Evening Buzz: Paging the IRS
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/POLITICS/01/08/daschle.confirmation/art.daschle.pool.jpg caption="Health and Human Services Secretary-designate Tom Daschle testifies at his confirmation hearings earlier this month."]
Maureen Miller
AC360° Writer
Oops. There's another tax problem for one of Pres. Obama's cabinet picks. Former Sen. Tom Daschle, the nominee to lead Health and Human Services, is under scrutiny for not paying taxes on a car and driver.
A Democratic tells CNN that Daschle was loaned a car and driver by a wealthy friend and failed to disclose it on his income taxes, as he should have. Daschle has since paid what he owed, the source said. We'll have the latest developments on his breaking story tonight on AC360°.
Remember earlier this month, Mr. Obama's pick for Treasury, Tim Geithner admitted "careless mistakes" when it came to not paying some personal taxes over several years. He ended up fixing the mistake and he got the Treasury job, which makes him the boss of the IRS.
Do you think Dashchle will get the HHS post? Share your thoughts below.
We're also following the latest outrage over Wall Street bonuses. Today Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Missouri, introduced legislation that would max out employee pay for any company that accepts federal bailout money at $400,000 dollars. How did she come up with that amount? Pres. Obama's current annual salary is $400,000.
What do you think of Sen. McCaskill's proposal?
And, there are new details on the women who gave birth to octuplets earlier this week near Los Angeles. We've learned she already has six children and they live with her parents. The octuplet birth is raising eyebrows with some fertility experts. Should the high-risk pregnancy been avoided? We'll talk it over with a medical ethicist.
Join us for these stories and more starting at 10pm ET.
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Filed under: Maureen Miller • The Buzz |
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The PROBLEM is everybody wants a painless fast fix--NO PAIN NO GAIN -–The government needs to STOP BLOWING OUR MONEY !
re@ "max out employee pay for any company that accepts federal bailout money" While it's a great idea... why in the hell should they get that much?
What's cool about these two picks with tax troubles, is we common folk are realizing what crooks, what TOTAL crooks, everyone in the political realm is. Even if we haven't found anything on Mr. Obama, he is rubbing elbows with the guilty ones... not cool at all.
If the US citizens weren't all so broken down in money and spirit, the govt jokers would be having to worry about a rebellion.
"money is a cruel master but a kind servant"
Are there any good men in politics and in Democratic party? First, there is Eric Holder with his name linked to FALN terrorits. Second, there is Geithner, inspite of this briliance in numbers, didn't pay his tax and blamed the TurboTax software. Thirdly, there is Blago into corruption. And now here is Daschle abusing his power and privilege as public servant. God have mercy on Democratic party and President's Obama chosen cabinet. Any few good men with honorable and untarnished name? There's got to be some good men out there with Godly hearts and minds.
Not Obama's fault. Seems theirs not much to chose from.
i really would like to know how many people that get a loaned a car claim it on their taxes ....i would be charged with that one ..my self ...because I didn't know that
Mr Obama, this is not "change we can believe in".
Had I known that you would squander your integrity by appointing two tax cheats to your inner circle, I would have voted differently last November...
Character is what we do when no one is watching. Daschle showed his true colors, and you should now, too. Please don't start your tenure by endorsing politicians as above the law. That's a dangerous precedent.
Another appointee with tax issue? We might hear sooner that the tax issue on Tom Daschle is not a problem with the performance of his duties as what happened to Tim Geithner . They need his expertise. I hope our children will still believe us on what we tell them about the change that was promised in Washington DC.
I knew this guy is a looser from the beginning.
Why doesn't the media investigate all of the members of Congress and report how much they each owe the Federal government. If paid, we wouldn't have a problem losing tax revenue. Of course Daschle will be confirmed. They have no choice now. Bush might not have done as we think he should, but you can bet the media would have been all over him if he had done the same thing. Their attitude about Obama is that he is so forgiving and still trusts. I truly want Obama to succeed; after all, I am an American. I just don't want us to be the laughing stock all over again. Wake up, America!!!
It just blows our minds that the bank executives would hold their hands for a government bailout while still receiving their bonuses and/or maintaining their high salaries It's either that they don't get it because they have the intelligence of an amoeba or it's that they do actually get it and are completely engrossed in their self centeredness, selfishness, and greed. You can't have it both ways!
So now we are going to limit pay of high level execs. On that note lets not pay some actor 25 million for one movie, or a ball player 15 million for one season, or limit the pay of some doctor who is responsible for some ones life. This is a free society that is what makes us great. If your mad at the guy who makes a lot of money go back and look at your life. Did you go to Harvard or Yale ? Did you become a doctor ? Did you get an MBA ?Would you be mad if you worked hard to get somewhere and were being paid ? No you would not. I think most of the people who are outraged need to jump off the blame bandwagon. I heard Jay Z made like 180 million last year ? wow !! but I'm not mad. He found a way to do it and god bless him for being in America where we can all make it if we put our minds to it.
