Aflunenza strikes, NPR is there

It appears that NPR has unearthed a pocket of that rare but treatable disease, Afluenza. Symptoms include swollen bank accounts, overwhelming guilt, and a complete lack of common sense leading to bizarre hypocritical personality traits such as requesting the Government to take more of their own money while structuring their own finances to keep that from happening. (See Warren Buffett pre-2006). Upon successful treatments, former sufferers can become useful and productive members of society again. (See the Bill and Malinda Gates Foundation, Andrew Carnegie and Warren Buffett post-2006)

Seriously now, a huge number of wealthy people have found the greatest pleasure found in money is in giving it away. (See Dave Ramsey). Like Millard Fuller, founder of Habitat for Humanity. Or Chuck Feeney, founder of what is now The Atlantic Philanthropies. Or Priscilla Collins, who gave away over $100 million dollars in her lifespan with the condition that she get absolutely none of the credit.

If nothing else, the abject failure of “Tax me more” funds set up by several states (Virginia’s fund received $19.36 in 2006) shows that even if there are a few millionaires who claim to want to pay more taxes, talk is cheap (and so are they).

I would suggest these few rare sufferers of Afluenza be treated to a 3 hour a day dose of AM Radio radiation therapy, from noon to 3pm Eastern time, where they will hear about how to channel their guilt into more productive activities, and learning of such needing and deserving charities such as the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and the Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation who will be glad to receive their donation, putting it to more practical use than simply throwing their accumulated assets of a lifetime of work into Washington D.C. bureaucrats.