A couple of days ago, I complained about a New York Post opinion piece in which Boston talk-radio wingnut Howie Carr criticized John Kerry for not paying a voluntary tax surcharge. A reader named Joseph Colwell forwarded me a reply he's sent to the Post:

I was puzzled by Howie Carr's essay which criticized John Kerry for opting to pay the new, lower Massachusetts income tax rate instead of volunteering to pay a higher rate which Mr. Kerry  advocates but is not required by law to pay.
 
Here's a news flash for Mr. Howie Carr:  in our democracy, people may advocate a certain policy, but that doesn't mean they have to voluntarily conform to the policy if it's not enacted.
 
That's why Republicans--who believe in privatization of services--don't volunteer to reimburse the fire department if they call 911.  It's also why retired and disabled Republicans collect Social Security checks even though they advocate private retirement accounts. 
 
It would be stupid to accuse a retired Republican of hypocrisy for collecting Social Security checks or registering for Medicare benefits despite their opposition to the programs.  It would be stupid because in our system, people are allowed to enjoy the benefits of policies even when they oppose them.
 
When Howie Carr can demonstrate that he has been reimbursing the U.S Treasury for his subsidized portion of his rides on Amtrak (I'm guessing he advocates eliminating those subsidies) then I'll take him serously.  Otherwise he should search harder to find a new clever smear to deride the so-called hypocrisy of John Kerry.
 
Come to think of it, perhaps all the Republicans who giggled at Mr. Carr's little exercise in sophistry should reimburse Amtrak for their share of the subsidy they so vehemently oppose. 
 
Because what's good for the goose is also good for chronic whiners like Howie Carr and his crybaby fans.

Very nice. I'll admit I'm not sure about that Amtrak part -- my guess is that Howie flies the shuttle when he goes from Boston to New York, and drives to work instead of taking the subway or commuter trains -- but true small-government conservatives really should offer to pony up whenever they do any travel in this country. After all, every form of U.S. transportation -- rail, air, and auto -- is subsidized by the (ick!) government.