Tuesday, September 21, 2010

41 Obama White House aides owe the IRS $831,000 in back taxes -- and they're not alone

From the LA Times (believe it or not), comes THIS ARTICLE from which I've clipped this as a teaser (everything below that's in italics) for you:

"Over the years a lot of suspicion has built up across the country about Washington and its population of opportunistic transients coming to see themselves as a special kind of person, somehow above average working Americans who don't labor down in that monument-strewn former swamp.

Well, finally, an end to all those undocumented doubts. Thanks to some diligent digging by the Washington Post, those suspicions can at last be put to rest.

They're correct. Accurate. Dead-on. Laser-guided. On target. Bingo-bango. As clear as it's always seemed to those Americans who don't feel special entitlements and do meet their government obligations..... " Z: Then there's THIS! (In the LA TIMES??? THE LIBERAL LA TIMES?!):

"....And then we learned this guy Timothy Geithner owed something like $42,000 in back taxes and penalties to the IRS, which is one of the agencies that he'd be in charge of as secretary of the Treasury. The fine fellow who's supposed to know about handling everyone else's money. In the end this was excused by Washington's bipartisan CYA culture as one of those inadvertent accidental oversights that somehow never seem to happen on the side of paying too much taxes.

And under Geithner's expert guidance the U.S. economy has been, well, wow! Just look at it.

Privacy laws prevent release of individual tax delinquents' names. But we do know that as of the end of 2009, 41 people inside Obama's very own White House owe the government they're allegedly running a total of $831,055 in back taxes. That would cover a lot of special chocolate desserts in the White House Mess."

But it gets even worse as the article continues:

"Over at the Justice Department, which is so busy enforcing other laws and suing Arizona, 1,971 employees still owe $14,350,152 in overdue taxes.

Then, we come to the Department of Homeland Security, which is run by Janet Napolitano, the former governor of Arizona who preferred to call terrorist acts "man-caused disasters." Homeland Security is keeping all of us safe by ensuring that a brave Dutch tourist is aboard every inbound international flight to thwart any would-be bomber with explosives in his underpants.

Within that department, there reside 4,856 people who owe the tax agency a whopping total of $37,012,174. And they're checking our pockets for metal and coins?"

Z: And some here were belittling Alan West a few posts back for his bit of unpaid taxes? REALLY? So, the LA Times (and the Washington POST, I'm reeling with incredulity and delight at two liberal papers actually TELLING THE TRUTH) has let America know what's up. Think CNN will cover this? :-) Daily Kos? Moveon? What spin will they put on it?

SO, what do you think should be done about this huge debt to ...um.........US? And what's this say about the Obama White House? Shouldn't he be demanding HIS PEOPLE pay up? And hey, what's this say about the Washington Post (from which some of this info came from, according to the Times article) and the L.A. Times? It CAN'T mean that media's actually getting HONEST, could it!?

z

28 comments:

Lana said...

I just don't understand how so many people get away with not paying their taxes. Every year, since I have worked, and in retirement, I have had my taxes figured and have written my check and have sent it to the IRS. My husband and I were self-employed for about 7 years...paid taxes every quarter. We were audited one year...owed an additional $250.00, but with interest and "penalties" we ended up owing more than $1200. It took the IRS more than a year to finish the audit. Of course, the interest and penalties continued until the audit was completed and we sent our check. I feel everyone should have to pay their taxes.

One of the blogs I read had a good comment. He said all taxes should be paid by the individual; no withholding by employers. There would probably be more non-payment but those of us who pay would really be more aware of how much the government really takes from us.

I don't know what the answers are, but something is going to have to change for our country to begin recovery. I hope the vote in November will start us on that long road.

Ducky's here said...

Sounds about right. Those freaking stiffs at the IRS were trying to shake me down for $22,000.

It ended up at $1,500. Having the IRS after you for extra vigorish is barely interesting.

Z said...

I hope so, too, Lana....
Isn't it amazing how the IRS can take their sweet time while your Penalties and Interests accrue in their favor!?
A friend said half of America should make a pact NOT to pay our taxes and see what happens! Probably boost the economy quite well!!

Z said...

Ducky, it's very 'interesting' when the numbers are high.

Z said...

LARRY SUMMERS IS LEAVING:

"While administration officials Tuesday quickly sought to paint the announcement as an expected development, Summers' departure shakes up an economic team that has been under fire for its handling of the recovery. It's also a team already in transition following the recent departures of other high-profile Obama advisers.

In a statement, the president said he is grateful for Summers' service during a time of "great peril for our country."

"While we have much work ahead to repair the damage done by the recession, we are on a better path thanks in no small measure to Larry's wise counsel," Obama said."

More SHOCKING honesty from the media...I almost can't take it in!

Sadly, the real work ahead is to repair the damage done by Summers and that bunch

Ducky's here said...

Hey, Larry, don't let the door hit your butt. Who's your replacement, Robert Rubin?

Z said...

Ducky! :-)
How about OCTAMOM!?

Dave Miller said...

The bigger story is the number of scofflaws across all areas of the federal government.

Cabinets, the House of Rep, the Senate, Justice, Treasury...

It is breathtaking.

This is not just a Democrat or Obama problem.

I am sure this cuts across all parties, ideologies, and classes.

It is a Washington problem and it has infected us, apparently, at all levels.

Randy said...

...and I assume the biggest part of that is from his top advisers.

