Draining the Swamp

[Shapley]

I’m starting to wonder if anybody in this crew is paying all their taxes.

This is obviously part of a brilliant plan by President Obama to cut the deficit. By appointing tax cheats to high office, they are obliged to cough up the delinquent payments. By the time he has appointed all of his upper and lower cabinet nominees, the treasury will be filled...

[jamiebk]

I seriously doubt that this is confined to the Demos. It seems to me that an awful lot of our elected officials see tax evasion as income augmentation.

[Haggis@wk]

I seriously doubt that this is confined to the Demos. It seems to me that an awful lot of our elected officials see tax evasion as income augmentation.

Ah, but the "Demos" were going to fix all that corruption. "draining the swamp" is a quote from that famous bi-partisan Nancy Pelosi. Tom Daschle, like Chris Dodd and Barney Frank, rails about corporate greed and Wall Street perks while he is up to his trotters in the trough. If an administration is going to make a moral case against the pernicious role of D.C. lobbyists and insiders, for the moral need for taxes on the upper incomes, and for suspicion of perks and freebies—then why pick Daschle, whose free limo and tax evasion make all that look ridiculous? (But then why pick Geithner, or Richardson, or Lynn, or . . . ?)

So to bring about this new ethical world of Hopenchange™ the One requires at least two tax cheats in the cabinet...

[jamiebk]

It's a good thing that Bush never made those promises...

[DavidS]

It's a good thing that Bush never made those promises...

Many politicians make promises, and when challenged about them reply, "Yes, I did promise such & such, but I didn't promise to keep my promise..."

[Shapley]

Ridiculing it as "a silly question," Democrat Barack Obama pledged Wednesday he would resist any overtures to run for president or vice president before the end of his six-year term as a U.S. senator.

"I was elected yesterday," Obama said. "I have never set foot in the U.S. Senate. I've never worked in Washington. And the notion that somehow I'm immediately going to start running for higher office just doesn't make sense.

"So look, I can unequivocally say I will not be running for national office in four years, and my entire focus is making sure that I'm the best possible senator on behalf of the people of Illinois."

You can't put a lot of stock in anything Mr. Obama says...

[piqaboo]

I’m starting to wonder if anybody in this crew is paying all their taxes.

This is obviously part of a brilliant plan by President Obama to cut the deficit. By appointing tax cheats to high office, they are obliged to cough up the delinquent payments. By the time he has appointed all of his upper and lower cabinet nominees, the treasury will be filled...

ROTFLMAO!

[Haggis@wk]

Civil Disobedience

I intend to start practicing civil disobedience. In the case of Treasury Secretary Geithner, I am going to have a rubber stamp made that says "Tax Cheat!" in block letters. Every time I see a piece of paper currency with Geithner's signature on it, I am going to stamp over his name with my Tax Cheat stamp. Sure, this action is just as futile as my vote, but eventually maybe others will reach the same conclusion that I have: it is far past time to make our voices heard.

Actually, that’s an interesting idea. I’m going to have to think about that a little more.

[Haggis@wk]

Good grief: Solis Senate Session Postponed in Wake of Husband’s Tax Lien Revelations.

Two thoughts: (1) Don’t any of these people pay their taxes? And (2) Is this, like, some kind of karmic payback for all the Joe-the-plumber tax business?

[jamiebk]

Civil Disobedience

I intend to start practicing civil disobedience. In the case of Treasury Secretary Geithner, I am going to have a rubber stamp made that says "Tax Cheat!" in block letters. Every time I see a piece of paper currency with Geithner's signature on it, I am going to stamp over his name with my Tax Cheat stamp. Sure, this action is just as futile as my vote, but eventually maybe others will reach the same conclusion that I have: it is far past time to make our voices heard.

Actually, that’s an interesting idea. I’m going to have to think about that a little more.

Now, now Haggis...I know you are a law-abiding citizen so be careful with that idea to deface the currency:

###################################
Defacing US currency is indeed illegal. Defacement of currency in such
a way that it is made unfit for circulation comes under the
jurisdiction of the United States Secret Service:

United States Code
TITLE 18 - CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE
PART I - CRIMES
CHAPTER 17 - COINS AND CURRENCY
333. Mutilation of national bank obligations

"Whoever mutilates, cuts, defaces, disfigures, or perforates, or
unites or cements together, or does any other thing to any bank bill,
draft, note, or other evidence of debt issued by any national banking
association, or Federal Reserve bank, or the Federal Reserve System,
with intent to render such bank bill, draft, note, or other evidence
of debt unfit to be reissued, shall be fined under this title or
imprisoned not more than six months, or both."
FINDLAW
http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/casecode/ ... n_333.html
or
http://assembler.law.cornell.edu/uscode ... -000-.html

Prior to 1994 when this law was amended, the statute read "fined not
more than $100". This was changed in 1994 to read "shall be fined
under this title" which effectively gives the court the authority to
impose a fine at its discretion. Of course the imprisonment terms
mentioned in the statute speaks for itself.

