Obama's HHS nomination in tax trouble too!!

[aREDSKIN]

Man, do them dem like to cheat or what. If they just paid what they owe maybe we wouldn't be in the shape we're in. :) He'll get a waiver and sail on through it's the American way.



Bumps in the Road: Obama's HHS Secretary Nominee Faces Tax Questions Over Car and Driver

January 30, 2009 6:29 PM

ABC News has learned that the nomination of former Senator Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., to be President Obama's Secretary of Health and Human Services has hit a traffic snarl on its way through the Senate Finance Committee.

The controversy deals with a car and driver lent to Daschle by a wealthy Democratic friend, a chauffeur service the former senator used for years without declaring it on his taxes.

It remains an open question as to whether this is a "speed bump," as a Democratic Senate ally of Daschle put it, or something more damaging.

After being defeated in his 2004 re-election campaign to the Senate, Daschle in 2005 became a consultant and chairman of the Executive Advisory Board at InterMedia Advisors.

Based in New York City, InterMedia Advisors is a private equity firm founded in part by longtime Daschle friend and Democratic fundraiserLeo Hindery, the former president of the YES network (the Yankees' and Devils' broadcast network).

That same year he began his professional relationship with InterMedia 2005, Daschle began using the services of Hindery's car and driver.

The Cadillac and driver were never part of Daschle's official compensation package at InterMedia but Mr. Daschle -- who as Senate majority leader enjoyed the use of a car and driver at taxpayer expense -- didn't declare their services on his income taxes, as tax laws require.

During the vetting process to become HHS secretary, Daschle corrected the tax violation, voluntarily paying $101,943 in back taxes plus interest, working with his accountant to amend his tax returns for 2005 through 2007.

(Mr. Daschle reimbursed the IRS $31,462 in taxes and interest for tax year 2005; $35,546 for 2006; and $34,935, a Daschle spokesperson said, adding that Daschle had asked his accountant to look into the tax implications of the car and driver five months before Mr. Obama won the presidency.)

The chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., has called his colleagues for a private meeting at 5 p.m. ET Monday to discuss these complications surrounding Daschle's nomination.

The Daschle spokesperson told ABC News that the senator, facing questions from the committee, has said "he deeply regretted his mistake. When he realized it was a mistake he corrected it rapidly."

This is the second Cabinet nominee of President Obama's to face questions of tax malfeasance. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner paid more than $34,000 in taxes during his vetting process for income earned at the International Monetary Fund. Earlier, Commerce Secretary nominee Bill Richardson withdrew his name from consideration after reports of a federal investigation involving whether his office engaged in pay to play, a charge Richardson denied.

The spokesperson said, by way of explaining how it was this happened: "In 2005, Sen. Daschle's close friend Leo Hindery, who lives in New York, offered him the use of a car and driver in Washington when he was not using it. That same year, they began a formal business relationship where he was an independent consultant and chairman of the external advisory board to InterMedia Advisors. The car was not provided as part of his compensation. So it never occurred to him that it should be considered income. The senator simply and probably naively considered its use a generous offer by a longtime friend."

Neither the White House nor businessman Leo Hindery had any comment. Daschle has personally refrained from commenting.

Daschle came before the Senate Health Education Labor and Pensions Committee for a hearing on Jan. 8, 2009, and it was a veritable love-in, with the respected former colleague praised to the high heavens.

But staffers at the Senate Finance Committee are generally a little more exacting -- witness the stormy weather faced by Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, for his back-tax snafus -- and they have been delving into the issue and exploring all the ramifications before holding a committee vote on his nomination.

The Daschle spokesperson insisted that the senator is the one who should get credit for discovering, fixing and disclosing the tax issue.

"In June 2008, Sen. Daschle mentioned the use of the car to his personal accountant and asked him if there were any potential tax consequences," the spokesperson said. "His accountant said that there could be tax consequences and said he was going to fix them as part of Daschle's 2008 filing. So when he got down to vetting, Sen. Daschle decided to amend his returns for 2005, 2006 and 2007, and he paid all the taxes. At the urging of Daschle, the accountant was very conservative in his estimates."