Looks like Harry R's Dream "scheme" didn't work out so well. The defense bill got defeated because he added that language at the end so good for the senate. They just didn't pass the defense bill. It will come back without Harry's amendment TEMPORARILY. He WILL be back to haunt us.

Randy said...

Anonymous dropped by my site and said I had the only blog that didn't link back to the originating site. I was confused at first but realized they meant there was no place on my comment form fo the commentors URL. I notified my software guys and they are going to try to make it like bloggers. I won't hold my breath until it gets done. Sorry for any inconvenience.

Ducky's here said...

Octomom, z? Replacing Summers?

Nah, she doesn't have the experience. Timmy Taxes, okay but not Summers. He's the real power.

FrogBurger said...

How about nobody? I think it would be more effective. What's the point of replacing a Keynesian with another one?

Anonymous said...

Let's see, in this administration, it's the Chicago Way isn't it? You know, pay to play.

Well, I guess in this case it's play and you don't have to pay!

Either way it's corrupt. What else do we have to know?

Pris

Z said...

Dave, I'd like to compare the Bush White House's back taxes in his guys and Obama's....I know that people get in arrears and that happens, I give a break to some of the Obama people who're in trouble, too, I really do.
But, I would like to see a comparison. I think there's something at work on a character basis that might be surprising.

Ducky, it was a joke about Octamom.

Randy, that URL thing is what I tried to explain last time; I'm so computer illiterate I probably just didn't use the right terminology and it threw you off.sorry! DOn't worry....things will straighten out. Your blog's good and I wish you lots of readers.

Pris, I shudder to think what else we DON'T know, right?

Anonymous said...

Z, you know it. We see the tip of the iceberg. The bulk of it, we can't see. You're right. I shudder to think too. We know it's there though, don't we!

Pris

Bloviating Zeppelin said...

Move along.

Nothing to see here.

These are not the taxpayers you are looking for.

[Jedi Mind Trick occurs]

You see?

NO taxes owed.

Move along.

BZ

Chuck said...

SO, what do you think should be done about this huge debt to ...um.........US?

Throw their asses in jail. They are breaking the law.

Joe Conservative said...

Funny how the Dem's brought out the "don't ask, don't tell" issue just in time to energize the gay nutroots for the election.

I love the way they play those suckers election after election. G_d forbid gays should actually be granted all the DNC's promises... who would blog for the DNC in future elections?

MathewK said...

"And then we learned this guy Timothy Geithner owed something like $42,000 in back taxes and penalties to the IRS...."

I'm betting the fellow hasn't paid it yet, but if one of you owed them 20 bucks they'd send the goons in to kick your door down and beat the crap out of you.

"41 people inside Obama's very own White House owe the government they're allegedly running a total of $831,055 in back taxes."

And i'm sure those 41 criminals are daily yearning to jack up your taxes and steal more of your money to fund their various policies.

"SO, what do you think should be done about this huge debt to ...um.........US?"

Perhaps a national campaign by the law abiding, stop paying your taxes, tell em' - @#$% you, pay your taxes then we'll pay ours.

"Sounds about right. Those freaking stiffs at the IRS were trying to shake me down for $22,000."

Come come quack-boy, you should be a lot more riled up than that, after all if they're paying their taxes, it'll be that much more for your various social programs to keep useless spongers going.

Z said...

Joe, I couldn't figure out why that DON'T ASK DON'T TELL thing came up now and you make a lot of sense....wow

MK..."we'll pay ours when you pay yours" is a very good idea.
I still think my friend was right in suggesting half this country not pay their income tax next year.......what're they going to do jail all of us? Enforce the interest and penalties? I DON'T THINK SO! But, it'll sure get their attention and, if we SPEND the money we'd have had to pay in taxes, think how our economy would pick uP!

Susannah said...

Z, darling~ The media getting honest? Nah, just a green-horn trying to work her way up the ladder...Every once in a while, one of those slips through...

Charlie Rangle, anyone?

(((Thought Criminal))) said...

well... y'know what they say....

Z said...

you know, beamish, I knew I didn't agree with Reid, but I never thought he was just plain stupid.
"It's VOLUNTARY" "you don't have to?" "Yes, you have to..it's voluntary".
WHAT?

(((Thought Criminal))) said...

I knew I didn't agree with Reid, but I never thought he was just plain stupid.

You thought he was a exception to the Peter Principle?

I thought you knew that takes a special, window-licking level of stupid to get a leadership spot in the Democrat Party.

Anonymous said...

experience? it's all theoretical with those bozoz almost all Obama's economic experts are/were academics....who among them have had a business, know how to meet a budget/payroll or know a damn thing about hiring people?

Anonymous said...

(A) It must be a lie;
(B) If it is true, it must be a misunderstanding;
(C) If it is a misunderstanding, conservatives created it. Or maybe Bush.

So much for transparency, huh? And speaking of that, since Obama took office, the FEC passed new rules which prohibit releasing the names of donors. I guess what this means is that Obama can receive eleventy-skillion more dollars in illegal campaign donations in 2012.

Always On Watch said...

And what's this say about the Obama White House? Shouldn't he be demanding HIS PEOPLE pay up?

He won't, of course.

His ranks of advisers and aides would thin so much.

The IRS can pursue a delinquent taxpayer like the hounds from hell. So, why aren't the hounds pursuing now?

The Vegas Art Guy said...

Seriously, if you are a democrat taxes are optional. If you are a conservative get ready for yearly audits.