no mistake, the reminder letters are a big part of the scam. Not surprisingly, Wisconsin's progressive representatives were in the forefront of efforts to prevent the use of taxpayer dollars for the PR gimmick.

U.S. Rep. David Obey, D-Wausau, and Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, were loud foes of the letter lie, with Baldwin saying, "The use of over $30 million of taxpayer money so that the Bush administration can brag about itself is inappropriate. This is tantamount to a taxpayer-funded public relations budget for the president. They should just send out the rebate checks."

In the Senate, Wisconsin's Russ Feingold and Herb Kohl maintained their tight-with-tax-dollars records. They voted against spending the $33.9 million and released statements denouncing it as a waste of taxpayer dollars.

So-called "conservatives" such as Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Janesville, and James Sensenbrenner, R-Menomonee Falls, voted to pick taxpayer pockets to pay for presidential PR. Their votes are a reminder that the real tax-and-spend politicians almost always wear the label "Republican."

Copyright 2001 The Capital Times

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