Daschle has long been one of President Obama's closest advisers, so it was no surprise when the mild-mannered pol was named Obama's nominee to be HHS Secretary shortly after Obama won election; his official nomination came Dec. 11, 2008.

Should Daschle have difficulty being confirmed -- a prospect that seems unlikely given the benefit of the doubt senators frequently extend to one another, not to mention the Senate's Democratic majority -- he doesn't have to worry about finding another job in the administration, since President Obama has also appointed him to serve as director of the new White House Office on Health Reform.




http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/01/bumps-in-the-ro.html

[Thiebear]

So this is it:
No more taxes unless your nominated.. I'm cool with that.

[McD5]

Daschle has always been a scumbag.

Nothing surprising about this.

It is pretty pathetic that people like this are in our government though.

[aREDSKIN]

It is pretty pathetic that people like this are in our government though.

it's almost as if you need to be this way to be in gov't. I've never really like Daschel much.

[Thiebear]

Every Politician should be evaluated each year? How hard is this to understand?

[twa]

$101,943 in back taxes plus interest...Kool, maybe O can nominate enough scofflaws to pay the stimulus interest.

Hell nominate Rangel for something, he ought to owe a half mill or so.:silly:

[Califan007]

$101,943 in back taxes plus interest...Kool, maybe O can nominate enough scofflaws to pay the stimulus interest.

Hell nominate Rangel for something, he ought to owe a half mill or so.:silly:
LoL :applause:

[Burgold]

Eh, this doesn't bother me very much. On the other hand, Daschel should fire his accountant. You know this could very well be a great thing for America. All by themselves, Obama's nominees are helping to reduce the national deficit even before they are confirmed.

[SUSkinsFan]

this is really starting to get out of hand

[Califan007]

Eh, this doesn't bother me very much. On the other hand, Daschel should fire his accountant. You know this could very well be a great thing for America. All by themselves, Obama's nominees are helping to reduce the national deficit even before they are confirmed.
Look how much revenue he's generating for the government already!

[Burgold]

this is really starting to get out of hand

Not really. Very, very few of these guys do their own taxes. Their accountants are the weasals here. Mind you, ignorance is no excuse for breaking the law, but I'm sure Tom simply signed off and trusted that his accountants did their jobs. (I'm also sure that part of the accountant's job was to make his tax bill as small as possible... which is something all of us do)

[skinsfan_1215]

Not really. Very, very few of these guys do their own taxes. Their accountants are the weasals here. Mind you, ignorance is no excuse for breaking the law, but I'm sure Tom simply signed off and trusted that his accountants did their jobs. (I'm also sure that part of the accountant's job was to make his tax bill as small as possible... which is something all of us do)

Plus, who would think to file their chauffeur service on their taxes. Seems like it wouldn't be hard to overlook imo...

[BigMike619]

Not really. Very, very few of these guys do their own taxes. Their accountants are the weasals here. Mind you, ignorance is no excuse for breaking the law, but I'm sure Tom simply signed off and trusted that his accountants did their jobs. (I'm also sure that part of the accountant's job was to make his tax bill as small as possible... which is something all of us do)

its why we dont forgive athletes when they pop for banned substances. ultimately it is YOU who are responsible for what happens in your life. sure, your accountant screwed up but you should have gone over it and verified everything before submitting it.

[Califan007]

Plus, who would think to file their chauffeur service on their taxes. Seems like it wouldn't be hard to overlook imo...
You can't be an accountant and think that way, though. No accountant worth his salt would--or should--say "It never occurred to me to claim car and chauffeur services on taxes". It's their job to know this ****.

[Burgold]

its why we dont forgive athletes when they pop for banned substances. ultimately it is YOU who are responsible for what happens in your life. sure, your accountant screwed up but you should have gone over it and verified everything before submitting it.

I don't disagree at all. The buck stops with the guy who's name is on the form. Now, the accountant may get in lots of trouble too, but Daschle is ultimately responsible.

Still, I don't think this is really damning and shouldn't impact his nomination, but who knows... after all, politics is hell.

