Seems our Democratic Leaders

[Dphins4me]

  believe that everyone else should be patriotic & pay higher taxes, so they do not have too.

First Geithner, now Daschle.   

Ain't nothing like hypocrites.

The White House has acknowledged that former Sen. Tom Daschle, President Obama's nominee to head the Department of Health and Human Services, had "some tax issues," which, the administration says, have been resolved and shouldn't bar his confirmation as secretary.

FOX News confirmed that Daschle alerted the Senate Finance Committee, which will oversee his confirmation hearing, that the matter involves more than $100,000 in back taxes and interest for a car and driver that was provided to him for four years by Leo Hindery, a wealthy Democratic donor and longtime friend of Daschle's.

White House: Daschle Had 'Tax Issues

I know some will be more concerned with whom I quoted & provide the link to, so I thought I'd provide a Google search for Daschle Tax Problems to help them find another site.

Google Search on Daschle Failure to Pay his Taxes

[Gabriel]

  believe that everyone else should be patriotic & pay higher taxes, so they do not have too.

First Geithner, now Daschle.   

Ain't nothing like hypocrites.

White House: Daschle Had 'Tax Issues

I know some will be more concerned with whom I quoted & provide the link to, so I thought I'd provide a Google search for Daschle Tax Problems to help them find another site.

Google Search on Daschle Failure to Pay his Taxes

The Daschle thing is a big deal for me. I understand Geitner's problem a little better, since the overseas income tax filing requirements can be very confusing. Daschle, on the other hand, seems to have simply not paid taxes on income or gifts that were considered income. He knows better. If that was you or me, we would be worried about massive fines and salary garnishments. He shouldn't be allowed to serve in the cabinet. We all must pay our taxes. Rich and poor, Republican and Democrat.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

Geithner's bothers me more because the sec of treasury is in charge of the IRS.

What make the self-righteousness on behalf of the republicans quite hypocritical is in both cases it was the appointee who disclosed the problem and in both cases the odds are extremely low that had the appointee not disclosed they would have ever been caught.

Thats right if Daschle and Geithner had not come forward their is almost zero chance they would have ever been caught and the confirmations would have occurred issue free.

But after 8 years (actually 28) of no self disclosure and hiding of problems we have an administration with a policy of when we discover a problem we disclosed it and fix it first.

This is a good thing not a bad thing. 

[Gabriel]

Geithner's bothers me more because the sec of treasury is in charge of the IRS.

What make the self-righteousness on behalf of the republicans quite hypocritical is in both cases it was the appointee who disclosed the problem and in both cases the odds are extremely low that had the appointee not disclosed they would have ever been caught.

Thats right if Daschle and Geithner had not come forward their is almost zero chance they would have ever been caught and the confirmations would have occurred issue free.

But after 8 years (actually 28) of no self disclosure and hiding of problems we have an administration with a policy of when we discover a problem we disclosed it and fix it first.

This is a good thing not a bad thing. 

Before you lump me in with RTW, I voted for Obama.

They came forward because they assumed it would come out during the confirmation hearings. Don't delude yourself.

I agree that Geitner's failure to pay some taxes is troubling since he's now running the Treasury. Also, I went back and read a little more about his case after making my last post. I mistakenly thought his problem stemmed from a failure to report overseas income since he had been working for the International Monetary Fund (yes, I know IMF HQ is in Washington, but they're in Europe and elsewhere too.). It turns out that the IMF considered him to be a contractor and he failed to pay the full Social Security tax normally levied on the self-employed. Apparently, he signed a few documents when he began his work with the IMF specifically acknowledging his responsibility for paying SS taxes. Geitner argued that he didn't realize he had to pay, but I don't buy it. I'm supposed to believe he's some kind of financial genius who just happened to make a large tax error in his favor over the course of a few years? That's bullshit. This guy and Daschle should both be bounced.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

^^^ I wasn't lumping you with RTW. 

But I was lumping other administrations in with Bush for the hide instead of self-disclose. 

The tax problems they had would not have been discovered during confirmation hearings only an IRS audit.

[Gabriel]

The tax problems they had would not have been discovered during confirmation hearings only an IRS audit.

Daschle owed over $100k in back taxes up until a couple of days before his first hearing. The press found out about that. Do you think that's only because Daschle paid? Washington leaks like a sieve. Obama staffers knew about the situation. People talk and it would have been a great "gotcha" moment for one of the Republicans on either the Health, Education, and Labor committee or the Finance committee.

[Dphins4me]

Geitner argued that he didn't realize he had to pay

  Great example of why we need to change how we collect our taxes.  Heck even the people who make the polices do not understand it.

[Dphins4me]

But after 8 years (actually 28) of no self disclosure and hiding of problems we have an administration with a policy of when we discover a problem we disclosed it and fix it first.

This is a good thing not a bad thing. 

While I'm not going to argue this.  How can Obama appoint someone who is dishonest in what he consider his patrotic duties? 

Daschle is a lying hyocritical crook.  Not a wise move to put people like that into powerful offices to represent you..

[run_to_win]

What make the self-righteousness on behalf of the republicans quite hypocritical is in both cases

Huh?  They didn't follow the law so you're attacking Republicans?

...it was the appointee who disclosed the problem and in both cases the odds are extremely low that had the appointee not disclosed they would have ever been caught.

Wait, wait, wait ... they KNEW they hadn't followed the law and only disclosed it once they were facing nomination hearings? 

Thats right if Daschle and Geithner had not come forward their is almost zero chance they would have ever been caught....

That seems unlikely.

"...zero chance they would have ever been caught"?  Doesn't that imply that they were knowingly doing something wrong?  Did you mean to say, "... zero chance that the mistakes would have ever been discovered?"

[run_to_win]

Before you lump me in with RTW...

Ouch!

[Dphins4me]

Huh?  They didn't follow the law so you're attacking Republicans?

  It kinda sounded like the reply yesterday on the news when a Dem. HoR was discussing the stimulus plan & all the waste in it.

When ask about the waste.

His reply started with " George Bush wasted money "

It was great when he was cut off & it was pointed out that wasting good money just because someone else wasted good money was not a good economic policy.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

Wait, wait, wait ... they KNEW they hadn't followed the law and only disclosed it once they were facing nomination hearings? 
That seems unlikely.

Or the person reviewing the very detailed survey they had to fill out figured it out.  Either their private attorney or person in the Obama transition team tasked with reviewing their paperwork.  Obama didn't just ask for tax forms he asked for a copy of all of their tax records.  The internal audit by the person reviewing the documents could have caught the mistakes.   

[Dphins4me]

Or the person reviewing the very detailed survey they had to fill out figured it out.  Either their private attorney or person in the Obama transition team tasked with reviewing their paperwork.  Obama didn't just ask for tax forms he asked for a copy of all of their tax records.  The internal audit by the person reviewing the documents could have caught the mistakes.   

  It was not mistake.  These guys are too smart to make a simple mistake like that.  Its was trying to avoid paying the tax.

[Dphins4me]

Confirmed he knew about it, but made no plans to pay it until Obama nominated him.

Daschle spokeswoman Jenny Backus said he had known since June 2008 that his luxury car and driver provided by wealthy Democratic donor, longtime friend and business associate Leo Hindery might be taxable, but never expected the amount to be such a "jaw-dropping" sum and "thought it was being taken care of" by his accountant.

[Gabriel]

Ouch!

Sorry, Run. I didn't want Hoodie to think I was motivated by something other than an appreciation for the importance of paying taxes.