Paying More For Patriotism

The Irish people discovered bargains in New York City. With the value of the dollar well below the euro, all those highly desirable goods were cheaper, so why not hop a budget airline flight and do your holiday shopping in the States? Who needs Grafton Street?

That hunt for the biggest bang for the buck has the Irish Small & Medium Enterprises Association up in arms. You're killing jobs, they've said. All you who look for the most for your money are wrecking the economy.

When you buy on Fifth Avenue, you're not paying taxes to the Exchequer, goes the reasoning, so the government has less with which to operate. The government, in turn, isn't rummaging through bags as thoroughly as they should, so customs isn't finding those additional sources of revenue that could be had by forcing overseas shoppers to pay duties and fees.

Now there's an uproar over budget cuts that have to be made because there's no money. Every single special interest group affected has been roaring in protest. Don't cut our funds, or the following dire circumstances will occur, they all go, and now the solution that Brian Lenihan seeks may be at hand.

Ban shopping in America. Force everyone to stay at home and patronize their local vendors, whatever the prices may be. Legislate patriotism. By law, everyone shall be made to pay more for all their purchases.

Or would-be overseas shoppers can lobby the government to raise taxes. It's the same thing. Either way, it will cost you more. It's rip-off Ireland, isn't it, so why not embrace the fleecing?