Democrats and Taxes
I am amazed at the number of tax issues that President Obama's nominees have had during the nomination process. Democrats constantly rail against Republicans for their efforts to cut taxes across the board. Democrats usually claim that Republican tax cuts will only benefit the "wealthiest one half of one percent" of the population.
Considering that the wealthiest among us pay almost all of the income taxes, I'm ok with giving them a break every now and again.
Apparently, so are the Democrats. For Republicans, the wealthiest among us should get tax relief across the board. For Democrats, individuals among the wealthiest of us who don't pay taxes should also get relief - by being nominated to the Obama administration!!
Earlier Nancy Killefer, nominee for President Obama's Chief Performance Officer withdrew her name from nomination for that post due to "unspecified tax issues."
Tom Daschle has just announced his withdrawal from the nomination process for HHS secretary citing tax issues. The former senator had just recently filed amended returns wherein he had to pay around $140,000.00 in back taxes. Even with the amendments, Sen. Daschle apparently failed to report another $80K in income. Apparently this guy is making so much money, he just doesn't have time to figure out how to pay his taxes. Further, Daschle was criticized for lobbying in the health care field and then accepting the nomination for HHS secretary. This was a major facet of the Obama administration and, given the hypocrisy that abounded in sweeping this one under the rug, Daschle withdew his name.
The fun doesn't stop there!
New Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner also faced issues regarding his failure to pay taxes on his income.
This is troubling on a number of different levels. The least of these is the fact that it is Democrat policy to rely on the wealthiest to pay the vast majority of income taxes, yet the wealthiest of Democrats simply don't pay taxes.
Further, this does not bode well for this "New Era of Responsible Government." The Obama administration has touted its plan to reduce corruption in government by not employing lobbyists - yet it nominated two to its cabinet to work in the field where they lobbied. Obama highly touted the position of Chief Performance Officer to scrub the federal budget of nonsensical spending - yet his nominee has to withdraw due to "tax concerns."
Hopefully the administration can get its act together. I fear, however, that there is more lip service than real policy behind much of the administration's efforts.
Considering that the wealthiest among us pay almost all of the income taxes, I'm ok with giving them a break every now and again.
Apparently, so are the Democrats. For Republicans, the wealthiest among us should get tax relief across the board. For Democrats, individuals among the wealthiest of us who don't pay taxes should also get relief - by being nominated to the Obama administration!!
Earlier Nancy Killefer, nominee for President Obama's Chief Performance Officer withdrew her name from nomination for that post due to "unspecified tax issues."
Tom Daschle has just announced his withdrawal from the nomination process for HHS secretary citing tax issues. The former senator had just recently filed amended returns wherein he had to pay around $140,000.00 in back taxes. Even with the amendments, Sen. Daschle apparently failed to report another $80K in income. Apparently this guy is making so much money, he just doesn't have time to figure out how to pay his taxes. Further, Daschle was criticized for lobbying in the health care field and then accepting the nomination for HHS secretary. This was a major facet of the Obama administration and, given the hypocrisy that abounded in sweeping this one under the rug, Daschle withdew his name.
The fun doesn't stop there!
New Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner also faced issues regarding his failure to pay taxes on his income.
This is troubling on a number of different levels. The least of these is the fact that it is Democrat policy to rely on the wealthiest to pay the vast majority of income taxes, yet the wealthiest of Democrats simply don't pay taxes.
Further, this does not bode well for this "New Era of Responsible Government." The Obama administration has touted its plan to reduce corruption in government by not employing lobbyists - yet it nominated two to its cabinet to work in the field where they lobbied. Obama highly touted the position of Chief Performance Officer to scrub the federal budget of nonsensical spending - yet his nominee has to withdraw due to "tax concerns."
Hopefully the administration can get its act together. I fear, however, that there is more lip service than real policy behind much of the administration's efforts.
posted by Micah Bruner at 9:23 AM
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