Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Taxes

According to ABCNews, it is the duty of everyone making over $250,000 a year to keep making as much money as they can so that they can pay higher taxes. Well, they don't quite put it that way. They just call it a "dodge" to purposely make less than that to avoid the extra taxes.

So I wonder what they call it when a large number of Obama's cabinet picks made that much money or more and just simply didn't pay their full share? Which is the greater sin in their eyes?

According to the poll results, though, most Americans don't think there's anything wrong with "dodging" taxes legally. Good for them.

On a related note, Roger Simon emails to Instapundit:

“Why don’t we nominate everyone for the Obama cabinet? That way everyone will have to pay his or her back taxes and the IRS will be spared zillions in personnel, lawsuits, etc.? It might even lead to a balanced budget.”

Audit Them All!

I'm not the only one upset by all the tax cheats in the administration. A comment on Instapundit is calling for a moratorium on audits for the middle-class for a year. Others are calling for an audit of all public officials.

That's a great idea! Just Geithner and Daschle owed more in taxes than I make in three years. You want to bolster the government coffers? Shake down the "public servants" who are obviously making boat-loads of money while dodging boat-loads of taxes.

Let's deploy our auditing assets where they can do the most good--and save a bundle on transportation costs!

Either that, or we launch a tax revolt. No taxation without reciprocation!

Draining [Into] the swamp of Gov't Corruption

Weren't the Democrats going to clean up Washington? Oh, they're setting the bar on ethics, all right. As low as they can get it.

RepublicanAmerican has a round-up of "honest mistakes" from the Democrats that would get you or me sent to prison, but gets them cabinet posts and senate seats.

Why Yes, Yes I Do...

Richard Rahn at the Washington Times is asking "Feel like a chump?:"

While you may have thought you are required by law to pay taxes on all your income, you learn the "important" folks in Washington seem to think paying taxes is optional. Chairman Charles Rangel of the House Ways and Means Committee responsible for writing tax legislation has admitted he did not pay the required income taxes on some of his private income (Caribbean rental properties, etc.); and the proposed Secretary of the Treasury, Tim Geithner, did not pay the required income tax on part of his income from the International Monetary Fund, where he worked for several years.

I thought Obama was going to hold government accountable to higher standards. It turns out (surprise, surprise) a politician lied to us...again. Geithner gets excused for his "goof". Rangel and Dodd will not be investigated by their respective Ethics Committees. At least Bill Richardson had the decency to remove himself from consideration. He probably would have gotten a pass from the Administration as well. So ironically the one politician with some integrity will NOT be part of the administration.

If I failed to pay taxes the IRS would have me in jail. Ignorance of the law would not be a valid excuse. Why is it only the "important people" don't have to obey the law? And why aren't more people worried that the current Administration is filling up with law-breakers?