It's My Birthday

It's still my birthday and I'm half in the bag. I should have grilled a steak and had a baked potato, but I didn't think of it so instead I had some grilled chicken and fettucine alfredo. I used Smart Balance in the sauce and then said, fuck it and used real cream. I didn't open a new bottle of wine, but finished off a Syrah that I had opened on Saturday. I will have a snifter of Delemain Vesper before I go to bed. It is my birthday, after all.

First a link. Turn about is fair play and I'm linking to their Patton Post. It kinda puts things into perspective.

Like I said, it's still my birthday and I'm taking the night off, but I thought I would share with you sumpin' about that man of the people, John Fonda Kerry that my friend Pres sent me. Is it true? You tell me.

Want to pay this?

Thought I would share some information that is helping me decide how I will vote in November.

Most of us haven't thought about this -- no matter how much we like or dislike John Kerry. Even an estimate of this cost is staggering.

If elected, you and I (or those of us who actually pay taxes) will pay upkeep and secret service protection for five Kerry mansions here in the United States plus those he and his wife own abroad. It is good to be John F. Kerry...the F stands for Forbes in case you ever wondered. He is one of the richest senators in government and he married even richer. Their properties certainly reflect their opulent lifestyle. When someone is elected president, the Secret Service has to protect this person and family as well as their property - for as long as the president and his spouse lives!

Beacon Hill, Boston $6.9 million

As mentioned, the Kerry's have five US properties and several foreign properties. The cost to run one of these homes for a year is more than upper middle income Americans could afford, even if the rent was free, and all you had to pay was the water, gas & electric bills (we won't mention ground keepers, maintenance, pool, cooks and house keepers).

Fox Chapel, PA $3.7 million (this is their "shanty")

If Kerry becomes president each property requires staffed secret service security 24 hours a day. Security improvements to each home will come at tax payer expense. Even if the Kerry's never use all the properties - they will be retrofitted -- just in case they drop by for a weekend. Facilities for the secret service agents must also be provided on each property. Who do you think will pay for this? We pay! This takes all the expense off Kerry and puts it on us. Bill Clinton is paying for his New York manor house by charging the government monthly rent for the required secret service facility. The monthly rent is nearly three times more than his mortgage payment. So we the tax payers are buying his house and he pockets the extra money from the rent on the secret service facility. Then he gets to write off the interest on his mortgage. (This is untrue...GOC) Well, he was broke from defending his immoral skull duggery and his wife's little scandals, so maybe we should feel sorry for poor old Slick Willie.

Georgetown, Washington D.C. $4.7 million

Ketchum, Idaho $4.92 million

What does it cost to staff one property in terms of secret service agents? Let's just talk about his American properties. Each property would require 5 agents per 6 hour shift 4 times a day 365 days a year for the rest of Kerry's life and however long his widow might live. In addition, we pay to house and feed these agents at each property for the duration. Do the math. Five properties requiring five agents per shift, times four shifts. That is 20 agents per day per property, 365 days per year. Lets say each agent receives a salary of about $60K (this doesn't include insurance, retirement, etc.;! add 30% of salary for that). There will also be vehicles, repairs, gas, and other miscellaneous costs. Straight salary and benefits for 100 agents for one year would cost $7,800,000. We can only guess at the cost of retrofitting each property, building the facility necessary to house the agents and the monthly rent for each facility.

Nantucket, MA $9.18 million

On the other hand, George Bush owns one house - the one at his ranch in Crawford, Texas.

Again, who pays? You and I pay. I don't mind one property; heck I wouldn't even complain about two - but five in the U.S. and those abroad? Perhaps Mr. and Mrs. Kerry should offer to foot the bill for all but two of these properties if they want me to consider his candidacy. Does it make sense to spend this kind of money on his excessive life style when he and Mrs. Heinz-Kerry can better afford it??

Paying for the Kerry mansions is only a small part of my concern about this man sitting in the White House. Tax and spend Kerry - that's his party motto. I'd rather see the money we'd spend protecting his fancy properties go toward health care, our military and homeland security. Which America does he live in? Not the same one I live in - that's for sure!

Please pass the mustard; do America a favor and pass this to your friends. Let's keep Bush a resident of the White House rather than spend millions and millions to protect Kerry's preferred lifestyle and opulent properties. We'd save an incredible amount of money for more deserving programs. Oh, and viva Del Monte Ketchup!