February 16, 2000, is a day I will long remember. It was the day I was robbed. The thief got $ 4.07 of my money. But, I got a good look at him; I can describe him. I’m sure the authorities will get him.

The thief looked a lot like Bill Richardson, the Secretary of Energy. He didn’t have a gun, but he told me if I didn’t give him the money, he would send the dreaded Internal Revenue Service to get me. I was scared; I gave him the money.

As he was walking off with my money, I asked him who fingered me? He said it was his boss, Pres. Bill Clinton. He said Clinton told him to find $ 725 million to be given to people in the Northeast to help pay for heating oil. He told me he didn’t care who I got the money from, as long as it was those who pay the taxes.

I told him that this didn’t seem right to me -- him taking my money and giving it to someone else. This feels a whole lot like theft to me. It’s not so much the money; it’s the principle.

His response: It’s called redistribution of income. He said it is a favorite pastime of his boss. His boss has a lot of special friends that he likes to please with gifts. His wife also has a lot of friends that she helps.

I told the thief that I was as charitable as the next guy, but I liked to choose my own charities. He responded that his boss, not me, would make those kinds of decisions.

I told him that I was going to complain to my representatives in Washington. He laughed. Then, in a sneering voice, he said, “good luck, they’re in on it too.” They have their own special friends. With them it’s called “pork.”

I felt violated. I was being taken by the most powerful man in the world, and there was nothing I could do. The authorities were scared to help me.

Then, I did a shameful thing. I asked him how I could get on the list for some of that charity.

Jim Jackson is a retired NASA executive who writes about community matters. Some of his articles are accepted for publication in The Huntsville Times; some are not. This one was not.