Budget cuts and belt tightening are for the little people. Once a few years ago I bought a bottle of Echezeaux from a wine shop (about one third of the price he paid) for our wedding anniversary dinner at home. Why is it that his type always can make excuses for their own oversights but it’s somehow different for others? There’s no question that DC can be an expensive place to live but for a casual dinner with “friends” it’s hard to see how anyone could mistakenly order two $350 bottles of wine.

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), a leading advocate of shrinking entitlement spending and the architect of the plan to privatize Medicare, spent Wednesday evening sipping $350 wine with two like-minded conservative economists at the swanky Capitol Hill eatery Bistro Bis. It was the same night reports started trickling out about President Obama pressing Congressional leaders to consider changes to Social Security and Medicare in exchange for GOP support for targeted tax increases.

NOTE FROM JOHN: As Chris mentions, DC can be expensive but not for restaurants. We have tons of restaurants with entrees in the teens, and I’ve never ever heard of anyone buying a $350 bottle of wine in this town in my life.