Congress is closing down Thursday to attend the funeral of Representative C.W. Bill Young, a Republican from Florida who passed away October 18, 2013. Now many may not mind that Congress is closing for a day because, firstly, we are used to paying them for doing nothing and, secondly, the less work they do, the less damage to the country they cause.

What should bother most taxpayers, however, is that the Air Force is going to provide transportation for members of Congress to fly them all to Florida to attend the services. Defense Department spokesmen could not comment on what the costs of this operation would be.

So it seems, even while bemoaning the increasing national debt and out-of-control spending, Congress is still incapable of reaching into their own pockets to pay their personal bills. During the partial shutdown, the federal government said it could not pay for the death benefits of military personnel killed in action but were able to find $174,000 to pay the widow of Senator Frank Lautenberg. When it comes to looking out for their own, politicians seem to have little or no trouble tapping into taxpayer revenue to provide the best service for the Washington elite. While private companies pass the hat to pay respects to deceased colleagues, Congress opens the Treasury spigots. Nothing is too good for the chosen ones.

Victor Keith writes from Burbank, California and can be contacted at victorakeith.com