Friday, March 14, 2008
We spare no expense!
Well St Patrick's Day is almost upon us folks and you know what that means. Guinness? Silly hats? Public drunkenness and vomit-filled streets? Yes, yes and yes, but as well as all that there is one annual delight in particular worth mentioning - the three week Dáil break for our wonderful politicians! (3 weeks, is that all?)
Yes while most men, women and children would be lucky to get a day off work or school to celebrate our national holiday, our public representatives don't have to return to work until April 2nd. Well they work so hard throughout the year that they deserve a longer break, right? In fact they deserve lavish, expensive paid vacations and you the Irish taxpayer, yes YOU, will be delighted to learn that your taxes accomplish precisely that for the poor buggers. Huzzah!
Anthony over at the Public Enquiry site detailed how Irish politicians are not required to produce receipts for their expenses. Checks are NOT made and the whole system is operated on the basis that they are honest and won't cheat you, yes YOU, the taxpayer. Sounds good to me! Irish politicians being dishonest? Like that could ever happen.
Anthony adds:
"A caller to Liveline today tells us how Irish taxpayers paid €1,650 per night to Seamus Brennan (Minister for Arts, Sport & Tourism) to stay at an apartment in Rome last year.
"The caller was puzzled as to why Brennan couldn’t have stayed at the luxurious five stars Westin Excelsior hotel in the centre of Rome for a mere €355 per night. This hotel regularly caters for statesmen from all over the world. Stayed there myself for a week once and was very impressed.
"The caller told us that taxpayers paid Junior Minister Mary Wallace €1,000 for VIP services at Dublin airport on a trip to Vienna. Just to repeat that – She collected €1,000 for VIP services at Dublin airport!!!"
Damn straight. Nothing but the finest for our politicians.
How lucky we are - and you, yes YOU the taxpayer, to live in a true republican society where all of our citizens are treated as equals.
Raise a pint to that on St Patrick's Day and marvel at the majestic, near-utopian country we live in today thanks to the great men and women of Fianna Fáil.
Photo courtesy of Hubritic Anomaly.
# posted by United Irelander @ 3:38 PM 
© 2008 United Irelander.
