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Another Nominee with Tax Problems, Another Faux Scandal
What? Another Obama nominee has tax problems!? It seems that Labor secretary nominee and Democratic Representative Hilda Solis of California is married to a man who "paid about $6,400 on Wednesday to settle tax liens that had been outstanding for as long as 16 years against his business."
Solis and her husband say they didn't know about the liens, which rings true since they have hundreds of thousands of dollars in their bank accounts and surely would have paid to avoid the fate of being CNN ticker fodder, if nothing else.
$6,400 in tax liens from running an auto repair business for over 16 years, which he has already taken steps to correct? I say, congratulate the man and move on. In fact, I said as much in an article yesterday.
|2.5.09 @ 5:26PM|#
Well, that's the faux Solis scandal cleared up.
Howsabout her violation of House ethics rules?
|2.5.09 @ 5:31PM|#
$6,400 in tax liens from running an auto repair business for
over 16 years, which he has already taken steps to correct? I say,
congratulate the man and move on.
And I say, why hasn't the IRS penalized him each of the 16 years
it's gone unpaid and isn't now shaking him down for $64,000,000.00
like it does to people who don't have hundreds of thousands of
dollars in their bank accounts?
TallDave|2.5.09 @ 5:35PM|#
I've been impressed by some of their concessions to reality, but
it's pretty clear that organizationally the Obama team was not
ready for primetime.
If this kind of sloppiness continues, inevitably fingers will be
caught in tills and indictments will follow.
TXLimey|2.5.09 @ 5:40PM|#
Amazing how many of these nominees paid long standing tax gaps
right before they (or their spouse) were being sounded out to serve
in high level office. Pure coincidence I'm sure.
Even assuming that these were all honest errors (which they may
well be), isn't it somewhat scandalous that not one of them has
drawn the conclusion that when the new head of the IRS can't figure
out how to pay his taxes properly, then the tax code might need
some simplifying?
|2.5.09 @ 5:40PM|#
Warren-
We don't know the whole story. The underlying liability could have
been far less than the $6,400.00. Usually, by the time the
liability is saitisfied, unles the taxpayer has settled for less
through the Offer & Compromise procedure, the amount paid is
far greater than the original liability.
As for the IRS chasing these folks, who knows, for sure, just
exactly what enforcement measures it took? I think most accountants
would tell you that the IRS is most concerned with the filing and
payment of payroll taxes.
MAX HATS|2.5.09 @ 5:41PM|#
If this kind of sloppiness continues, inevitably fingers will be caught in tills and indictments will follow.
They haven't invaded any countries though.
But I guess no one is perfect.
MAX HATS|2.5.09 @ 5:44PM|#
Even assuming that these were all honest errors (which they may well be), isn't it somewhat scandalous that not one of them has drawn the conclusion that when the new head of the IRS can't figure out how to pay his taxes properly, then the tax code might need some simplifying?
That's a pretty big assumption.
from
here
But I do not believe, and will never believe, that his failure to
pay his own self-employment tax while at the IMF was an "oversight"
or a "mistake." I have many many friends who have worked for this
and similar organizations. I have myself over the years juggled the
complexities of what is self-employment income and what is W-2
income and how to handle income from non-US sources -- and I have a
lot less financial acumen than any Treasury Secretary aspirant
should and must have. (Though I also use Turbo Tax!) Not a single
person I have known from the IMF or similar bodies, not a one,
believes that Geithner could have "overlooked" his need to pay US
self-employment tax. When I have received similar income from
international sources, the need was obvious even to me -- and I
wasn't receiving and signing all the forms to the same effect
Geithner would have gotten from the IMF. I could go on with details
but I'll just say: if this were a situation more average Americans
had experienced personally, he would not dare make his "mistake"
excuse because everyone would say, "Are you kidding me???"
|2.5.09 @ 5:44PM|#
The nickel and dime stuff isn't much of a surprise, but here's a thought: We the people should demand that every single member of Congress, every political appointee, the POTUS, the VPOTUS, and the justices of the SCOTUS get audited. Annually. It has to be everyone on some regular basis so that there's no arbitrary application of the audit.
Gilbert Martin|2.5.09 @ 5:45PM|#
Somebody should check and see if the Obama administration is
setting some kind of historical record for nominees with tax
problems.
