Did you read the recent news concerning Congressional travel, a/k/a 'junkets?'
It seems that the millions of dollars spent by our Congressional Representatives and Senators has doubled in something like the last 4-6 years, and is up some astronomical percentage over a decade.
It's a bi-partisan trough feed for our Federal piggies.
Wives attend, free, when government aircraft are used. Guess what's been expanding? Yep. The federal airliner fleet at Congress' disposal, as well as budgets and personnel to organize the use of said airplanes.
See, if our Congressional officials flew commercial on these3 junkets, wives would have to be paid for.
These people aren't shy about looting us taxpayers, either. One retiring Republican Representative admitted to taking a sort of 'round the world' farewell junket, before entering- what else- the lobbying trade?
It's sickening, isn't it? Of course, counting on the July 4th holiday to defuse this news, our elected federal hogs are back home folksing it up to appear just like one of us.
Disgusssting......
Showing posts with label Special Treatment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Special Treatment. Show all posts
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
So This, Too, Is Change?
Larry Kudlow had a priceless response to Tim Geithner's hearings for appointment as incoming Treasury Secretary.
After pointing out the lack of credibility Geithner will always have for being a tax cheat and scofflaw, even to the point of fencing with and dancing around a direct answer to a US Senator, John Kyle (R-AZ), Kudlow bore in on a more glaring weakness.
Time and again, when quizzed on what he will actually do differently, i.e., what 'change' he will bring, to addressing problems in the financial services sector, Geithner basically said, 'we're working on it.'
Kudlow blew up and observed, to paraphrase him,
'Working on it? C'mon, Geithner's had months to figure this out and come up with a detailed plan. What's he been doing all this time, playing dress up in front of a mirror for the inaugural ball?'
Larry makes an excellent point. Wonderboy's team of new 'change' mavens was supposed to be ready to fix all American problems on day one. So what's Geithner's excuse?
Maybe he was, ah, writing checks for back taxes to the IRS, and didn't have time to come up with a plan to fix the financial sector?
Honestly, one can go further in criticizing Geithner. He was part of the current 'solution,' hip deep in the decisions regarding Bear Stearns, Lehman, AIG, et. al. And, really, beyond that, Geithner has never been accused of being a 'big idea' man.
Rather, he is sort of an operations guy. He's head of the NY Fed, but doesn't command the sort of awe that his predecessors, Corcoran and Volcker did.
Finally, I listened to part of Volcker's opening remarks on Geithner's nomination. I confess to having trouble believing, in a nation of over 300 million people, that only Tim Geithner can be Treasury Secretary. There's nobody else with sufficient experience, judgment and without Geithner's tax problems?
This is just hard to swallow. Even from Tall Paul.
As I noted in this post, I'm leery of men on horseback, and Geithner seems to become more like one with each passing day.
He'd damn well better be worth it.
After pointing out the lack of credibility Geithner will always have for being a tax cheat and scofflaw, even to the point of fencing with and dancing around a direct answer to a US Senator, John Kyle (R-AZ), Kudlow bore in on a more glaring weakness.
Time and again, when quizzed on what he will actually do differently, i.e., what 'change' he will bring, to addressing problems in the financial services sector, Geithner basically said, 'we're working on it.'
Kudlow blew up and observed, to paraphrase him,
'Working on it? C'mon, Geithner's had months to figure this out and come up with a detailed plan. What's he been doing all this time, playing dress up in front of a mirror for the inaugural ball?'
Larry makes an excellent point. Wonderboy's team of new 'change' mavens was supposed to be ready to fix all American problems on day one. So what's Geithner's excuse?
Maybe he was, ah, writing checks for back taxes to the IRS, and didn't have time to come up with a plan to fix the financial sector?
Honestly, one can go further in criticizing Geithner. He was part of the current 'solution,' hip deep in the decisions regarding Bear Stearns, Lehman, AIG, et. al. And, really, beyond that, Geithner has never been accused of being a 'big idea' man.
