Here’s a letter to Politico:
You report that [any-decent-person-in-his-shoes-would-be-disgraced U.S. Rep. Anthony] “Weiner has also complained to friends that he wasn’t sure how he would make a living if he were to leave Congress and its $174,000 annual salary. ‘He’s worried about money and how to pay his bills,’ said a Democratic insider. ‘He’s very concerned about that’” (“Weiner shows no signs of quitting,” June 9).
Overlook the fact that, by admitting this reason for clinging to political office, any professions that Mr. Weiner has made in the past or will make in the future about his ‘devotion to public service,’ his ‘love of country,’ or his ‘loyalty to the Democratic party’ should be seen as the self-serving lies that they are.
Instead, ask this simple question: why should Americans trust Mr. Weiner with substantial power to decide how to annually spend $3.8 trillion dollars of other people’s money if he, a 46-year-old college graduate who’s earned a six-figure salary for each of at least the past 12 years, has neither saved enough to pay his bills should he be unemployed for a while nor developed any skills that would allow him to earn a decent living in the private sector?
Sincerely,
Donald J. Boudreaux
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{ 68 comments }
Having only seen Mr. Weiner clashing rhetorically with Megan Kelly on video, I gotta say he seems as obnoxious as anyone that ever crapped between a pair of wingtips. There must be a position open for him somewhere, maybe in portable sewage management.
Yeah…but don’t forget….he’s no worse than many Republicans. They are all a bunch of snakes!
Wiener is far worse than any republican I have ever heard from. A person who engages in porn with young women, one possibly a minor, and then proceeds to slander and attack those who question him (lying despicably ) all the while his wife is pregnant. He and Edwards must be best of friends. The Pedophile Wiener is filth.
Why put to shame the crap at the sewage treatment plant!? Crap can do better than the arrogant Weiner!
OUCH!! I would say that this is a low blow, but with Weiner, thats already too many puns for one story.
I’m almost certain that the Center For American Progress has a “Former Government Employee Rehabilitation” program to help recently discarded federal and state leeches land on their feet. Funded by tax dollars, of course.
Won’t Weenie qualify for the TAA? How about lifetime unemployment “benefits”? If he stops paying his mortgage, he can live out the rest of his life in his apartment/house for free. You don’t even have to be that creative these days to figure out how to spend the rest of your life attached to the government teat.
NPR Commentator.
Certainly has a face for radio.
Cute.
Na….send him to Fox.
It appears he is particularly qualified and has an affinity for working for the TSA.
I humbly suggest he inquire there.
Only problem is that instead of fondling the passengers, he’s likely to strip and show women his junk instead. That’s going to cause a lot of burned retinas.
Very true, Weiner’s disposition is just the opposite of what the TSA requires.
What nonsense, as if he wouldn’t make big bucks on the “rehab a democrat” circuit. He actually smart not to resign, people forget everything.
Weiner will softly land at some lefty “institute”.
Weiner will softly land at some lefty “institute”.
I’d say not. He shows not the slightest indications of being able to maintain the pretense of scholarship that is the veneer of respectibility that sugarcoatss the autocratic and kleptocratic compulsions of the left.
Think hedge fund. Ruthlessness, acquisitiveness, prevarication and narcissism would make him fit right in, despite the opposition to capitalism that is the theatrical currency of leftist politicians. When you realize just how many lefties are in the hf industry, it’s laughable to see how many of the trolls here believe that their favorite leftist politician is actually interested in the plight of the poor and average.
Totally agree with your first paragraph. But, he’s way too stupid for a hedge fund. The exhibitionists at the hedge funds are usually required to at least be able to do a bit of bond math.
Weiner is qualified to be that guy who stands on the corner holding the sign “will sext for food”.
Depends which hedge fund.
He could probably do well at the SEC.
I dunno, Mesa.
The SEC specializes in watching porn, not producing it.
Touche.
He could try AQR – Weiner and Assness…..has a “playful” connotation.
Yes, it does have a ring to it. But, have you ever met Cliff Asness? He would eat Weiner for lunch.
(dude, the jokes do write themselves)
Yep
Tell Wiener the Train and airplane Bureau is hiring….
They call it the T&A bureau…. He will sign on..
He’ll be fine. He’ll just inflate his debt away… I mean, raise taxes… Wait… Random people can’t just monetize their debt or take other people’s money to pay for it? How do they survive?