[skinsfan_1215]

You can't be an accountant and think that way, though. No accountant worth his salt would--or should--say "It never occurred to me to claim car and chauffeur services on taxes". It's their job to know this ****.

That is true. Good thing I'm not an accountant.:)

[Thiebear]

No chance a CPA skips the gift of a driver and car service.
It has to be 'forcefully' overlooked.

[Teller]

One is an oopsie. Two is a problem. If there are three, it's time to get the pitch forkws.

[twa]

No chance a CPA skips the gift of a driver and car service.
It has to be 'forcefully' overlooked.

Indeed,they can only work with the info provided.

Hard to believe overlooking tax liabilities of over $100,000 over a three yr period as completely innocent.
OR the unreported consulting income of $83,333 in 2007
a interesting look at Daschles finances.(including his lobbyist wife,a well-known registered health care lobbyist.:rolleyes:)

http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2009/01/022690.php



As a life-long politician, Tom Daschle never earned much money. But he retired from the Senate, after being defeated for re-election by John Thune, as a multimillionaire. He retired to Georgetown, of course, not to South Dakota. This happens a lot in Washington, and Daschle's case is pretty typical.

His wife Linda is or was a lobbyist, and she was the one who reported the family's income. (This is inference, since Daschle consistently chose not to make his tax returns public.) Linda Daschle made millions "lobbying" on behalf of various corporate interests. There was no conflict of interest, the Democrats assured us, because Linda Daschle only "lobbied" the House of Representatives, not the Senate, where her husband was either the Majority or the Minority Leader for much of his career.

But wait! If a company hired Linda to lobby House members, the check they wrote went straight into the Senate Majority Leader's joint checking account. It would have been a felony to write the check to Tom in exchange for political services, but a check to Linda, that went into the same bank account? No problem! She wasn't lobbying the Senate! So Tom Daschle became a multimillionaire.

...
Is Tom Daschle a crook, or is it fairer to think of him as a low-level tool of various big-time crooks who play the Washington game by the corrupt rules of the Democratic Party? Either way, it is hard to think of a worse person to put in charge of "reforming" the nation's health care system.

[mardi gras skin]

Every Politician should be evaluated each year? How hard is this to understand?

Good idea. Or at least the year before their next election.

[mardi gras skin]

his lobbyist wife,a well-known registered health care lobbyist.:rolleyes:)

UNBELIEVABLE! This is completely out of hand. Believe what you want. Obama lied. What he lacked in inexperience, I hoped he would make up for in integrity. It looks like we aren't getting either.

[Burgold]

In many respects it makes sense. If Health really is the Daschle famiy passion, then it goes to reason that they would be involved in advocasy. At the same time, it points to how interwoven the lobbiests are with everyone.

Now, whether Mrs. Daschle was part of a scheme to pay Tom under the table is pure speculation. She may be a very worthy, passionate, and capable speaker on health issues and my wife working for someone is not me working for them (although conflict of interest is a huge HUGE pain in the rump here).

I don't think the accounting thing is a huge deal personally. The lobbying thing, Obama was obviously way to fast and his advisors didn't quite bring him up to speed on some of the conflicts here. I think he intended to do the right thing with that executive order, but he wound up giving himself a black eye. His advisors failed to counsel him well on this issue. They should have known about the details of the vetting and how that would jibe with the intentions of the order.

[twa]

Err, you meant PAID advocacy right?

Not like either of them are doing it out of the good of their heart.

Enjoy defending

[mardi gras skin]

The lobbying thing, Obama was obviously way to fast and his advisors didn't quite bring him up to speed on some of the conflicts here. I think he intended to do the right thing with that executive order, but he wound up giving himself a black eye. His advisors failed to counsel him well on this issue. They should have known about the details of the vetting and how that would jibe with the intentions of the order.

Fine, man. You'd rather call him incompetent than call him a liar. Either way, he's blowing it.

[Burgold]

Err, you meant PAID advocacy right?

Not like either of them are doing it out of the good of their heart.

Enjoy defending

Can't argue that.


