{"id":392,"date":"2013-04-15T08:44:09","date_gmt":"2013-04-15T12:44:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dougsbriefcase.com\/blog\/?p=392"},"modified":"2013-04-15T16:37:10","modified_gmt":"2013-04-15T20:37:10","slug":"joe-biden-and-the-meaning-of-compassion041513","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dougsbriefcase.com\/blog\/joe-biden-and-the-meaning-of-compassion041513\/","title":{"rendered":"Joe Biden and the Meaning of Compassion"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"VP<\/a>

VP<\/span> lives rent-free in this 9,000 square foot house.\u2026and gives lit\u00adtle to char\u00adi\u00adty (Pho\u00adto cred\u00adit: White House Museum)<\/p><\/div>\n

I don\u2019t want to pick on Joe Biden.<\/p>\n

He seems a decent enough guy, and if he some\u00adtimes says odd things (like \u201cwe to have spend mon\u00adey to keep from going bank\u00adrupt<\/a>\u201d), his mus\u00adings are at least authen\u00adtic expres\u00adsions of his some\u00adtimes con\u00adfused state of mind.  He is not a phony.<\/p>\n

Still, it is tax sea\u00adson, with its annu\u00adal reminder that the Vice Pres\u00adi\u00addent makes a com\u00adfort\u00adable liv\u00ading ($385,072) and doesn\u2019t pay what con\u00adsid\u00aders his \u201cfair share\u201d in tax\u00ades ($87,851<\/a> or 23% of his income).<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t fault him for that.  God knows, he\u2019s done his best to raise tax\u00ades, and to the extent that Repub\u00adli\u00adcans have blocked rate hikes and loop\u00adhole-clos\u00adings, why shouldn\u2019t he hire accoun\u00adtants to assure that the gov\u00adern\u00adment gets as lit\u00adtle as pos\u00adsi\u00adble of his wealth?  Though he often exco\u00adri\u00adates peo\u00adple like him\u00adself, he is under no legal or moral oblig\u00ada\u00adtion to pay more in tax\u00ades than the IRS<\/span> requires.  The Vice Pres\u00adi\u00addent has able accoun\u00adtants.  Good for him.<\/p>\n

What trou\u00adbles me is that he gives so lit\u00adtle to char\u00adi\u00adty \u2014 $7,190 in 2012, or 1.87%<\/a> of his income.   Unlike with tax\u00ades, the Vice Pres\u00adi\u00addent can\u2019t blame Repub\u00adli\u00adcans for his mea\u00adger con\u00adtri\u00adbu\u00adtions.   He and his wife are free to give as much as they want to their church or what\u00adev\u00ader cause they think wor\u00adthy.  Yet all they could muster from his vast troves of cash was $5,190, plus anoth\u00ader $2,000 in used clothes, toys, exer\u00adcise equip\u00adment, pot\u00adtery and kitchen\u00adware that he gave to Good\u00adwill and anoth\u00ader charity.<\/p>\n

Mr. Biden is no doubt a man of decen\u00adcy and com\u00adpas\u00adsion, as he often reminds us.  He is a leader of a polit\u00adi\u00adcal par\u00adty that, as he also tells us, is devot\u00aded to decen\u00adcy and com\u00adpas\u00adsion.  This, he says, more than any\u00adthing else, dis\u00adtin\u00adguish\u00ades his par\u00adty from its polit\u00adi\u00adcal oppo\u00adnents, who pur\u00adsue poli\u00adcies that aid the wealthy at the expense of the poor.  Repub\u00adli\u00adcans lack compassion.<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>Ladies and gen\u00adtle\u00admen, this is not your father\u2019s Repub\u00adli\u00adcan Par\u00adty. There is a brand-new cat<\/a> out there,\u201d he has said.<\/p>\n

