Make no mistake, tax cheaters cheat us all, and the IRS should enforce our laws to the letter. Senator Tom Daschle, Congressional Record, May 7th, 1998, page S4507. On Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009, Daschle withdrew his name from consideration for a cabinet post in the Obama administration, because, as a tax cheat, he cheated us all.
Nancy Killefer, nominated by President Obama to be the first Chief Performance Officer for the federal government withdrew her name from consideration following the discovery that she, too, was a tax cheat.
Timothy Geithners nomination to become Treasury Secretary was held up after it was revealed that he, was a tax cheat. He was confirmed however, notwithstanding the fact that he had failed to pay more than $34,000 in taxes.
House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel, who writes this countrys tax policies, acknowledged last fall that he failed to pay thousands of dollars in real estate taxes for rental income he earned from property he owns in the Dominican Republic.
And those are just the ones we know about. Its painfully obvious that we have a two-tiered tax system in this country between the politically connected.and everyone else! But when it comes to ethics, or lack thereof, theres more.
Massachusetts House speaker, Democrat Salvatore DiMasi says he will resign amid allegations that a close friend used their relationship to push ticket-scalping legislation and paid off legal bills for the speakers in-laws. DiMasi had been House speaker since 2004, after his predecessor resigned under his own ethics cloud.
New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson withdrew his name from consideration for an appointment to Obamas cabinet amid charges of pay to play. The whole world now knows about former Illinois Governor Blagojevich impeached, tried and convicted for trying to sell a senate seatamong other things including pay to play.
Portland, Oregon mayor, Democrat Sam Adams has admitted lying about a homosexual affair with a 17 year old male intern. The Oregonian and three smaller Portland newspapers have called for his resignation.
There also seems to be a two-tiered ethics system in this country. If Democrats are involved, its merely an ethics lapse, simple mistake or forgivable sin. If Republicans are involved, its considered to be a ‘culture of corruption.