Fine, man. You'd rather call him incompetent than call him a liar. Either way, he's blowing it.

Different page. The fact that he's hiring competent people is the most important thing to me. The other stuff is secondary. Bush's problem was that his people were not capable.

Part of me does think the problem is one of the Grandfather clause.

For years, the Washington system has worked to steal the best minds out of the government and military and put them in lobbying firms. You can't undo that with one signing statement. More, you still want the best people. The problem is that the lobbiests are so imbedded and interwoven within policy and government that it's nearly impossible to find anyone good and experienced without them having connections. Perhaps, this signing law will help things going forward, but you also don't want to throw the baby out with the bath water. Still, he couldn't have written the signing statement with a grandfather clause and probably should have waited a year to announce this.

Regardless, I still think this lobbiest stuff is a black eye and a self inflicted one at that, but it's hardly likely to cause damage that's long lasting or fatal except to those who are really hungry to see evil and failure and were never willing to give him a chance anyway.

[twa]

Regardless, I still think this lobbiest stuff is a black eye and a self inflicted one at that, but it's hardly likely to cause damage that's long lasting or fatal except to those who are really hungry to see evil and failure and were never willing to give him a chance anyway.

Ok:rolleyes:

Tom Daschle...the embodiment of Hope and Change:puke:

[Burgold]

Ok:rolleyes:

Tom Daschle...the embodiment of Hope and Change:puke:

I always get the feeling that Republicans think of Tom Daschle the way I think of Tom Delay. Poor Tom Jefferson... everyone has been sullying his good name.

[Redskins Diehard]

For years, the Washington system has worked to steal the best minds out of the government and military and put them in lobbying firms. You can't undo that with one signing statement. More, you still want the best people. The problem is that the lobbiests are so imbedded and interwoven within policy and government that it's nearly impossible to find anyone good and experienced without them having connections. Perhaps, this signing law will help things going forward, but you also don't want to throw the baby out with the bath water. Still, he couldn't have written the signing statement with a grandfather clause and probably should have waited a year to announce this.

Regardless, I still think this lobbiest stuff is a black eye and a self inflicted one at that, but it's hardly likely to cause damage that's long lasting or fatal except to those who are really hungry to see evil and failure and were never willing to give him a chance anyway.

You keep defending this the exact same way, at least you are consistent. Did the President NOT consider the very stuff you are pointing out here? Did he not make this a very pillar of why we should elect an inexperienced candidate over a more experienced candidate? This goes beyond the foolish executive order he signed. His campaign actively slug lobbyist mud all over Sen McCain during the campaign and within hours of taking the oath had a list of lobbyists and their spouses to fill his administration.

[mardi gras skin]

Regardless, I still think this lobbiest stuff is a black eye and a self inflicted one at that, but it's hardly likely to cause damage that's long lasting or fatal except to those who are really hungry to see evil and failure and were never willing to give him a chance anyway.

Don't do that Burgold.

Obama was the less experienced candidate. But what he offered was a fresh start. A new way of doing things. Integrity, transparency, honesty.

I really want him to be the man he promised to be. I feel like our country needs it.

[Prosperity]

Why the hell is Tom Daschle the one guy we need to be HHS secretary? Just kick the bum out.

[twa]

http://notropis.net/driving_miss_daschle.jpg

[aREDSKIN]

Why the hell is Tom Daschle the one guy we need to be HHS secretary? Just kick the bum out.


He isn't but it's funny as hell to see all the apologists here and on TV defending this guy & Obama. They use all sorts of change the subject, deflection and specious arguments. Bottom line Daschel is a crook, his wife is a crook and Obama looks even more stupid to me than before.

[rebornempowered]

Daschle has always been a scumbag.

Nothing surprising about this.

It is pretty pathetic that people like this are in our government though.

I know I am a later comer to this thread but as a native South Dakotan I have to say that I have known he was scum since I was 7 or 8 years old. He had some stupid commercial about his driver a cruddy car up to the Capitol. Even in elementary school I knew he was so full of crap his ears had to be plugged.