[Haggis@wk]

Now, now Haggis...I know you are a law-abiding citizen so be careful with that idea to deface the currency:

I guess that would be the "disobedience" part of civil disobedience

[shostakovich]

There was an artist named Ralph Albert Blakelock who had a very difficult time in life --- worse than van Gogh's. He had trouble earning enough to keep his large family together. He was rejected and dejected. One day in 1899 he offered a painting to a collector for $1000. She countered with $500. He left thinking he could do better. No luck. He returned and asked the $500. She offered $300. He accepted and then burned the $300 as a protest. He didn't have to pay a fine, but it was the final proof he was nuts. He spent the rest of his life in NY mental institutions. A year later his paintings began to sell, but the then owners made the money. He and his family got nothing for his belated "discovery". The painting he tried to sell for $1000 was later bought by the Toledo Museum for $20,000, the highest amount paid for the work of a living American artist at the time. BUMMER.
Shos

[Shapley]

A Closer Look At Geithner's "Honest Mistakes", And The China Connection.

[Haggis@wk]

Burris under an ethical cloud.

“Illinois state House Republicans are calling on Burris to resign; he’s facing a possible perjury investigation in his home state; and his Senate colleagues may face new pressure to launch an ethics committee probe to determine whether he should be expelled from the body. So far, Democratic leaders in Illinois and Washington have offered little public support, and the new state governor, Pat Quinn, has called on Burris to more fully explain himself.”

Really, this fiasco's getting better and better.

[Shapley]

Well, it'll blaze another trail for his tombstone: First African-American Senator Forced To Resign From The US Senate Due To Scandal...

[jamiebk]

Well, it'll blaze another trail for his tombstone: First African-American Senator Forced To Resign From The US Senate Due To Scandal...

[Haggis@wk]

By my count, Burris now has four different versions of his contacts with Blagojevich, and this one will embarrass Democrats the most. Over the weekend, Burris strongly implied that he refused to raise money for Rod Blagojevich in exchange for an appointment to fill Barack Obama’s empty Senate seat. Today, he admits that he agreed to Robert Blagojevich’s demand:

U.S. Sen. Roland Burris has acknowledged he sought to raise campaign funds for then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich at the request of the governor’s brother at the same time he was making a pitch to be appointed to the Senate seat previously held by President Barack Obama.

Burris’ latest comments in Peoria Monday night were the first time he has publicly said he was actively trying to raise money for Blagojevich. Previously Burris has left the impression that he always balked at the issue of raising money for the governor because of his interest in the Senate appointment.
In comments to reporters after appearing at a Democratic dinner, the senator several times contradicted his latest under-oath affidavit that he quietly filed with the Illinois House impeachment panel earlier this month. That affidavit was itself an attempt to clean up his live, sworn testimony to the panel Jan. 8, when he omitted his contacts with several Blagojevich insiders.

So Burris has gone from “no contacts”, to “talking with friends”, to speaking to Blagojevich’s brother. What exactly did Burris say?

“So some time shortly after Obama was elected, the brother called,” Burris said last night of Robert Blagojevich. “And now in the meantime, I’d talked to some people about trying to see if we could put a fund-raiser on. Nobody was—they said we aren’t giving money to the governor. And I said, ‘OK, you know, I can’t tell them what to do with their money.’”

“So when the (governor’s) brother called me back, I said, ‘Well, look Rob…I can’t raise any money from my friends. I said, maybe my partner and I, you can talk this over and see, could we go to some other people that we might be able to talk to that would help us out if we give–because we give a fundraiser in the law office, nobody going to show up. We’ll probably have a thousand dollars for you or something to that effect.’

This came at the same time that Burris was pestering Blagojevich aides for consideration for the appointment. That may not be illegal, but it certainly appears unethical — and it certainly destroys the testimony that Burris gave the state legislature. Not only did he fail to discuss the demands from Robert Blagojevich, he also failed to mention that he agreed to them.

Keep the popcorn coming, because I doubt that we’ve heard the final version of this story from Burris.

[jamiebk]

this one[/url] will embarrass Democrats the most.

Yeah...I guess this is your mission in life now. Burris is his own man. I don't think he is welcome in Democratic circles or Republican ones.

[Haggis@wk]

this one[/url] will embarrass Democrats the most.

Yeah...I guess this is your mission in life now. Burris is his own man. I don't think he is welcome in Democratic circles or Republican ones.

Don't think that for a second. The only reason Reid didn't try harder to keep him out of the Senate was the pressure the House's black caucus brought to bear. If you think the same black caucus is going to abandon the only black senator simply because he's a liar, a buffoon and a perjurer then you've overestimated the shame factor of House and Senate Democrats. If he’s removed from office, which isn’t that likely at this point then it will be by the people of Illinois, it won’t be the Senate or the House.

If by doing no more than posting the truth does that then, yes, I guess that is my mission.

Lord knows you never pass up an opportunity to do the same when a Republican does something equally egregious. Besides, it's fun!!

[Shapley]

Yeah...I guess this is your mission in life now. Burris is his own man. I don't think he is welcome in Democratic circles or Republican ones.

Fitzgerald released the tapes of Blago's efforts to sell Sen. Obama's seat to the highest bidder, in order to allow the Democrat-controlled legislature to strip the Governor of the power to appoint anyone to the position. The legislature prepared to do that, but Democrats, including powerful ones in Washington, put pressure on them not to, out of fear that a Republican could possibly win the seat in a special election, given the current level of corruption associated with the Democrat governor. They didn't act, and the governor did, appointing Roland Burris to the post. It was a slap in the face of the legislature, and a black eye for the Democrats. Mr. Burris knew he couldn't tell the truth before he was seated, or he would have been rejected, so he lied. he had hoped his 'quiet' admission would slip by without fanfare, but it didn't.

This, of course, is business as usual in Illinois.