OUTRAGE! Give JAIL for Wall Street THIEVES. We Americans and the world feel that OBAMA & THE NEWS needs to keep these kinds of thugs and thieves out in the open. SHINE A LITE ON THESE BASTARDS THAT CONTRIBUTED TO OUR FINACIAL CRISIS. HOW DARE THEY TO GIVE THEMSELVE A BONUS WHEN ALL OF AMERICA AND OUR CHILDREN LIVE IN FINANCIAL TERROR.
BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN BONUSES FROM OR TAX MONEY TO THESE THIEVES – FIRE THE BASTARDS THEY MADE THE MESS WE ARE IN. HOW DARE OUR GOVERNMENT ALLOW THIS DISGRACE
I'm in complete agreement with Terry. As for those that think this was an oversight on Daschle's part, please get real. Daschle knew exactly what he was doing and what he wasn't reporting. Geithner knew exactly what he was doing too. He received checks from the IMF to cover the employer portion of the taxes and he signed an acknowleddgement. He is so smart he's going to fix the banking crisis but we are to believe that the tax issue was an oversight or he was ignorant to the rules? Chris Dodd gets a sweetheart deal from Countrywide but doesn't know it's a sweetheart deal. Barney Frank funnels TARP money to OneUnited. Charlie Rangel doesn't pay taxes on his Dominican home. Come on if any one of us did these things the IRS would be crawling all over us! Change you can believe in is a complete joke at this point. Obama better get his act together because he's appointing people that look just like the corrupt Democrats that are already in power.
I'm 60 years old on disabiltiy and pay my taxes, I cannot
use my oxygen at night because of electric cost.
so pay your taxes come on shame on you
Ignorance cant be an excuse ...." nobody tolded me I had to pay my taxes "
It is interesting that we have a Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner who is a tax evader in charge or the IRS. Now we have another tax cheater Tom Daschle nominated for Health and Human Services. How is that for our socialist president Barack Hussein Obama being ethical? Since they are democrats the liberal news media and journalists will over look it. Of course, it wouldn't be that way if this was a republican nomination. Talk about a double standard.
Why isn't anyone also blaming the realtors for the rising costs in houses? They are the ones who dictated to the seller what they could sell there homes for. Sellers listened to the realtors, and the realtors waited and waited until they found a buyer.
Now these buyers are losing these home because their interest rates went up; or they lost there jobs. Jobs are going oversees because of lower labor costs and less corporations taxes which results in America wages becoming less; which results in America being unable to pay there mortgages.
WE NEED JOBS.............
The women with the 8 babies and 6 others at home – is she self supporting or on the dole? If she is on welfare I question why doctors would help her have a multiple birth. I'm not saying that if you are on welfare you have less rights than those who aren't but that you are already strapped to provide for yourself and the children you have and having 8 more just makes the situation worse – its not fair to any of the children because they will not have chances other children will because there are so many of them.
I thought with Obama's stringent vetting process that people with tax problems wouldn't have passed muster. I guess even Obama realizes that taxes are complex and no one – not even the legislators who wrote the tax rules – understand them. I think Dashle will be confirmed. He's paid the taxes and it was a honest mistake. I can think of a lot worse.
What is so hard in defining "MIDDLE CLASS"? From what this senior middle class person hears, is that the middle class is giving to Wall St. and the Banks. This is insane and those that made this possible are suppose to be educated excecutives? We are seniors that have struggled for survival, in our 70's and still plugging along, behind on our income tax and here they want our hard working dollars to supply the rich's luxuries and all these foolish millions given for unnecessary projects. They must stay up nights dreaming of ways to bleed the people. Hitler was bad and what is happening to the people of the USA is not much better. Come on, Get real and lets see the middle and lower class people have a real break instead of totally breaking them. We love our country, our families have fought and died for America. Now I would say it is time for pay back! What would happen if we all stopped paying Income Tax? We may not have a choice the way things are going and then, will we be jailed?
May God Bless America and May God Have Mercy On Your Souls.
Banker rhymes with Gangster. Obviously, someone is playing MONOPOLY with real lives and those that are doing that, are the Bankster families, including the high society of politiciens, judges lawyers and other important people in high places who could not care any less about the rest of the American society. Now Obama has to fix the problem but the bible doesn't say that things will get any better so I hope you Fired Up by the Holy ghost Mr. President Obama because the challenge is overwhelming so I'll just keep praying for all of us...