Even though I was a resident of Ohio when it happened I ran in the street screaming with joy when Daschle was defeated by Thune. I think the neighbors wondered what was wrong with me.

[Thiebear]

Bill Richardson is kicking himself for dropping out over something so petty as Pay to Play.
And you know Blago just watches in wonder how he went down yet others flaunt it on the record.

[jnhay]

Not a big deal to me. I wouldn't have thought to pay taxes on that. I guess this guy should know better, but I could see how this could be a mistake.

[Thiebear]

I think the problem just comes down to this:

We give the elected officials the benefit of the doubt to often. They have a higher standard to live up to because they are receiving our money after making promises we believed (some).

Why is it so hard to understand that if you take 90k and put it in your freezer your OUT.. That day dammit.

Why is it so hard to understand that if you put 2million into a bill that goes to a company your son is running YOUR OUT... that day.

Why is it so hard to understand that if you get 80k in free services from someone that deals with congress - YOUR OUT.. you shouldnt have to claim it.. It should be illegal over 500$.

You ***** and moan about the government and then give (your side) a free pass every ****ing time they break the law...

man up and fix this crap.

[Burgold]

Don't do that Burgold.

Obama was the less experienced candidate. But what he offered was a fresh start. A new way of doing things. Integrity, transparency, honesty.

I really want him to be the man he promised to be. I feel like our country needs it.

Didn't mean it to come across that way. It's hard when you are speaking in general terms and with someone.

All I mean is that I don't think this is symptomatic of any horrendous wrong or emblematic of any profound character flaw.

And yeah, Diehard... I am consistant, but it's the same issue and I haven't seen a reason to change my view... yet. I hope one doesn't emerge.

[aREDSKIN]

I think the problem just comes down to this:

We give the elected officials the benefit of the doubt to often. They have a higher standard to live up to because they are receiving our money after making promises we believed (some).

Why is it so hard to understand that if you take 90k and put it in your freezer your OUT.. That day dammit.

Why is it so hard to understand that if you put 2million into a bill that goes to a company your son is running YOUR OUT... that day.

Why is it so hard to understand that if you get 80k in free services from someone that deals with congress - YOUR OUT.. you shouldnt have to claim it.. It should be illegal over 500$.

You ***** and moan about the government and then give (your side) a free pass every ****ing time they break the law...

man up and fix this crap.


Pipe dream. Way too many constituencies to grease out there.

[aREDSKIN]

Don't the Dems vet anyone for these jobs? Or are the ALL corrupt.

They DID vet him and yes they are ALL (99.00%) corrupt.

[Burgold]

Don't the Dems vet anyone for these jobs? Or are the ALL corrupt.

Deja vu can be really a depressing thing. I remember this exact conversation four and eight years ago.

[twa]

There is no way he Obama sticks his neck out again for a job like HHS. Daschle is done, something tells me he will very quietly remove his name over the weekend.

Don't the Dems vet anyone for these jobs? Or are the ALL corrupt.

Dream on,as a former Senate leader and a wife that is one of the most powerful lobbyists in DC he will sail through with only minor outrage.:2cents:

just business as usual.

even this will be whitewashed

Healthcare groups paid Daschle $220k
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0109/18237.html

[IHOPSkins]

......The fact that he's hiring competent people......Sorry

Dachle is as HACKY as you can get

I like Mitchell though :applause:

[jbooma]

This shows that the vetting process form Obama was not as complete as it should have been. Which could lead to an issue with the Clintons in the future.

[aREDSKIN]

Update: Not only did Daschel not pay taxes on his received perks he did not claim $83,000 in income!! What an unmitigated sleezeball crook. And this is what Obama wants for us?? Chicagoland nationwide.


More Daschle Tax Issues

January 30, 2009 11:24 PM

ABC News has obtained the Senate Finance Committee Report on Tom Daschle's nomination to be Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, which indicates that Daschle's tax problems were even more substantial than earlier reported.

The report indicates that Daschle's failure to pay more than $101,000 taxes on the car and driver a wealthy friend let him use from 2005 through 2007 is not the only tax issue the former Senate Majority Leader has been dealing with since his December nomination prompted a more thorough examination of his income tax returns.