More honestly, I think you’re a bit harsh Don. It’s quite possible to run out of savings for perfectly good reasons. (Mostly helping relatives in need, having your insurance denied at the wrong moment, having a number of investments go unexpectedly bust…) It’s also possible that by “worried about paying the bills” he means he will have to downgrade his lifestyle because future jobs will likely not pay quite as well. (Remember this is a third party reporting to a journalist, not necessarily the most accurate source of knowledge in existence.) Also, given the way things work in Washington, it would be perfectly rational for Mr. Weiner to just assume he could stay a Congressman pretty much forever and therefore set aside very little savings. The fact of the matter is we don’t really know this particular situation well enough to pass judgment on Mr. Weiner’s financial skills. (Well, maybe his record in government might give us a hint. Not sure what it is.) Also Don, just because someone cares about money does not mean it’s all they care about. (Otherwise known as: “Incentives matter.”) One can blend altruistic and selfish motives in one’s actions. Your criticism of Mr. Weiner may well be warranted, but the “evidence” you provide for it is quite weak.
PrometheeFeu,
“It’s quite possible to run out of savings for perfectly good reasons.”
In 12 years, he “earned” $2,088,000.
The average LIFETIME earnings for the typical:
Just high school graduate: $1.2 million (72.9%)
Just BS/BA: $2.1 million; (18% of pop)
Just MS/MA: $2.5 million. (6.7% of pop)
A PhD: $3.4 million (1% of pop)
A professional degree: $4.4 million. (1.4% of pop)
All of the lifetime calculations are for the working years 25 to 64, i.e., 40 years (25 to 64 inclusive). In other words, in just 12 years, Weiner earned what most people earn in 40 years.
No matter what his bills are, it’s hard to feel sorry for him.
Regards,
Ken
Also, to supplement what Ken has said:
Congressional health insurance plans are pretty good. I doubt Weiner has much personal experience with a denied claim. Also, I remember reading recently (can’t recall the source, unfortunately) that Congressmen typically perform much better than the average person when it comes to return on investment/stock market transactions. I cannot comment to whether or not Weiner blew his fortune on helping his family.
While your criticism of Don’s letter may be warranted, your “evidence” that Weiner may have little to no savings for legitimate reasons is quite weak.
Yes sir Kyle! Oh you betchum that congress critters do better than the average bear on the stock market, and here is the reason.
http://www.securitiesdocket.com/2009/03/11/closing-the-congressional-insider-trading-loophole/
http://www.goupstate.com/article/20090716/ARTICLES/907161007?Title=Congressional-insider-trading
The U.S. Constitution Art 1 Sec 5, para 2, 1st phrase allows congress to make insider trading part of their necessary rules of proceedings; but the irony is that that also requires congress to be the body to outlaw it……………………..Bwa ha ha ha ha……figure the fucking odds!
http://www.dailyfinance.com/2009/07/16/former-sec-commissioner-insider-trading-by-congress-is-perfectl/
Yes sir Kyle! Oh you betchum that congress critters do better than the average bear on the stock market, and here is the reason.
http://www.securitiesdocket.com/2009/03/11/closing-the-congressional-insider-trading-loophole/
http://www.goupstate.com/article/20090716/ARTICLES/907161007?Title=Congressional-insider-trading
The U.S. Constitution Art 1 Sec 5, para 2, 1st phrase allows congress to make insider trading part of their necessary rules of proceedings; but the irony is that that also requires congress to be the body to outlaw it……………………..Bwa ha ha ha ha……figure the f..king odds!
http://www.dailyfinance.com/2009/07/16/former-sec-commissioner-insider-trading-by-congress-is-perfectl/
Kyle, do congressional health plans cover expensive sex addiction treatments at the sexodome clinic?
Fiscal responsibility? Personal? Public? He is a democrat. Wouldn’t fiscal responsibility at any level be an oxymoron?
Weiner’s protestations sound game-theoretic to me. He is signalling (he can hardly come out in public and say it) his price for leaving office. Now it is up to the Dems to decide whether to counter, pay his price, let him stay until the next election, or redistrict him out of a job. This last threat is likely very credible since NY lost two seats in the last census, and is almost certainly being employed by the Dems to get Weiner to lower his price for leaving.
Most definitely he is holding the position hostage, but why call it game theory when it’s just is old fashioned politics.
I was hoping it would make me sound smart, but you saw right through that! Thanks a bunch!
I don’t understand why this douche doesn’t think he has a perfectly good career awaiting him outside of politics.
He’s got a great last name for stripping and he’s apparently very experienced. He could change his first name to “Seymour” and start raking in the dough – it’s more honest and respectable work than politics and it pays about as well as being a congressman.
The jokes just write themselves with this guy….
I just know he went through school being called Oscar Meyer
My first thought was “What shape car does this idiot drive?…”
Don,
Clearly, we need some sort of job retraining program for out of work legislators. The only thing they are trained for is to think shallowly and spend other people’s money, which has not application outside “public service”.
Regards,
Ken
Imagine the brain-freeze if any one of them entered private business and was required to produce a profit!
1) “Never done it before, or even thought about it, because
2) Profit is evil.”
This, of course, should be insta-added to the 100 LTEs in the LTE book.
No need to pull punches on this slanderous slime ball; abdicating the positions should not be an option. The gravity of this situation is being missed by everyone. The man made a false allegation that he, a sitting senator, was the victim of an electronic attack. The freedom of the internet is tenuous as it is without this d-bag contributing his lies. Of course, he is a Clinton lackey, and that means never having to admit to your crimes.
