Two words...

...for the Federal Government. And they aren't "Merry Christmas:"

President Obama’s Agriculture Department today announced that it will impose a new 15-cent charge on all fresh Christmas trees—the Christmas Tree Tax—to support a new Federal program to improve the image and marketing of Christmas trees.

Considering the fact our government can't seem to do much to improve its OWN image, here or abroad, I'm not sure I'd even want such marketing help.  But the residents of the alternate reality known as D.C. just can't help involving themselves.  It's like the kid who will do ANYTHING other than their assigned responsibilities.

Taxing Christmas trees to "promote them" isn't a function expressed or implied in the Constitution.  Passing an annual budget, on the other hand... hey... just how long HAS it been since we had a no-kidding real budget in place?

Our government is missing the forest for the trees...  maybe it's time a good portion of it got the axe.