Mr. Daschle also didn't report $83,333 in consulting income in 2007.

The Senate Finance Committee Report also notes that during the vetting process, President Obama's Transition Team "identified certain donations that did not qualify as charitable deductions because they were not paid to qualifying organizations. Daschle adjusted his contribution deductions on his amended returns for 2005, 2006 and 2007 to remove these amounts and add additional contributions." This adjustment meant a reduction in the amount he contributed to charitable foundations of $14,963 from 2005 through 2007.

With the unreported income from the use of a car service in the amounts of $73,031 in 2005, $89,129 in 2006 and $93,096 in 2007; the unreported consulting income of $83,333 in 2007; and the adjusted reductions in charitable contributions, Daschle adds a total of $353,552 in additional income and reduced donations, meaning an additional tax payment of $128,203, in addition to $11,964 in interest.

On January 2 of this year, Daschle filed amended tax returns to pay the $140,167 in unpaid taxes.

The Finance Committee staff still is reviewing whether travel and entertainment services provided Tom and Linda Daschle by EduCap, Inc., Catherine B. Reynolds Foundation, Academy Achievement, and Loan to Learn should be reported as income. Earlier this month, the Wall Street Journal reported that Daschle made use of the jet belonging to EduCap, a non-profit student loan organization.


http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/01/more-daschle-ta.html

[McD5]

Just throw the scumbag out, today.

Dem or Repub makes no difference. We need to put a stop to dirty politics and scumbag politicians.

People are going to get fed up with this crap.

[IHOPSkins]

UPDATE:

Report: Daschle Received $220G From Health Care Groups With Vested Interest

Tom Daschle, the former South Dakota senator picked by President Obama to reside over the nation's healthcare system, received $220,000 in speaking fees from health care groups with an interest in the work he would do once confirmed as health chief, Politico.com reported Saturday......

The speaking fees were detailed in a financial disclosure statement released Friday after it was revealed that Daschle -- Obama's nominee to head the Department of Health and Human Services -- failed to pay $128,203 in back taxes and $11,964 in interest.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/01/30/white-house-daschle-tax-issues-shouldnt-bar-cabinet-confirmation/

[Riggo-toni]

this is really starting to get out of hand

Even H&R Block got audited and owed back taxes. This will happen constantly...again and again for dozens of future nominees, not necessarily because they are corrupt or even scofflaws, but because our tax code is so labrynthine most anyone with any wealth can be arbitrarily fingered for non-compliance.

[D'KanSkinFan]

Now,

To quote the NEW president~

EVERYONE MAKES A MISTAKE :laugh:

You go obama~ good decision makin' ;) ; just tryin' my best to help ya out and keep your quotes "noted" :)

[Thiebear]

The more that comes out the more Dashle matches EXACTLY what Obama was against.
This is why i want Air America guy to win.. AT LEAST he's not a professional politician on the dole..
I hate what he says, but i don't see him accepting bribes with his attitude and now thats my only requirement left.. so sad.

[Fergasun]

Our Government is illegitimate. Can we have some type of "no contest" vote? Geithner really ticked me off since he got approved by the Senate. So now I see the Senate and President both advocating cheating on your taxes, which are pretty much the core revenue stream of our country (and quite frankly I think every business cheats on their taxes).

Now they are doing the same thing with HHS? What was wrong with the other candidates? Did they all have trunks full of dead hookers and were they married to transvestite spouses? Spurious sex change operations on public money?

One could make the same argument Bush lost all credibility with the Iraq invasion, specifically using Colin Powell to convince the world that Saddam Hussein was evil and an attack on the world was imminent.

I think our system is so broken we can only fix it from ground up. Starting off let's go back to the old ratio's of House Representative to citizen (what was it, 30k?). I mean, at least it seems like the House is still a chamber for "the people". I really don't care if that means we have a lot more representatives. I think Congressional staff size is pretty obscene... so we could have a handful of folks doing a better job because they are servicing less citizens. Also, it would make bribing a House seat really hard if you had to bribe a ton of them.