Hm… If he had gotten law-enforcement involved then I would definitely agree. But that has not been the case as I understand it. So I am not sure how this lie is any different than the lies they all tell about public policy. Oh wait, I see how it is different. In one case he just lied about his personal life and in the other they all lie about things that affect all of us. Glad to see you have your priorities straight.
What a disgusting parasite. I’m sure he’ll find work on K street with the rest of the scum.
Of course he will, but that doesn’t permit him from trying to profit for his impropriety.
Or, given his name, in Dupont Circle…
For a parasite like him, I’m sure, there is a career as a lobbyist waiting in the cesspool surrounding Washington D.C.
Now the latest breaking news is he sexted underage girls and sent an unsolicited X-rated photo to some Cordova woman…
Who knew Cafe Hayek could become TMZ?
The Jews in his district will just replace him with another communist. Ironically, from an ideological perspective, the Jews and African Americans (I love that name) are exactly alike, if we can forgive the tensions that have existed between them for a moment. Both vote Democratic. The Jews vote for what is increasingly a pro-Palestinian platform and the poorer blacks vote for platforms that result in poverty for themselves. The concept of individualism simply doesn’t exist in their tribal ideologies, so they get what they deserve.
Bill Clinton was quoted as saying he was the equivalent of our first black President, and Obama has demonstrated that he’s our first European President. With both these groups essentially anti-Jewish, why do the Jewish people keep voting them in? The answer is ideology. Judiaism is an illiberal ideology, although far superior than Islam. The tribe is held higher than the individual.
I am mentioning all this because I keep hearing the media talk about this or that voting district being black or Jewish. I am sick of those tribal distinctions! For all that the Jews have accomplished in western civilization, it’s sad that they still insulate themselves in collectivist group think and cling to circus like traditions and customs that should embarrass anyone with a high school degree in this century.
What is interesting is that Weiner is not known in House Democratic circles to be a hard worker. He does a lot of grandstanding and media spots, and this is likely why they are taking more of a “no comment” stance. Or pointing the finger at him. This guy likely still believes that he will be mayor of NYC one day, potentially a Senator. And there will likely be enough people around to tell him that it is still possible. And considering he is a career politician from New York, you can’t blame him for being so optimistic. Maybe Hillary could give a job at the World Bank so he can “help” the less fortunate all around the world.
What a blow to Weiners career.
This schmuck may be at some risk of seeing pension benefits go up in smoke; if he committed any crimes defrauding the government, etc. pension eligibility could vanish. If he HAS committed crimes, I hope he doesn’t escape with his pension (which, obviously, taxpaying American’s are on the hook for):
LInk to congressional pension info:
http://www.senate.gov/reference/resources/pdf/RL30631.pdf
Are you suggesting we investigate all Congressmen or just the ones that are involved in sex scandals? I’m not sure why sending a picture of your underwear should warrant such harsh treatment.
A more interesting question would be, considering Weiner’s money-management skills, why should Americans believe that increasing tax revenues will make an iota of difference to Congress’ inclination to reduce the the deficit?
Hey gay porn pays pretty good these days.
Listen, that guy sent a naked picture of his dong around the world on the Net…that has to be illegal somewhere, get him out now. Pervert.
Didn’t Brett Favre get into trouble for doing basically the same thing, very recently, in the same part of the country as Weiner’s ddistrict?
Is Weiner really this stupid?
I suggest capital punishment as a remedy here.
I’m sure MSNBC has a spot for someone as far to the left as the Weiner.
I’m left unsatisfied by Weiner’s public detractors.
A real man would have immediately resigned. Look, he’s a liar and a flasher who used the prestige of his office to covertly flirt with women.
In what effeminate society are we even debating Weiner staying on? I’d take him out behind the wood shed.
For crying out loud.
Paging Lorena Bobbitt…..
I saw Nancy Pelosi on tv last night pronouncing that whether he stays or not is between him and his constituents.
I think given Nancy’s age, she can be forgiven for breaking her promise to “drain the swamp.” She probably doesn’t even remember saying it.
I could barely stomach the pompous thug before the genital references. Please, someone knock me out and wake me when it has all passed.
A sex scandal without the sex. He’s a leg up on DSK for managing director of the IMF.
Well, this should be a lesson for all politicians . If you don’t want to find yourself in a sticky mess, don’t pull a Wiener.
Don’t Pull a Wiener! T-shirts on sale now…. http://Www.Wiener pull.com
Notice how quickly deems and the MSM were lookin to rub the wiener scandal out and sweep the mess under the rug. Sure is a hard one to swallow……
The next congressional race for the disgraced congressman is approaching. Looking to put the whole mess in the rear, Wiener will have to pull out.
In the end, at least Wiener came clean.