Geithner not the only politico who botched taxes

Senatorial hopeful Al Franken has problems with taxes, as does Rep. Charles Rangel. Both are Democrats. [Photo Al Franken campaign site.]At the moment, President-Elect Barack Obama’s spokesman Robert Gibbs is hard-pressed to defend Obama’s choice of Tim Geithner for Secretary of the Treasury. Geithner’s housekeeper had a problem with her immigration status, but that’s not really the big problem. The big problem is Geithner’s alleged failure to pay income taxes on some of his earnings. But Geithner isn’t alone in the tax quagmire, and that’s one reason I wrote to Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) this morning. “America's tax system is antiquated and places an undue burden on many of us. In my opinion the tax system is unconstitutional because within that system we are not equals,” I wrote. Consider the fact Rep. Charles Rangel still chairs the House Ways and Means Committee. One duty is writing tax legislation. Yet Rangel botched his own taxes. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) apparently forgave him, acquiescing to keeping Rangel on as chair.  And another Democratic senatorial hopeful has tax issues of his own.

Al Franken, locked in a political battle with Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.), botched his taxes big time in a number of states. He blamed his accountant who isn’t talking to media. No surprise there.
Remember when Pelosi promised to restore integrity to Washington? Seems like only yesterday, and if you compare yesterday to today, you’ll come up with the conclusion yesterday was a whole lot easier on the household budget for most of us.

What’s the difference in yesterday and today? Yesterday—approximately 2 years ago—Democrats gained control of Congress. In that short time, things have gone from tough to dire.

Tax reform should be the top priority for Congress and the new president. Democrats continue to increase the population of tax recipients while moving a greater burden onto the shoulders of taxpayers. The latest attempt to do that is the SCHIP bill which would move families making more than $80,000 a year if CSPAN testimonials by members of Congress are accurate onto the government insurance roster. How will they pay as they go? They’ll increase taxes on cigarettes and cigars. Talk about a double standard—you’re going to tax a primarily lower income constituency with a tax that is subject to fluctuations in the use of tobacco products to fund healthcare.

Congress should immediately pass legislation requiring members of the House and Senate to have an I.Q. greater than my hound dog’s and require that I.Q. to be accompanied by basic common sense.

As Obama defends his pick, taxpayers should scream for a fair tax, one that passes responsibility onto every individual above the true poverty level. The U.S. Census noted that many low income families have income not reported. The Fair Tax is a perfect solution to that as well as to the millions—perhaps billions—of dollars that flow through the market for contraband.

Geithner is not alone. The top guy on the committee that writes our tax rules botched his own taxes. If Pelosi had honor, she’d hang her head in shame. Some might say to promise integrity and deliver what we’ve received constitutes an outright lie.