This \u201cnew cat\u201d is very open in its dis\u00adre\u00adgard for the needs of the less for\u00adtu\u00adnate.  \u201cRepub\u00adli\u00adcans are not hid\u00ading the ball. No more com\u00adpas\u00adsion\u00adate con\u00adser\u00advatism. No more let\u2019s rebuild pub\u00adlic edu\u00adca\u00adtion. No more let\u2019s make sure every\u00adbody has access to health care. No more. No more talk about wom\u00aden\u2019s equal\u00adi\u00adty and wom\u00aden\u2019s rights. No more. They\u2019re say\u00ading exact\u00adly what they believe. So I think the choice will be stark<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not always easy to fol\u00adlow the Vice Pres\u00adi\u00addent, par\u00adtic\u00adu\u00adlar\u00adly when he ven\u00adtures off his pre\u00adpared remarks, as he appears to have done here.  He seems to be say\u00ading that ear\u00adli\u00ader gen\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtions of Repub\u00adli\u00adcans (\u201cyour father\u2019s Repub\u00adli\u00adcan par\u00adty\u201d) at least pre\u00adtend\u00aded to care about the less for\u00adtu\u00adnate.  But now they no longer both\u00ader even to \u201chide the ball\u201d by feign\u00ading com\u00adpas\u00adsion.  They have bared their ugly souls.  No more pub\u00adlic edu\u00adca\u00adtion, no more health care, no more rights for women.  They have stripped con\u00adser\u00advatism of compassion.<\/p>\n

But while neglect\u00ading the poor, Repub\u00adli\u00adcans are stri\u00addent advo\u00adcates for the rich.  In defend\u00ading invest\u00adment bankers, they \u201csound like squeal\u00ading pigs<\/a>.\u201d   Their oppo\u00adsi\u00adtion to the Administration\u2019s pre\u00adferred Wall Street reg\u00adu\u00adla\u00adto\u00adry regime has more\u00adover unmasked their racism.   Repub\u00adli\u00adcans want to \u201c<\/span>put y\u2019all back in chains,\u201d <\/a>he informed a pre\u00addom\u00adi\u00adnant\u00adly African-Amer\u00adi\u00adcan audi\u00adence last year.<\/p>\n

It should be said that Mr. Biden has not, to my knowl\u00adedge, retract\u00aded these remarks.  Nor has his boss sought to dis\u00adtance him\u00adself from them.  This is his offi\u00adcial view of the world: he and the Demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic par\u00adty care about the poor; Repub\u00adli\u00adcans care only for the rich.  The dif\u00adfer\u00adence between them, as he said, could not be more \u201cstark.\u201d<\/p>\n

Indeed, he believes that he incar\u00adnates the inter\u00adests of the non-wealthy.  He often reminds us of his hum\u00adble fam\u00adi\u00adly back\u00adground and that, as a Sen\u00ada\u00adtor, he com\u00admut\u00aded from Delaware by train.  \u201cI\u2019m more at home in a train depot than any\u00adwhere else,\u201d he said. \u201cBeing in a train depot is where I, kind of where I lived most of my life<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

No longer.  It\u2019s been years since the Vice Pres\u00adi\u00addent has reg\u00adu\u00adlar\u00adly used the heav\u00adi\u00adly sub\u00adsi\u00addized and unprof\u00aditable Amtrak.  Since 2009, he has lived a pam\u00adpered and shel\u00adtered life wor\u00adthy of Down\u00adton Abbey, with aides attend\u00ading to his every whim.  While he is enti\u00adtled to all of this, giv\u00aden the great weight of respon\u00adsi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty his office entails, it does make his want of gen\u00aderos\u00adi\u00adty all the more puzzling.<\/p>\n

The Vice President\u2019s com\u00adpen\u00adsa\u00adtion is not mea\u00adsured strict\u00adly in salary.  It involves a lifestyle that oth\u00aders earn\u00ading $385,000 could nev\u00ader main\u00adtain.  Let\u2019s start with the house.  The Bidens live rent-free in a 9,150 square foot man\u00adsion <\/a>in North\u00adwest Wash\u00ading\u00adton, DC<\/span>.<\/p>\n