Rather, he is sort of an operations guy. He's head of the NY Fed, but doesn't command the sort of awe that his predecessors, Corcoran and Volcker did.
Finally, I listened to part of Volcker's opening remarks on Geithner's nomination. I confess to having trouble believing, in a nation of over 300 million people, that only Tim Geithner can be Treasury Secretary. There's nobody else with sufficient experience, judgment and without Geithner's tax problems?
This is just hard to swallow. Even from Tall Paul.
As I noted in this post, I'm leery of men on horseback, and Geithner seems to become more like one with each passing day.
He'd damn well better be worth it.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Charlie Rangel (D-NY): Tax Evader
It's official. Charlie Rangel, Democrat and US Representative from NY, Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, is a tax dodger.
He has admitted evading back taxes on $75,000 of income from a rental property over a period of 20 years.
For what it's worth, he is being represented by Democratic party fixer and Clinton confidant Lanny Davis.
Rangel blames his wife for the error, claiming that she handles finances, so he isn't really culpable. Nevermind that they file a joint return. Or that he must have signed the returns.
Now, if you know about filing taxes, you probably also know that penalties, at least for you, me, and other average Americans who don't belong to the ruling party's House delegation, are much stiffer and more serious for 'above the line' misstatements than they are for 'below the line' errors.
The 'line' in question is gross income. The IRS takes a much dimmer view of misstating income than it does for erroneously claiming deductions.
What Rangel committed was an 'above the line' infraction. He and his wife misrepresented their gross income.
If you or I were found to have done that, it could be a major issue. A criminal offense.
Do you think the sitting tax dodger from New York is worried about that? No way.
Or, maybe, 'no way or means.'
In a Presidential election year in which Rangel's party's own candidate is alleging to be above reproach, the Messiah of ethics and clean campaigning, the untimely revelation of Rangel's ethical and financial gaffe must be irritating to the freshman Senator from Illinois.
It might even give voters pause about just how 'new' the politics of the Democratic party really are.
Judging by Rangel's attempt to trivialize his crimes, hold onto his Chairmanship and seat in the face of Republican House leadership calls for him to step down, he knows he will get off without a penalty on this.
Surely, he knows he won't be treated as an ordinary citizen. After all, as a Democratic Congressman, he no doubt feels invincible and safe from all manner of penalties and punishments for illegal actions that lesser, non-office-holding Americans would suffer.
He has admitted evading back taxes on $75,000 of income from a rental property over a period of 20 years.
For what it's worth, he is being represented by Democratic party fixer and Clinton confidant Lanny Davis.
Rangel blames his wife for the error, claiming that she handles finances, so he isn't really culpable. Nevermind that they file a joint return. Or that he must have signed the returns.
Now, if you know about filing taxes, you probably also know that penalties, at least for you, me, and other average Americans who don't belong to the ruling party's House delegation, are much stiffer and more serious for 'above the line' misstatements than they are for 'below the line' errors.
The 'line' in question is gross income. The IRS takes a much dimmer view of misstating income than it does for erroneously claiming deductions.
What Rangel committed was an 'above the line' infraction. He and his wife misrepresented their gross income.
If you or I were found to have done that, it could be a major issue. A criminal offense.
Do you think the sitting tax dodger from New York is worried about that? No way.
Or, maybe, 'no way or means.'
In a Presidential election year in which Rangel's party's own candidate is alleging to be above reproach, the Messiah of ethics and clean campaigning, the untimely revelation of Rangel's ethical and financial gaffe must be irritating to the freshman Senator from Illinois.
It might even give voters pause about just how 'new' the politics of the Democratic party really are.
Judging by Rangel's attempt to trivialize his crimes, hold onto his Chairmanship and seat in the face of Republican House leadership calls for him to step down, he knows he will get off without a penalty on this.
Surely, he knows he won't be treated as an ordinary citizen. After all, as a Democratic Congressman, he no doubt feels invincible and safe from all manner of penalties and punishments for illegal actions that lesser, non-office-holding Americans would suffer.
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