Why can't our elected officials pay their taxes?

[PrincessFiona]

Geithner, Daschle, Killifer.

Has anyone heard when these guys will be heading to jail...you know...like we would be if we didn't pay over $120,000 in taxes and then said "ooops, I'm so embarrassed". It kills me that Geithner was confirmed...and hallelujah that Daschle and Killifer withdrew their names...but all 3 of these bozos need to be subject to the same consequences that you and I would be.

While we're on the subject though, I don't even know why Daschle was nominated in the first place. Change you can stick a fork in? He earned 5 million dollars over the last 2 years advising hospitals and insurance companies and he was going to head up health and human services? I guess...some things never change.

Funny that the dems are so supportive of raising taxes and then don't pay them...and what was up with Caroline Kennedy and her nanny/tax problem? Oh...and where can I get a consulting job to earn 5 million over 2 years?

Kris

Re: Why can't our elected officials pay their taxes?

Daschle withdrew? I haven't been keeping up with the news. I wonder if there were other concerns beyond the taxes.

[SuzySunshine]

Re: Why can't our elected officials pay their taxes?

So the TREASURY guy got through with a tax issue - I find it REALLY hard to believe there wasn't something else behind Daschle's issues.

Re: Why can't our elected officials pay their taxes?

It is sort of ironic that he will be overseeing the IRS.

[GrayMatterWife]

Re: Why can't our elected officials pay their taxes?

No wonder public support for the bailout is failing. WE are the ones paying for it...apparently, not the people promoting it.

GGGGRRRRRR. PAY YOUR TAXES!!! You're not that special. GEEEEZZZ. It's not just for the little people.

[PrincessFiona]

Re: Why can't our elected officials pay their taxes?

Daschle withdrew? I haven't been keeping up with the news. I wonder if there were other concerns beyond the taxes.

I think all of the money he made 'advising was an issue'. On top of the 5 million he earned directly for his advising in the health insurance industry over 2 years, he also made 2 mill/year advising through his law firm and 2 mill/year advising a private corporation.

Once that became public, well....

I wonder why Dean was never considered for this post...or surgeon general for that matter. I'm still not over Gupta's nomination.

[houseelf]

Re: Why can't our elected officials pay their taxes?

In undergrad, I learned that there are certain variables that flag a return for potential additional scrutiny: self-emloyment, failing to report even small amounts of income reported by another source, household employees, certain schedule C deductions, etcetera.

How come no one at the IRS has decided to add the occupation of "Senator" or "Congressman" to this list? I'm beginning to wonder how many of our esteemed congressmen are reporting truthfully. :huh:

Kelly

[SuzySunshine]

Re: Why can't our elected officials pay their taxes?

See I guess I look at Daschle's job differently. I know he's made a lot of money on the health care industry but doesn't that give him the background he needs to really take on this universal health care that Obama wants to tackle? I guess looking at it from a doctor's point of view I'd rather have someone that understands how businesses like the Mayo Clinic work and where the costs really are in healthcare.

:huh:

[Sheherezade]

Re: Why can't our elected officials pay their taxes?

DH and I were just talking about this last night. (Daschle: slimy lobbyist or can-do insider?) He read his health care book. I think he thought it was well informed. He didn't (as a doc) seem threatened by Daschle's solutions to healthcare in this country. We were wondering if having someone "in the industry's pocket" was actually what we -as a medical family - want on this one. Idealistically, I think he's not the guy. My self-serving interests wonder if some one totally out of the system will push through changes that hurt DH's interests. I admit that makes me a toad - but there it is. I'm wondering who they will propose next.

I also think that they may have put Daschle in because he wanted the appointment so bad and came out so early for Obama. He pissed off the Clintons. He was "owed" and expected something good. Now, he's left with nothing by his own stupidity. Maybe that's how it was meant to be.

Seriously... I don't fault Giethner. His error seemed like an honest mistake that even tax professionals said was common in their field. He paid what was owed that was not beyond the statue of limitations - and then paid the rest when he was asked during confirmation. I don't think he's dirty OR stupid. I think the tax code is.

But, Daschle???? Bonkers. This error just lifts the lid off all the lobbyist/speaker bling he's been pulling down. (And they thought his wife would be the problem!)