The house comes with all the resources it needs to keep it run\u00adning smooth\u00adly.  The Sen\u00adate ver\u00adsion of the fis\u00adcal year 2013 Finan\u00adcial Ser\u00advices appro\u00adpri\u00ada\u00adtions bill (S. 3301<\/a>) makes $307,000 avail\u00adable \u201cfor the care, oper\u00ada\u00adtion, refur\u00adnish\u00ading, improve\u00adment, and to the extent not oth\u00ader\u00adwise pro\u00advid\u00aded for, heat\u00ading and light\u00ading, includ\u00ading elec\u00adtric pow\u00ader and fix\u00adtures, of the offi\u00adcial res\u00adi\u00addence of the Vice Pres\u00adi\u00addent; the hire of pas\u00adsen\u00adger motor vehi\u00adcles; and not to exceed $90,000 for offi\u00adcial enter\u00adtain\u00adment expens\u00ades of the Vice Pres\u00adi\u00addent, to be account\u00aded for sole\u00adly on his cer\u00adtifi\u00adcate.\u201d   Giv\u00aden the mud\u00addle into which annu\u00adal fund\u00ading bills have fall\u00aden, the Vice Pres\u00adi\u00addent prob\u00ada\u00adbly gets a small\u00ader hous\u00ading allowance than this.  Let\u2019s just say that seques\u00adtra\u00adtion won\u2019t like\u00adly cause him to miss pay\u00ading an elec\u00adtric bill.<\/p>\n

The Vice President\u2019s com\u00adpen\u00adsa\u00adtion pack\u00adage extends far beyond salary, hous\u00ading and expens\u00ades.  The mil\u00adi\u00adtary, for exam\u00adple, pro\u00advides his family\u2019s meals<\/a>.  Navy Enlist\u00aded Aides do every\u00adthing from their gro\u00adcery shop\u00adping to their laun\u00addry to cater\u00ading spe\u00adcial events.<\/p>\n

In addi\u00adtion to food and hous\u00ading and oth\u00ader every\u00adday needs, the Vice Pres\u00adi\u00addent also gets free trans\u00adporta\u00adtion.  He no longer lives his life in a train depot.  Instead he stretch\u00ades out in the back of a bul\u00adlet-proof lim\u00adou\u00adsine every morn\u00ading as his motor\u00adcade speeds down Wis\u00adcon\u00adsin Avenue, roil\u00ading Wash\u00ading\u00adton traf\u00adfic on its way to his White House office.  For trav\u00adel\u00ading far\u00adther afield, the Vice Pres\u00adi\u00addent shares with the Pres\u00adi\u00addent a fleet of 747s oper\u00adat\u00aded and main\u00adtained by the Air Force.  This moth\u00ader of all cor\u00adpo\u00adrate jet pools spares him the expense and indig\u00adni\u00adties of fly\u00ading com\u00admer\u00adcial when he jour\u00adneys some\u00adwhere to speak of his deep and abid\u00ading compassion.<\/p>\n

Gov\u00adern\u00adment-paid med\u00adical staff are avail\u00adable to pro\u00advide him free care and main\u00adtain his radi\u00adant smile.  And, of course, a Secret Ser\u00advice detach\u00adment man\u00adages to keep him safe, despite bear\u00ading that bane of pub\u00adlic safe\u00adty, con\u00adcealed weapons.<\/p>\n

I could go on, but you get the pic\u00adture.  It\u2019s not just that the Vice Pres\u00adi\u00addent gets a big pay\u00adcheck.  It\u2019s that his tax-free perks relieve him of the need to spend his income on the sorts of things \u2013 rent or mort\u00adgage, util\u00adi\u00adties, meals, trans\u00adporta\u00adtion, med\u00adical bills and the like \u2014 that con\u00adsume a big chunk of ordi\u00adnary people\u2019s earn\u00adings.  That leaves him with a whole lot of dis\u00adpos\u00adable income that he choos\u00ades to pock\u00adet, rather than give away.<\/p>\n

How is it that some\u00adone who iden\u00adti\u00adfies with the less for\u00adtu\u00adnate, who cham\u00adpi\u00adons the needy as part of his pro\u00adfes\u00adsion, so rarely cuts them a check?<\/p>\n

Per\u00adhaps the Vice Pres\u00adi\u00addent believes that espous\u00ading care for the poor relieves him of any per\u00adson\u00adal oblig\u00ada\u00adtion to care for the poor.  Or any\u00adone else, for that mat\u00adter.  There\u2019s no need to con\u00adtribute to can\u00adcer research if you advo\u00adcate a big\u00adger bud\u00adget for the Nation\u00adal Insti\u00adtutes of Health.  No need to give to the local bat\u00adtered women\u2019s shel\u00adter if you sup\u00adport the Vio\u00adlence Against Women Act.  No need to con\u00adtribute to minor\u00adi\u00adty schol\u00adar\u00adships if you sup\u00adport expand\u00ading Pell Grants.<\/p>\n