Are you kidding me? Why am I not surprised. My question is when is the media going to begin to seriously do their job and stop giving Obama a pass on all this? We heard for 8 weeks how McCain didn't properly vet Palin. But now – this is how many of the Obama appointees? Where is the outcry now? If this were a Republican president, the media and the Democrats would be ready to throw him out of office.
I suggest you all read the Victor David Hanson editorial published in today's newspapers. He tells it like it is.
Ethics? Transparency? Obama just sweeps all of this under the rug. The American people are beginning to see that his soaring rhetoric, which is the only thing that got him elected, is hollow and without substance. And after only 11 days in office!
Taxes smacks-us! Who the heck cares! The new old political scheme is to just say "I meant to, but I forgot". Heck that Geithner clown that forgot to pay his taxes just got to be Treasury Chairman anyway. If Blago had of said those few little words, he would still be Governor. So far the first 10 Obama days have been way too funny! Even if you don't like the Obama staff picks, at least you should find it all to be very entertaining...
Bonuses are part of wall street lifeline. However getting bonuses in such unseen times of economic sorrow should be considered wallstreet "deathline". Maybe Gitmo should be left opened for Wallstreet crooks
Another tax dodger!!! How come the little people have to pay taxes but it seems all these politicians get away without paying theirs and when they get caught – they get a high position in our government.
Nothing is changing – the little guy still pays and the rich are still getting richer. I hate being told this is the "only" person for the position – a crook is a crook is a crook and should not be running the government. If all our polititions were audited I bet the government would dig itself out of this mess.
As a young Lieutenant in Germany in the 1970s, I learned a German phrase which applies to Daschle, Geithner, and all of those elected public servants who hold themselves above the laws that apply to all of us peasants: "Grosse Hunde Beissen Sich Nicht"- Big Dogs Don't Bite Eachother.
Their ostentatious display of greed- and it is a bipartison characteristic- brings to mind another, American proverb:
"Politics is the FIRST refuge for scoundrels."
As a civil servant for twenty-seven years, I was acutely aware of the responsibility to avoid "even the appearance of impropriety..." I guess that admonition doesn't apply to all social/economic classes.
What hypocrites!
Haven't you heard Mo, just apologize and say your sorry ,and you get a free pass! Note: This only works for politician's,...
Re: the Wall Street Bonuses......What happened to the rescission clause. Look at why we're here guys. If WS doesn't get it, I say rescind the bail-out money. I call it the wake-up clause!
If I didn't report 90K, wouldn't I be criminally prosecuted?
Daschle: I do not want Daschle to be Health Services head with his
lack of attention to detail and income, he does not get a pass from me.
I do not want OBAMA to give him an okay. I voted for OBAMA because I thought he represented integrity. I want the line to be drawn. Obama is attacking the CEOs so let's make a case for the people he chooses. NO DASCHLE! Suzanne
If Tom Daschle is so stupid that he doesn't grasp that this stuff may be taxable and should be checked from the start, then Tom Daschle is to stupid to work in Washington any longer. Thank our lucky stars that he didn't mess things up in the past.
James
I JUST WANT PEOPLE TO STOP LOSING THEIR HOMES AND LOSING THEIR JOBS. POLITICS HAVE NOW BECOME A DAYTIME SOAP. I JUST WANT THE COUNTRY TO GET STRAIGHT AND EVERYONE CAN BE HAPPY. AND THE WALL STREET THEFTS TO PLEASE GIVE SOME OF THE BONUSES TO THE POOR PEOPLE THAT HAVE LOSS THEIR JOBS. BUT I KNOW THEY WON'T. I LOVE THE SHOW.
Oh Daschle has IRS problems.......that should secure his confirmation.
We had tax evasion already, illegal worker, huge conflict of interest which we have never seen before or again and Eric Holder who leans towards terrorists....then you write an Executive Order against lobbyists...and guess what....we have lobbyist. However, these people are the only ones in the whole world who can do the job. Sounds like Governor Blago's Illinois world.
How many more of this adminstration's choice of people are going to have tax problems, It seems to me that taxes are the problem with country nobody is paying them and april 15 is not far off and to hear struggling business' are going to be doing alot red ink filing. What is going to happen to the state budgets and programs like food stamps, medicaid, education, police and fire and so-on if you ask me they question these excecs if they are willing to keep these bonuses in lew of safety no police no safety....there arrogance is going to be thier downfall
Billions of $ gone. Imagine that!! The powers that be come to DC and say we want Billions of $. Then the nBush administration said no problem. No need to follow the rules.
But when I go in for a Loan they check me out and want to know so much I feel like giving them my kidney as colatorol. OK somewhat of an exageration but you get my drift