Interesting about Daschle. I read that he owed/owes almost $130,000 in back taxes and more than $11,000. This is the guy who very publicly portrayed a recent tax cut (I think it was Bush's cut) as giving a Lexus to the wealthy. He was really smarmy about it. I do not drive such cars (so I am not sure about their prices), but Daschle could probably buy three or four Lexi with the taxes he did not pay. I wonder if he would go on national TV and brag about that.

While Daschle fought against tax cuts for others, he was taking his own, do-it-yourself tax cuts. I wonder how many of these guys who "never met a tax cut that they liked" are busy stiffing the IRS. Easy to want to spend like crazy when you are not paying your fair share. And extremely hypocritical when you are always pointing fingers at others.

The point is, none of these tax cheats is an uneducated blue collar worker who only has a high school education. These guys, may with Phd's et al, OK Daschle was a mortician (can't you tell) (and as a Senator had a big time lobbyist for a wife - hey that would only be a conflict of interest if the little guy or a Republican were to do it) but they are sophisticated in the ways of finance, accounting, and taxes. It is a fairy tale to believe that these are innocent mistakes. OK, they probably were innocent mistakes, and Joseph Stalin really loved his people. Stalin did nothing but wonderful things for his people.

The question is: When the Senators are saying - Oh, it is an easy mistake to make, totally understandable, not a big deal.

1. Are the Senators simply playing politics, or
2. Are they guilty of the same tax cheating and so:
A. Don't consider it to be so bad; or
B. Want to be lenient in the hope that they will be treated leniently if they are caught.

Imagine if you will,that our friendly Ranger chose not to pay all of his taxes. And got caught. Do you think the powers that be would be so sympathetic and forgiving. What about if you didn't pay? Is there generally supposed to be a rule that, except in unusual circumstances (and those circumstances are not who has political clout) one rule applies to all.

I used to live and work in Russia. Russia is a very messed up society. Depressing culture. One of the main differences between the US and Russia was supposed to be that we were under the rule of law, and it under the rule of personality. The justice in Russia you received depended on who you were. Well, if we start acting like that, how are we different from the Russians.

I understand that there is now an additional amount owed for medicare taxes that they overlooked in the correction. Isn't this the guy nominated to be in charge of medicare because he is the best man for the job?

Still it was a mistake anyone could have made. How many of us have had $250K of services provided by a friend and failed to ask if they might have taxable? Could have happened to almost anybody. If not you, then to someone you know. I assume it got lost in that 5.2 million of earnings. Good to know we have rich people making sure little people pay their fair share.

As a CPA friend of mine says, maybe we should should all take the short cuts and underpay our taxes, pleading the Geithner-Dashele rule if caught, keeping the cash if not.

(02-02-2009 01:13 PM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  As a CPA friend of mine says, maybe we should should all take the short cuts and underpay our taxes, pleading the Geithner-Dashele rule if caught, keeping the cash if not.

Because most of us don't have the cash lying around to pay the fines, interest and taxes and still afford our futures. But these fines are a drop in the bucket otherwise for these folks.

(02-02-2009 01:24 PM)gsloth Wrote:  

(02-02-2009 01:13 PM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  As a CPA friend of mine says, maybe we should should all take the short cuts and underpay our taxes, pleading the Geithner-Dashele rule if caught, keeping the cash if not.

Because most of us don't have the cash lying around to pay the fines, interest and taxes and still afford our futures. But these fines are a drop in the bucket otherwise for these folks.

Only if you get caught, or nominated. In any case, only the penalties and interest are gambled, the taxes are presumably still in your pocket. Maybe if the IRS agrees it was a hiccup, you could even get a pass on the penalties or interest.

Fifty years of paying taxes ( I started at 14) could make one cynical.