And it may be that the Vice Pres\u00adi\u00addent believes that oth\u00ader wealthy peo\u00adple behave as he does, spend\u00ading their mon\u00adey on them\u00adselves, rather than giv\u00ading back to their com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adties.  If so, the only real mea\u00adsure of com\u00adpas\u00adsion is a will\u00ading\u00adness to spend oth\u00ader people\u2019s mon\u00adey on gov\u00adern\u00adment pro\u00adgrams.  If Repub\u00adli\u00adcans want to spend less than do Democ\u00adrats, then they must be self\u00adish peo\u00adple who look out only for them\u00adselves and their priv\u00adi\u00adleged friends.<\/p>\n

Com\u00adpas\u00adsion is for him an ide\u00adol\u00ado\u00adgy, a pos\u00adture, some\u00adthing to be pro\u00adclaimed, some\u00adthing man\u00adi\u00adfest\u00aded in how much you pro\u00adpose to spend on this or that gov\u00adern\u00adment pro\u00adgram.  Com\u00adpas\u00adsion is cor\u00adpo\u00adrate, not inter\u00adper\u00adson\u00adal.  Sym\u00adbol\u00adic, not tan\u00adgi\u00adble.  It is some\u00adthing that oth\u00ader peo\u00adple pay for with their tax\u00ades, not some\u00adthing that comes out of your own wallet.<\/p>\n

That doesn\u2019t make the Vice Pres\u00adi\u00addent a hyp\u00adocrite.  It just means that he and those he crit\u00adi\u00adcizes have very dif\u00adfer\u00adent under\u00adstand\u00adings of com\u00adpas\u00adsion.  That dif\u00adfer\u00adence helps explain why Democ\u00adrats and Repub\u00adli\u00adcans so often talk past each oth\u00ader when they argue about gov\u00adern\u00adment spend\u00ading.  For Democ\u00adrats, char\u00adi\u00adty and gen\u00aderos\u00adi\u00adty are mea\u00adsured in gov\u00adern\u00adment out\u00adlays.  If Repub\u00adli\u00adcans want to cut spend\u00ading on a social pro\u00adgram, or even slow the growth of such spend\u00ading, they must have hearts of flint and be indif\u00adfer\u00adent to those in need.  For Repub\u00adli\u00adcans, char\u00adi\u00adty and com\u00adpas\u00adsion are most pow\u00ader\u00adful\u00adly man\u00adi\u00adfest\u00aded by pri\u00advate orga\u00adni\u00adza\u00adtions.   While they rec\u00adog\u00adnize a role for gov\u00adern\u00adment in pro\u00advid\u00ading a social safe\u00adty net, they are more like\u00adly than Democ\u00adrats to wor\u00adry that exces\u00adsive gov\u00adern\u00adment spend\u00ading sad\u00addles future gen\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtions with bur\u00addens they will not eas\u00adi\u00adly bear.  Com\u00adpas\u00adsion, for them, is not mere\u00adly help\u00ading peo\u00adple in the present, but also spar\u00ading peo\u00adple from a heavy load in the future.  In the eyes of the GOP<\/span>, Democ\u00adrats are indif\u00adfer\u00adent to the hard\u00adships that they are inflict\u00ading on future generations.<\/p>\n

Both par\u00adties have a point and it may not be pos\u00adsi\u00adble to arrive at a com\u00admon under\u00adstand\u00ading of what it means to be compassionate.<\/p>\n

For now, the dif\u00adfer\u00adences in their points of view show up most clear\u00adly in the Vice President\u2019s tax returns.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Joe Biden and the Mean\u00ading of Com\u00adpas\u00adsion. I don\u2019t want to pick on Joe Biden. He seems a decent enough guy. What trou\u00adbles me is that he gives so lit\u00adtle to char\u00adi\u00adty \u2014 $7,190 in 2012, or 1.87% of his income. Unlike with tax\u00ades, the Vice Pres\u00adi\u00addent can\u2019t blame Repub\u00adli\u00adcans for his mea\u00adger con\u00adtri\u00adbu\u00adtions. Con\u00adtin\u00adue read\u00ading \u2192<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":395,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"nfd_image_url":"","nfd_onboarding_generated":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[18,19],"tags":[109,54,105,106,107,108],"class_list":["post-392","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-politics","tag-charity","tag-irs","tag-joe-biden","tag-tax","tag-tax-season","tag-vice-president"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t