Responding to questions about former U.S. Senator Tom Daschle's viability as DHHS Secretary due to his $130,000 tax "mistake," White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs remarked that "Nobody's perfect."
I don't expect anybody to be perfect (except myself, and I am more often let down than not). I certainly don't expect perfection out of career politicians. Hell, I don't even expect them to try, since their standards of perfection are leagues different from mine (their definition of perfection is winning the next election and staying in power).
But I do expect some modicum of competence from them. I do expect that they will not insult my intelligence by offering up candidates such as Tom Daschle and Tim Geithner who apparently have no repect for their "patriotic duty to pay taxes" (in the words of Joe Biden).
Daschle is the second of Obama's cabinet-head appointees to have been caught with more than a forgivable "mistake" in their income taxes.
Geithner, now Treasury Secretary (of all things, he is now the head of the IRS!), failed to declare income he made while working overseas for the IMF for a string of 4-5 years. His unpaid bill? About $45,000. What did it cost him, politically? Nada, nothing, zero, scratch. He was deemed to be the only man capable of seeing us through this economic turbulence, and given a pass. He was "too important to fail."
This is a guy who failed to pay taxes for 4 years and got audited by the IRS for 2 of those years. When the IRS made him aware of his mistake, he adjusted his returns for those 2 years and moved on with his life. Did he adjust for the other 2 years? Not until he learned that he may be the next Treasury Secretary. Then, and only then, did he go back and fix the rest of the problem.
Daschle failed to pay taxes on certain benefits he received from his employer, such as a private limo and driver at his disposal. He also failed to pay taxes on speaking fees. He claims that he didn't know speaking fees were taxed. Are you joking, Tom?! You're an ex-Senator! You know better than anyone that anything even remotely smelling of income will most definitely be taxed.
Again, this tax cheat will likely be given a pass. Why? Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee offers a suggestion. When it comes to helping reform health care, Daschle has been "an invaluable and expert partner." Looks like another appointee has been declared too important to reject because of a bothersome little thing like tax evasion.
Two weeks into his first term, Obama has been caught with his pants down three times already (don't forget the former lobbyist William Lynn he has nominated as Deputy Secretary of Defense, after issuing an Executive Order pledging not to nominate former lobbyist).
The media and fellow Democrats (and many Republicans) seem to be ignoring these flubs. As do you, America. Is it that Obama, the Uniter, cannot be allowed to fail, even a little bit? Why don't you demand that he does right by you, and withdraw these nominations and at least offer us people who have not cheated their country? Do you care?
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I care! I call my senators and house reps often enough. And you are right to be outraged, but what else can we do? They obviously don't care what their constituents think or want. I wish I didn't have to pay my taxes if I didn't feel like it, and then not go to jail. There are tons of things my taxes pay for that I don't agree with on a lot of different levels, but I still have to pay them. Maybe if I played dumb. Hmmmm, how do you spell Leavenworth? Keep up the good fight.
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