A Christmas tree tax?...

Holy carp!!  Call me confused.

My first stop every morning is the Drudge Report.  This is what I saw...

OBAMA'S NEW 'CHRISTMAS TREE TAX'

 

I want to make sure I completely understand this.  Obama, by direct fiat, is going to put a 15 cent tax on every Christmas tree sold (applies to sellers of more than 500 trees) in order to promote the sale of Christmas trees.  At the same time, hang in there, Wisconsin is all atwitter because Governor Scott Walker has  dared to call the decorated tree at the state house a Christmas tree instead of a holiday tree. Of course, if you call it a holiday tree the first sane question would have to be, "Which holiday?"  But, I guess, that's beside the point.

In the Federal Register of November 8, 2011, Acting Administrator of Agricultural Marketing David R. Shipman announced that the Secretary of Agriculture will appoint a Christmas Tree Promotion Board.  The purpose of the Board is to run a “program of promotion, research, evaluation, and information designed to strengthen the Christmas tree industry’s position in the marketplace; maintain and expend existing markets for Christmas trees; and to carry out programs, plans, and projects designed to provide maximum benefits to the Christmas tree industry” (7 CFR 1214.46(n)).  And the program of “information” is to include efforts to “enhance the image of Christmas trees and the Christmas tree industry in the United States” (7 CFR 1214.10).

And, hey - what about the death of that poor tree who which has been ruthlessly sacrificed on the altar of consumerism to  promote a  Christian holiday?  Let's ask Mr. G Guy, who has just returned from cutting, nay - murdering, untold number of trees how he feels about perpetrating this monstrous effrontery toward Gaia.  Oh, wait.  He already has an opinion:

The Taxman Cometh…New Tax On Fresh Cut Christmas Trees


The Department of Agriculture has the nerve to say they're not making money off of this little tax.  Indeed, they're claiming it's not a tax at all.  Well, excuuuuuuse me.  When a seller of Christmas trees does not have a choice on the payment of this money - it's a TAX!  And most of that money will go toward paying a bunch of pencil pushing pinheads to sit around and discuss ways to enhance the image of Christmas trees.  Want to bet these pinheads will earn more than a private sector worker, have way better bennies, longer paid vacations, and a nifty little pension?  Yep - didn't think you wanted to take that bet.

More:

Hot Air:   Taxing Christmas trees to … promote Christmas trees
Moonbattery:   Obama Inflicts Grinch Tax
The Foundry:   Obama Couldn’t Wait: His New Christmas Tree Tax