[DCJenn]

Re: Why can't our elected officials pay their taxes?

Well, if nothing else, it points out the facts that the rest of us already know-

The tax system is incredibly broken. Every year I 'think' I've done it correctly but I'm pretty sure that if I were nominated for anything and they combed through our returns, I'm sure that even Turbo Tax (a la Geithner) missed stuff.

Jenn

Re: Why can't our elected officials pay their taxes?

We were wondering if having someone "in the industry's pocket" was actually what we -as a medical family - want on this one. Idealistically, I think he's not the guy. My self-serving interests wonder if some one totally out of the system will push through changes that hurt DH's interests. I admit that makes me a toad - but there it is. I'm wondering who they will propose next.

Then I am a toad too -- I agree with you about this.

I think the self-employment tax stuff is sort of tricky and I paid that for a number of years. I can see how a mistake could be made with the tax and then I think there is also some tax credit back for part of it (that is the confusing part to me). Still, it seems a little ironic that he will head the agency overseeing the IRS. Maybe his experience will be some motivation to advocate for simplifying instead of further complicating tax rules.

[PrincessFiona]

Re: Why can't our elected officials pay their taxes?

See I guess I look at Daschle's job differently. I know he's made a lot of money on the health care industry but doesn't that give him the background he needs to really take on this universal health care that Obama wants to tackle? I guess looking at it from a doctor's point of view I'd rather have someone that understands how businesses like the Mayo Clinic work and where the costs really are in healthcare.

:huh:

I think it's a conflict of interest if you have been paid high sums of money by an industry....it makes you less likely to make policies that might disagree with the best interest of big business.

Re: Why can't our elected officials pay their taxes?

Elected, appointed, whatever -- I'm just going back to the original question you posed and agreeing. The Geitner thing was embarrassing and stupid (and not a ringing endorsement for turbo tax), but for Dashle to have the SAME issue come up right after Geitner is just disgraceful. He should have stepped aside before it became a public thing. Hello? Where's the vetting here? Still better than illegal nannies ....

[GrayMatterWife]

Re: Why can't our elected officials pay their taxes?

I actually think Daschle's mistake seems like an honest one, at least initially. I don't think it's at all obvious that being given a car and a driver would be taxable. But I am a tax idiot, and he was in the body that writes the tax codes, so maybe I should be judging that more harshly.

I agree with your assessment, FWIW. I think he probably didn't know, literally. But I think it was ignorance by neglect. That is, I think that he should have known to investigate the proper treatment of the gift. While the ordinary, every-Joe-on-the-street could easily mistake this as a nontaxable event, I would think that someone as experienced with disclosures as a former Senator would be should have seen red flags. He should have checked with his accountant. Then he should have LISTENED to his accountant. Which he didn't do.

But, to be completely honest, I am a LOT more offended that Giethner was approved, given his tax errors. IDon't get me wrong: I don't like Daschle's politics, but I don't have an issue with him personally or even him being the Sec of HHS. To me, he's no better or worse than any other person who would advocate for Obama's vision of nanny state health care. I was OK with his nomination.

I am completely unimpressed with his tax problems, but I am even more unimpressed with how Daschle was treated. Why does Giethner--the guy who's supposed to be running the IRS!!--get to slide on his tax "inadvertencies," but Daschle is treated so shabbily (e.g., the Times article today)? Either it matters or it doesn't, but it doesn't matter for one guy but doesn't apply to the other. And even if tax problems were "relative," it seems like they should be a lot more damning to Giethner.

Whatever. Being a former lobbyist is forbidden, unless it's not. Tax problems matter, unless they don't. The election was bigger than race, unless all you want to talk about is race. Change is afoot, unless you consider than it is really a retread of the Clinton administration. We are now beyond partisanship, except that what that really means is we are just expected to "support" the man, regardless of whether you agree with his ideas, and if you have an independent thought, you are being "partisan." All these double-standards and points of double-talk and exceptions to the rules don't seem like anything new. It's just this administration's flavor of politics as usual. The only change is whether there is a donkey or an elephant at 1600.

[DCJenn]

Re: Why can't our elected officials pay their taxes?

Wow- How refreshing-

A president that admits that he's embarrassed, pissed and that he screwed up.

Amazing.

Jenn