Change you can Believe In - Must be an effort to save money at the Bureau of Prisons. Folks who don't pay their taxes like the rest of us are being appointed to high office instead of some more appropriate dispositions.
The focus of the confirmation hearings has been the unpaid tax issues of Tim Geithner, recently confirmed as the 75th United States Secretary of the Treasury. Can you imagine the outcry if a Republican administration were nominating a candidate with a record like this?
Geithner's problem deals with his tenure at the International Monetary Fund as director of the Policy Development and Review Department. As I understand it, Geithner was considered to be an independent contractor and was therefore responsible for filing his own tax estimates and paying his own payroll taxes (or more accurately self-employment taxes). Geithner described his non-payment as unintentional and careless. When audited, he had paid the taxes for years 2003 and 2004. He was assessed interest - but appears not to have been charged penalties. Also - he did not willingly pay the tax for years 2001 and 2002 which were not the subject of the audit (until he was nominated for high political office in the Obama Administration). Further, documents displayed at his confirmation hearing indicate that he received a written notice at IMF reminding him of his obligation to pay the taxes and an additional document where he requested AN ADDITIONAL ALLOWANCE FROM IMF TO COVER PART OF HIS TAXES WHICH HE PROMISED TO PAY.
Mr Geithner, of course, was confirmed to serve at Treasury Secretary.
Now we can turn to Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, picked by the President to oversee the administrations health reform efforts. Mr Daschle has recently filed amended tax returns for tax years 2005-2007 reporting $128,000 in unpaid taxes. (Clearly only filed because of his return to the public trough).
In this political climate, he will probably be promptly confirmed to high office as well.
Somebody needs to remind these folks that not getting caught in a lie is not the same as telling the truth. I am appalled and disappointed at some of the Obama appointees - not because of ideology but some are clearly just not morally qualified for public service in positions of trust.
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