It's sad more people don't realize we are so screwed...

[Burgold]

Well, if we could do that... just start over and declare bankrupsy at least there'd be no national debt. All sorts of other problems though. Still, it might be worth a shot. On the other hand, this may be an overreaction.

[Riggo-toni]

Daschle certainly had more influence on this labyrinth than the common man. Basically you are giving a pass to someone who helped create a system the he himself could not honor.

No, I'm not, but I should have been more clear. I'm not giving Daschle a free pass since in his case there is some poetic justice, as you correctly point out. I'm merely stating that this particular issue will pop up relentlessly, and not everyone (see Geithner) should be excluded or shunned on the basis of tax errors.

[81artmonk]

Let's go over Obamas list of noms so far.

One can't speak in proper english. Picked to be in charge of education

Another didn't pay taxes, picked to head the IRS

And yet another hasn't paid taxes, and got money from the health care industry and is picked to head the health care dept.

CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN!!

[aREDSKIN]

No, I'm not, but I should have been more clear. I'm not giving Daschle a free pass since in his case there is some poetic justice, as you correctly point out. I'm merely stating that this particular issue will pop up relentlessly, and not everyone (see Geithner) should be excluded or shunned on the basis of tax errors.

Not declaring $83,000 in income can hardly be construed as a "tax error" for anyone, let alone a former majority & minority leader. That willll get you and me 5-10 in the pen. He's a crook as has been pointed out in this thread. And I have been watching some of the talk shows today and from what I have seen many pundits see him sailing through the nomination process. Of course they present his "exemplary" service to the country and the relationships he has within the current members of the senate.
What a crock.

[Cdowwe]

One can't speak in proper english. Picked to be in charge of education



Couldnt help but laugh at this line

[skinned em']

Eh, this doesn't bother me very much. On the other hand, Daschel should fire his accountant. You know this could very well be a great thing for America. All by themselves, Obama's nominees are helping to reduce the national deficit even before they are confirmed.

:) Really. So what, they owe like a trillion dollars or so? Thank goodness for osamas nominees:thumbsup: :no:

[81artmonk]

Couldnt help but laugh at this line

Just curious, laughing because I spelled something wrong or at the fact of what I stated about the guy?

[Kilmer17]

Yep Continuing to show that Obamas team took the GOP "scandals" as a challenge to be bested.

Change my ass.

[Heisenberg]

Just curious, laughing because I spelled something wrong or at the fact of what I stated about the guy?


I believe your grammar was incorrect in that sentence complaining about the Sec of Education.

However, even I can see the difference between you speaking proper english and the guy that is supposed to be in charge of education.

[81artmonk]

I believe your grammar was incorrect in that sentence complaining about the Sec of Education.

However, even I can see the difference between you speaking proper english and the guy that is supposed to be in charge of education.

Again just curious, but what was incorrect?? The spelling was correct.

[Heisenberg]

Let's go over Obamas list of noms so far.

One can't speak in proper english. Picked to be in charge of education

Another didn't pay taxes, picked to head the IRS

And yet another hasn't paid taxes, and got money from the health care industry and is picked to head the health care dept.

CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN!!


I believe the correct sentence would be "One can't speak proper English."

I think that is what the other poster was referring to.

[Thiebear]

If we have to take a consensus of his sentence, it's not that far off for a regular Joe.
How Dashle is still not done is mind boggling.

[Gallen5862]

Fox News reported that Dashle owes another $6,000 in taxes because he did not pay the Medicare taxes for the driver. Dashle has agreed to pay. He will be heading up Medicare but did not realize he had to pay the tax.

[Kilmer17]

If these Democrats hadnt been picked to be part of the change, would they have ever paid?

[mcsluggo]

i am sure there were mirror image, but otherwise identical threads bashing all things Bush in 2001 and 2005....

but MAAAAAN these circle jerk threads are tiresome

[Kilmer17]

The simple solution would be to not give people the ammo to start them.

[PleaseBlitz]

Anyone figured out if he's a cheat or just incompetent yet?