It's got to be getting close by now.
MAX HATS|2.5.09 @ 5:46PM|#
I guess you didn't hear they've already bombed Pakistan.
It's refreshing to see our military focus being on the people who
actually attacked us.
(that said, we've been doing this for a while)
TallDave|2.5.09 @ 5:46PM|#
libertymike,
No one really knows what song Rezko is singing. We'll find out
sooner or later, but that's in the past. The kind of sloppiness
they're showing now just makes you wonder how long before someone
decides they can get away with a little influence-peddling.
Remember, Obama comes from the Land of Blago.
SIV|2.5.09 @ 5:47PM|#
when the new head of the IRS can't figure out how to pay his
taxes properly
Geithner had to figure out how not to pay them.
They haven't invaded any countries though.
Plenty of time yet, Darfur,Iran and Pakistan are all waiting.
TallDave|2.5.09 @ 5:48PM|#
Shrug. I guess you didn't know Iraq was shooting at us pretty much nonstop from 1991 onward.
MAX HATS|2.5.09 @ 5:50PM|#
I guess you didn't know Iraq was shooting at us pretty much nonstop from 1991 onward.
Guess I'm don't consider shooting back at a plane flying over their
territory to be an imminent threat to my well being, compared to
the guys who blew up two office buildings that very much remind me
of my current workplace.
|2.5.09 @ 5:51PM|#
Unlike Daschle's screw-ups, this ain't shit.
Only an asshole would raise a stink about it.
TallDave|2.5.09 @ 5:51PM|#
Just the other day I was taking a stroll with a my girlfriend, and a guy started shooting at us. Fortunately, all the shots missed, so naturally I let the matter rest.
MAX HATS|2.5.09 @ 5:53PM|#
Were you on their property in some sort of combat vehicle, Dave? Because otherwise your analogy doesn't quite work.
|2.5.09 @ 5:54PM|#
No new wars? I hope not. On the other hand, actually leaving the places we're in will be an issue for Obama. Ask Nixon. Well, better ask Frank Langella.
zoltan|2.5.09 @ 6:07PM|#
Yeah TallDave, walking around in America and getting shot at is exactly the same as flying planes over enemy territory and getting shot at. Good catch.
highnumber|2.5.09 @ 6:10PM|#
And I say, why hasn't the IRS penalized him each of the 16
years it's gone unpaid..?
I don't believe these were federal tax liens. He paid the money to
the county.
|2.5.09 @ 6:18PM|#
This would be such an excellent "teaching moment" for the
nation; "Our best and brightest public servants can't cope with the
burden imposed by our nation's tax code. We need a
Manhattan Project for tax policy."
Instead, they tell us they have bigger fish to fry, like frenziedly
dumping money down every fucking rathole they can find.
Joe|2.5.09 @ 6:21PM|#
I agree that the taxes aren't that big of a deal... however this seems like a serious problem: http://www.nrtw.org/en/blog/soliss-illicit-lobbying-02032009
|2.5.09 @ 6:37PM|#
Pro Lib-
Hey, big spender, go to a matinee and see it. You can still bill
somebody-you can always say that you were thinking about some
aspect of their case or matter, right?
Shannon Love|2.5.09 @ 6:41PM|#
Minor or not, this story resonates because it reeks of
hypocrisy. I like this analogy I read recently:
Televangelist make a great show of lecturing other people on the
necessity of strict sexual morality and self -restraint. Therefore,
we recognize it has deep hypocrisy when one gets caught with his
pants around his ankles.
Democrats are advocates not only of higher taxation but also of a
complex (targeted) tax code. They berate those who seek to avoid
taxes as unpatriotic and moral reprehensible. Therefore, a Democrat
who doesn't pay his taxes is like a televangelist who bangs
hookers.
It is the best argument for tax simplification. If all these Ivy
league policy wonks can't do their taxes what chance to the rest of
us have.
Hell, I imagine Democrats must think that Sarah Palin owes
millions.
|2.5.09 @ 6:44PM|#
running an auto repair business for over 16 years
joe would call it an auto repair "hobby"
|2.5.09 @ 7:21PM|#
"Even assuming that these were all honest errors (which they may
well be), isn't it somewhat scandalous that not one of them has
drawn the conclusion that when the new head of the IRS can't figure
out how to pay his taxes properly, then the tax code might need
some simplifying?"
