Daschle Withdraws
What is it with these people who don’t pay their taxes? We can’t get by with blowing off the IRS.
By Anne E. Kornblut and Paul Kane
In a stunning reversal, Tom Daschle withdrew from the process to become secretary of Health and Human Services on Tuesday, citing the distractions that followed his failure to pay $146,000 in back taxes. His decision came as another prominent Obama nominee, Nancy Killefer, withdrew her from consideration to be Chief Performance Officer due to similar — though smaller — tax lapses.
February 3rd, 2009 at 2:05 pm
If common people like you and me do not pay our taxes, we will be locked up behind bars. I have seen three nominees of “Oh-bummer” failed to pay their taxes. I wonder how many more of them are dodging taxes. Daschle has absolutely no integrity nor ethic on his part. SHAMEFUL!
And you wonder how come our country is in such a rotten shape.
Sage Reply:
February 3rd, 2009 at 3:03 pm
I think most Americans are getting sick and tired of politicians who think they are above the law.
How are you Grace?
Grace Reply:
February 3rd, 2009 at 3:22 pm
Hi Sage!
I am doing fine. Trying to juggle with new bills/budget, and getting ready for taxation. After reading one after another politicians not paying their taxes got me angry.
Sage Reply:
February 3rd, 2009 at 3:41 pm
I’m glad you are doing well and I know what you mean about the tax stuff making you angry.
Grace Reply:
February 4th, 2009 at 1:07 pm
You are right, many government officers think they are above the law. What gets me is that Daschle knew about this problem and did not fix it until he “has to”. Obama was unwise to brush this matter aside as if it was nothing. He got beaten up pretty badly yesterday. Wonder if he was enrolled in any moral or civic classes when he was a kid. I hope Obama has learned his lesson not paying taxes is an emberrassment and a big deal.
Yep, a chunk of his teflon front is chipping away.
February 3rd, 2009 at 2:35 pm
I have not been following all the twists and turns od Dachle but isn’t he the one that caught the error himself last summer and brought it to the attention of the person that did his taxes? It comes down to what is taxable as income and what is not. Gets pretty complicated. I use Turbo Tax too and am really worried about it now!
I got audited about 30 yrs ago because I didn’t put an inherited investment payout on my taxes. Totally spaced out that I had done that and was also, at that age, clueless beyond doing taxes on the 1040. It was expensive with the penalty. But lesson learned.
Sage Reply:
February 3rd, 2009 at 3:07 pm
I really don’t know all the ends and outs with Dachle either.
February 3rd, 2009 at 4:42 pm
Daschle amended the last 3 years of returns which indicates he knew he had a problem. Funny…NO penalties were assessed on what he owes…just interest.
Now little Tommy has a tax bill, NO job and who will hire him as a Consultant.
February 3rd, 2009 at 6:17 pm
It is really unconscionable that a former senior senator was one of the most active lobbists for companies in the health care field, and then was going to lead the HHS. His tax problems aside, that was a clear conflict and would have been another Geitner-like hipocracy. I was not impressed by Obama’s press secretary, who during the campaign had that little smug grin on his face during his interviews with the media. He is now getting flamed by his former allies in the press and I wonder how long he will last.
February 3rd, 2009 at 9:35 pm
What I don’t understand is how Timothy Geitner gets to be the Treasury Secty? Daschel and Killefer both resigned amid the tax scandal. Geitner should be ousted!
February 4th, 2009 at 8:14 am
There is no law requiring us to pay taxes. Its just something everyone does because the IRS is so intimidating. A former irs auditor sued them and won a few years ago, claiming there is no statute requiring payment of taxes. Talk about a story that never saw the media light of day. If that was on the big media one day, they’d never get anyone to pay taxes again! Weirdness…..
February 4th, 2009 at 8:27 am
I am waiting for an average citizen to sue the IRS or US Government for an anti trust or along the those lines because they have made it so complicated to figure the taxes. It doesn’t make sense to tax a person to death by doing it the “simple” way” then providing loopholes in a more complicated method. IE: deductions. The one good thing is that it seems the IRS now has a free online program to do your simple taxes.
It’s all to easy to screw up on your taxes. Even if a so called expert does it.