[DjTj]

Anyone figured out if he's a cheat or just incompetent yet?Incompetent would be overpaying your taxes ... or doing something that amounts to fraud and jail time.

The area between being a cheat and overpaying is the realm of extreme competence ... that's what people pay their accountants to do.

[PleaseBlitz]

Incompetent would be overpaying your taxes ... or doing something that amounts to fraud and jail time.

The area between being a cheat and overpaying is the realm of extreme competence ... that's what people pay their accountants to do.

Not filiing a few hundred thousand dollars of income is fraud. If he meant to do it, he's a cheat. If he didnt mean to do it, he's incompetent. It's one or the other.

Its AWFULLY dumb to not hire an accountant when he makes that much money, ****ing TurboTax would have caught his "error."

[twa]

PB, he has a accountant(that only helps with reported income;))

Problem is he is hauling in so much money he can overlook over $300 grand in payments and services.

Nice problem to have,but not too comforting on his ability to oversea a dept or direct policy...the added problem of that money being from industries related to his new position is very disturbing.

[DjTj]

Not filiing a few hundred thousand dollars of income is fraud. If he meant to do it, he's a cheat. If he didnt mean to do it, he's incompetent. It's one or the other.I doubt he could be prosecuted for tax fraud. This wasn't cash; it was a car and driver provided by his employer, and he never got a 1099 form. There's at least the possibility of an innocent (not incompetent) mistake there.

And I actually think it's likely that he at least kind of knew what he was doing, but erred on the side of underreporting, and isn't that the American way?


Its AWFULLY dumb to not hire an accountant when he makes that much money, ****ing TurboTax would have caught his "error."He obviously had an accountant, but it either never came up, or his accountant took a very aggressive position. Once he knew he might have a Senate confirmation hearing coming up, his accountant took the more conservative position.

He saved himself $100k over a few years, he's not going to be charged with anything, and he's most likely going to be in the cabinet soon ... we should all wish we were that incompetent.

[twa]

Err, there was that little matter of $80 k+ income that somehow slipped his mind as well...yet he remembered charitable deductions that weren't deductible.

Funny how that works :D...but you are right,as long as they get their money no charges are likely.

“Make no mistake, tax cheaters cheat us all, and the IRS should enforce our laws to the letter.” Sen. Tom Daschle, Congressional Record, May 7, 1998, p. S4507.:silly:

[Cdowwe]

Just curious, laughing because I spelled something wrong or at the fact of what I stated about the guy?

What you stated lol

[Zguy28]

E
“Make no mistake, tax cheaters cheat us all, and the IRS should enforce our laws to the letter.” Sen. Tom Daschle, Congressional Record, May 7, 1998, p. S4507.:silly:You can bet your derriere that if one of us forgot to pay taxes on that much income, we'd be behind bars already.

[twa]

You can bet your derriere that if one of us forgot to pay taxes on that much income, we'd be behind bars already.

:silly:
http://coldfury.com/?p=12814

Axis of Taxes
•Posted by Noel @ 9:46 PM Monday, 2 February 2009•

BETTER PUT SOME WD-1040 ON THAT

I applaud the Chicago president for nominating these heroic tax-resisters. They are bravely standing up to their own party, and by their very actions, proving the Republican case that taxes are too high. And that you get more compliance with lower rates and a simpler code.

In their honor, I propose the Geithner Self-Employment Tax Cut, the Daschle Transportation Tax Cut with Enhanced Charitable Deductions, and the Rangel Real Estate Tax Cut, so that all Americans may share equally in their prosperity.

I know they’d want it that way.

Sincerely,

your fellow tax-resister,

Al Capone
Alcatraz, California :rotflmao::applause:

[mardi gras skin]

“Make no mistake, tax cheaters cheat us all, and the IRS should enforce our laws to the letter.” Sen. Tom Daschle, Congressional Record, May 7, 1998, p. S4507.[/COLOR]
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8eOfJsTaIiM/SFbc6Xm7wMI/AAAAAAAAAuY/QWULF4A3o94/s400/KeepChange.jpg