Don't you forget the the first commandment from the democrat's
bible is that the only way to solve a problem created by government
is more government regulation.
Ska|2.5.09 @ 7:27PM|#
I'm pretty interested in seeing whether or not this has an
impact on 2008 tax filings. Just in time for tax season, we're
hearing weekly reports about cabinet appointees not paying their
taxes. I can see it influencing a decent number of taxpayers.
Just not the really wealthy ones, they know they'd be fucked if
they tried it.
|2.5.09 @ 7:28PM|#
When you're a member of a party that holds prominently the belief that rich people don't pay enough taxes, you better damn well go out of your way every year to make sure you, yourself, don't owe more taxes. So yes, I hope a big deal is made of every single tax violation that Obama's cabinent picks have.
Paul|2.5.09 @ 7:31PM|#
Democrats are advocates not only of higher taxation but also
of a complex (targeted) tax code. They berate those who seek to
avoid taxes as unpatriotic and moral reprehensible. Therefore, a
Democrat who doesn't pay his taxes is like a televangelist who
bangs hookers.
It is the best argument for tax simplification. If all these Ivy
league policy wonks can't do their taxes what chance to the rest of
us have.
This has been my point all along.
I don't quite see it as harshly as you, Shannon. But I do see it
more like this: When a politician is found to have inhaled sometime
in his early adult life, he's berated, and then the politician
quickly apologizes, makes some platitudes about the evils of drugs,
then wants to move the whole issue behind him so he can get back to
the work of the American people.
Never once do these public figures ever say "Hey, maybe this is why
Marijuana might not be as dangerous as we've been going on
about."
It's not about tax evasion (despite the fiery debates going on
here). It's about why the income tax as it's levied right now is
immoral and impossible. If the proponents of such a
targeted, byzantine system can't even figure out if they've got
$6400 in liens against them, the system needs to be fixed, and
fixed now.
But like the drug war, changing anything about the system is an
empty hope.
cunnivore|2.5.09 @ 7:44PM|#
They berate those who seek to avoid taxes as unpatriotic and
moral reprehensible.
It's even worse than that, Shannon. They say such things about
people who pay the taxes they owe, but merely want lower
taxes.
I personally believe our taxes are way too high. But those who
intentionally cheat on their taxes, or don't pay what they owe, can
lick my nads. Rule of law. Period.
cunnivore|2.5.09 @ 7:47PM|#
The bright side of this whole farcical situation is that the more people Obama appoints, the more overdue money flows into the Treasury. If only the Cabinet were a million times bigger, we could probably balance the budget this way.
|2.5.09 @ 8:01PM|#
Ah, libertymike, you naive fool. I have a wife and four kids, one of which is an infant. Movies at the theater are no longer possible for me.
Naga Sadow|2.5.09 @ 8:44PM|#
Pro Lib,
You know you wanna be that dude who brings a baby to the movies.
Make sure you have on a Nascar hat and have a mountain dew in one
hand.
|2.5.09 @ 8:49PM|#
Just the other day I was taking a stroll with a my
girlfriend, and a guy started shooting at us. Fortunately, all the
shots missed, so naturally I let the matter rest.
Were you on his property?
|2.5.09 @ 9:23PM|#
"""Shrug. I guess you didn't know Iraq was shooting at us pretty
much nonstop from 1991 onward.""""
You have a really loose definition of non-stop.
|2.5.09 @ 9:27PM|#
Auto repair shops always have a zillion mechanics liens on the property. It's weird.
|2.5.09 @ 9:31PM|#
Although this one looks like local property taxes.
Anyone else know anything about property tax cases? You'd be
amazed. Some of those assessor's offices are run on legal pads.
|2.6.09 @ 12:46AM|#
See, personally, I think that not paying your taxes is about the
most patriotic thing you can do.
I commend Obama on all of his patriotic picks.
We may have here the most patriotic administration since way back
when, when there were people in government that had served in the
military.
Actually, I think not paying your taxes is way more patriotic than
not serving in the military.