February 4th, 2009 at 8:29 am
Well straight tax,,,,,,
THe whole thing doesnt make sense. Why don’t they withhold what they want from your check, keep it and leave you alone. The theory that we are all truste to figure our own taxes and then get a refund or PAY at the end of the year after they’ve deducted 52 weeks in a row is silly. How much money could be saved if they just took your cut of the check and it ended there?
Wizcon Reply:
February 4th, 2009 at 9:43 am
With holding then refunding is free money for them. I don’t get interest on the money they give me back… do you? You can bet they do!I pay quarterly because I am self employed. 15% of gross earnings every 3 months. It’s only at tax time that consideration of my expenses of doing business is considered
February 4th, 2009 at 8:29 am
OOOPS,, if they took “THEIR” cut and it ended there…
February 4th, 2009 at 8:29 am
How’s wiz?
February 4th, 2009 at 9:39 am
Wiz is much better. Cane is back hanging in the closet where it belongs.
Watching the exhaust on my neighbors cars freeze midair though. -8
February 4th, 2009 at 11:26 am
70 here today
February 4th, 2009 at 3:02 pm
sammy’s at it again, i knew that he would pop up with something else
Sage Reply:
February 4th, 2009 at 3:54 pm
He’s obviously desperate for attention which is why he brought up the photos again.
February 4th, 2009 at 4:38 pm
WHOOOOOOOOOAAA!
What’d sammy do ?
HI ALL
February 4th, 2009 at 5:42 pm
Hi alisilver….sammy put up another post at his blog saying he will be publishing photos sent to him by his supporters.
February 4th, 2009 at 5:43 pm
Was looking at his “new” site today. The one he says is going away. He has an entertainment and sorts tabs now plus more. To bad. I wanted to get all my entertainment news from him.
February 4th, 2009 at 6:20 pm
sammy’s site ticker is slowing down.
i’m still waiting for the photos of “sammy at the ingauration”, “sammy at his rightful place” with API at the news conferences.
haha
and to think that for a while i actually believed the dude and would visit his site every day for the update on the tape. how stupid was i? until sage and co. started me thinking about sammy being scammy. then i quit being played for a fool.
Sage Reply:
February 4th, 2009 at 6:43 pm
You were willing to hear the other side of the story so I don’t think you were stupid.
I don’t even remember who sent me a link to the story back in October and I don’t remember exactly what it was that sent me doing research on him…it might have been I just found it hard to believe Michelle Obama would call a blogger. Can you believe Sammy’s still trying to get hits from the story over 4 months later?
February 4th, 2009 at 6:48 pm
LOL@Igaveup
Funny nick !
Oh sammy’s like the crabs,,,,,he just won’t go away.
February 4th, 2009 at 8:52 pm
in a perverse way, i do enjoy the prospect of what he will do next.
he must have multiple personalities. some of those personalities absolutely worshiped him, almost like the “obamamessiah” complex.
crabs don’t eventually crawl away and bury themselves in the sand?
February 4th, 2009 at 9:46 pm
Maybe we should publish Sammy’s family members pictures…children and grand-daughter…the whole shoobang! It might be just as fun as you publishing others.
Maybe all the public information about your children that can be found online too!! Home address, work phone, cell phone, email address, yearly income, company webpages, newspaper clips and blog pages! That would be even more fun! Everyone can read and judge your family members. Or they can be in contact with them and forward your threatening emails. Those children who care less about you might just cut ties altogether with you, your current wife and two younger daughters. Woudn’t that be fun too?
Maybe we should send your daughter and your information to Norwegian Immigration department. Just maybe that would ruin her chance to be an immigration police, since you are so popular with the chief.
Don’t push your luck, Sammy.
Sage Reply:
February 4th, 2009 at 11:10 pm
We can certainly arrange that, can’t we Grace?
How are you?
Wizcon Reply:
February 5th, 2009 at 1:01 am
Along with all that, our jouranlistic analysis of the dynamics of of the family and their various influences. Tax returns, income sources who they pal around with, affiliates. Oh and interview those immigrants he investigated.
Grace Reply:
February 5th, 2009 at 8:57 am
We surely can, Sage! I think we should focus more on the younger two…start with them. I can always an article about them…oh so much information out there!!
Wizcon, we surely can find his victims. Not a difficult task at all.