I saw this article in the LA Times which very clearly displays the hypocrisy and double standards that our government has for its own employees versus all of us people who pay their salaries through confiscatory tax policies that they seemingly can ignore with impudence.
The article states in parts, "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."
Further, "In the House of Representatives, 421 people owe a total $6,524,892. In the Senate, 217 owe $2,774,836. In the IRS' parent department, Treasury, 1,204 owe $7,670,814. At the Labor Department, where Secretary Hilda Solis' husband had some back-tax problems before her confirmation, 463 owe $7,481,463. Eighty-one workers for the Federal Reserve System's board of governors owe $1,076,733."
Next, "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."
And finally regarding Janet Napolitano's Department of Homeland Security, "... there reside 4,856 people who owe the tax agency a whopping total of $37,012,174."
How in the world are we to survive as a nation when laws are only enforced on the people of this country and not on our "leaders"? It is far past time when We The People must hold our elected officials and government employees accountable to the same laws and regulations with which we are held responsible to obey.
Evidently, they feel that they don't have to pay their "fare share" of the burden which they levy upon the rest of us.
Read the story in its entirety at:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2010/09/congress-taxes-irs.html
Hat tip to my old Navy buddy Rex for pointing out this story!
3 comments:
This is horribly alarming!...but not that surprising. What IS surprising is that the LA Times would scoop this story, let alone cover it. Great job, T!
It is interesting to be sure. And pretty shameful. I would be curious as to how many of the offenders are career employees versus political appointees. Neither has an excuse for their behavior, but it would be interesting to know either way. As you know, someone like Janet Napolitano inherits thousands of employees who have been there for many years and many administrations, and it can be pretty difficult to fire them. It shouldn't be so hard, but that is another issue all together.
Not to defend any lawbreakers, but there are over 1700 people who work in the White House. 41 lawbreakers is too many, but not an epidemic in that particular case (especially since we don't know if it was Rahm Emanuel or the pastry chef).
Splash, you make some excellent points in distinction. It would indeed be interesting to see how many of the violators were political appointees versus career employees.
(I would point out that Obama has had an issue with some of his high level appointees on this matter though. Tim Geithner and the failed nomination of Tom Daschle come immediately to mind.)
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