Bravo, Obama!
Paul|2.6.09 @ 12:48AM|#
You know you wanna be that dude who brings a baby to the
movies. Make sure you have on a Nascar hat and have a mountain dew
in one hand.
You can't take a mountain dew into the theater. Believe me, I've
tried.
|2.6.09 @ 12:51AM|#
""They haven't invaded any countries though.""
Didn't it take Bush a year or so? And 9/22 on top of that. Give
Obama a break, give him some time, he'll drum up something.
I wonder what will happen if there is an attack on Obama's
watch?
What about if some rednecks start resisting an attempt to raise
taxes to raise taxes too much? Or an attempt to take their
guns?
We are 17 days, in.
Paul|2.6.09 @ 12:52AM|#
You'd be amazed. Some of those assessor's offices are run on
legal pads.
King Country runs on Excel. Every year, the assessor (singular)
selects the property value column for every property in the county
and adds 30% to it. Then he does a mail merge and sends out the
notices.
Hard work that is.
|2.6.09 @ 12:55AM|#
BTW, on the shooting in Iraq since 1991:
I think that you guys are mistaken on which way the shooting was
going.
WE were bombing Iraq for 10 years. It was pretty much a one way
fight. We also had a strangling embargo that was starving
kids.
joe seems to think that was an effective way at turning Iraq into a
non-threat.
I don't, I think it was the direct cause of 9/11
|2.6.09 @ 1:00AM|#
VA thinks that I owe them taxes. But I was in the military, and
active duty stationed in VA doesn't pay taxes.
I got a notice that I owed taxes, so I went to the tax lady there,
and showed her my LES. She said that I was cleared and good to
go.
The other day, I am trying to re-finance my house and I am told
that VA beach has, done, whatever it is called when they sell your
debt to someone else.
Pain in the ass. I am not sure how I am going to clear that one
up.
|2.6.09 @ 1:05AM|#
Hmm, is this thread dead?
Are me and Paul just talking to an empty chamber?
I suppose it is close to 1am on the socialist/theocratic Coast.
Paul|2.6.09 @ 1:07AM|#
Pain in the ass. I am not sure how I am going to clear that
one up.
Run for office.
I'm here all week.
Paul|2.6.09 @ 1:08AM|#
Are me and Paul just talking to an empty chamber?
I'm used to it.
How you doin', Kwais? I'm Paul, and my property taxes are too
high.
|2.6.09 @ 1:22AM|#
Hey Paul, I am kwais, and I don't really know how high my
property taxes are, but I am sure they are too high.
I am personally more peeved about the income tax though. I see it
as a violation of the 4th and 5th Amendments.
Paul|2.6.09 @ 2:06AM|#
I am personally more peeved about the income tax though. I
see it as a violation of the 4th and 5th Amendments.
You'n me both.
robc|2.6.09 @ 9:29AM|#
Televangelist make a great show of lecturing other people on
the necessity of strict sexual morality and self -restraint.
Therefore, we recognize it has deep hypocrisy when one gets caught
with his pants around his ankles.
One of the basic tenants of Christianity is that all people are
sinners. Since one of the jobs of the televangelist (or any
minister) is to preach against sin, it followers that holders of
that position are hypocrites, by definition.
|2.6.09 @ 10:10AM|#
Since one of the jobs of the televangelist (or any minister)
is to preach against sin, it followers that holders of that
position are hypocrites, by definition.
It depends on how they do it. If they urge their flock to strive
against sin and forgive those who do, not so much.
B|2.6.09 @ 11:59AM|#
"I say, congratulate the man and move on."
Indeed, I say move on just like the major news organizations and
left-wing blogs did when they found out Joe the Plumber had a
$1,200 lien.
B|2.6.09 @ 12:07PM|#
Like I said before, it is only a matter of time before Obama
nominates Wesley Snipes and Willie Nelson for cabinet positions.
The guy has been in office less than three weeks and he is already
a joke.
Now he is trying to nominate someone for the Solicitor General
position who hasn't even argued a case before an appellate court,
much less the Supreme Court. What a total fucking joke.
lol|2.6.09 @ 1:27PM|#
At least they aren't doign the ridiculous scandals that the Republican jerks keep getting away with.
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