They're all so sorry. So very, very sorry.
Timothy Geithner, the new Secretary of the Treasury is so sorry about not paying all the taxes he owed. Tom Daschle, President Obama's former nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services is also so sorry about not paying taxes on all of his earnings and perks. Hold on a sec, there's yet another: Nancy Killefer, Obama's former nominee for Chief Performance Officer . . . she's really sorry, too.
You all called these "oversights"; "oversights" that were "careless" or "unintentional." "Mistakes were made" was uttered by one of you, without specifying who made the mistakes. "I was very, very busy, busy, busy," said another. Not busy cleaning your house, though, because a couple of you failed to pay taxes for your housekeeper. In fact, one of you had a tax lien placed on your house by the D.C. government because you had not paid unemployment taxes for your household help.
But you want us to understand that you were very, very busy, busy, busy and now you're very, very sorry.
Well, sorry . . . but the Sassistas!TM don't understand. We're very, very busy, busy, busy, too, and somehow we manage to remember to pay all the taxes we owe. Every Spring, we hire an accountant to make certain we do. Tom Daschle can't afford an accountant with the $5.3 million in consulting fees he generated over the past two years? And knowing this, President Obama still "absolutely" supported him two days ago? To his credit, Obama admitted he "messed" and/or "screwed" up to all five major news network anchors last evening. Former President Bush never admitted to making a mistake until his last six months in office. Still, the Sassistas!TM are disappointed. Obama promised a new "era" of responsibility -- not new errors of responsibility. Too many Americans who had steady, reliable jobs now have no paychecks. We suspect that the President confessing that he's "messed" and/or "screwed" up doesn't do a whole lot to make their lives easier. What they need is steady, reliable accountability in the Oval Office. Not "I'm sorry's" that may make "the prominent" feel better but do nothing to help "ordinary folks" pay their bills.
Ugh. The new golden boy begins his administration with major gaffes. How am I supposed to trust him to protect me from all the barbarians at the gate, when he can't even choose his own advisors responsibly? Owning up to the mistake is minor comfort to me, as I wonder what else he's not paying attention to. I never thought the gilded image would acquire tarnish this quickly. These magic "first hundred days," this love affair, I thought -- at the very least -- would require no apology.
Posted by: Carolyn | February 04, 2009 at 05:26 AM
Is anyone paying attention to this debacle? The state fair will be here next week and that blockbuster event occupied most of the front page of the local rag. I'm beginning to think that the duhh...ming down of America has resulted in the general populace being more interested in the availability of cotton candy, than in the responsibility of a presidency.
Posted by: sassifras | February 04, 2009 at 06:14 AM
Welcome to the sassosphere, sassifras. Love your name. Also that you live in a warm climate if your state fair is being held next week . . . the Sassistas! are sassuming the state of Florida. All that being said, too many Americans have been more interested in the availability of cotton candy (always my first purchase at ANY fair of ANY kind) than in the responsibility of a Presidency. Thanks for weighing in and please come back and dish again. Bring cotton candy.
Like Carolyn, I too am surprised at how quickly the sheen disappeared, though again, Obama did take responsibility. That gives me some comfort, however minor. Last evening, we had a President in the Oval Office taking responsibility for all the world to see. The real loss is that Daschle, in particular, seemed uniquely qualified to be Secretary of Health and Human Services, the "architect" of Obama's healthcare reform. However, I thought about Daschle's $5.3 million in consulting fees last year when I paid my nearly $1,200/month health insurance premium. And I'm healthy! Further I dutifully pay my taxes. Like Daschle, I am self-employed. I discipline myself to set aside 40% of what I make into a savings account and send the federal and state government what I owe every quarter. It's not that hard, and according to tax experts, the tax laws these nominees overlooked were not obtuse. Further, they had enough money to HIRE an accountant; even a tax lawyer to help them find loopholes like most rich folk do.
I read in the paper this morning that the vetting process for public service is so complicated and rigorous now that you can only hire "people out of some hermetically sealed tank." I don't live in that tank. I don't screw up on my taxes.
Another thing -- you just know that none of the nominees would have EVER paid what they owed if they had never been nominated.
I think what disappoints me most is that clumsiness like this throws gasoline on the fire from hell that is the mouth of Rush Limbaugh. Every day he spews his venom and he never apologizes. In fact, any one who disses him ends up kissing his ass. Where's an hermetically sealed tank for Limbaugh? He's out in the open actually getting away with saying, "Someone's got to bring down Obama, and I'm the one who's going to do it."
SHUT UP.
Posted by: Flannista | February 04, 2009 at 06:48 AM
Rush, that smug bastard. I thought, with glee, that his oxycontin addiction might "bring him down." But, no. The people who zealously follow that line of thinking will forgive him everything and swallow the bile he spews, unchecked.
As for taxes, I guarantee, if you owed 'em, the government would be squealing at you incessantly.
Posted by: Carolyn | February 04, 2009 at 07:37 AM
Flannista, to think about cotton candy makes my brain screech. Spun-colored sugar on a paper cone. Sounds lovely, doesn't it? Ghastly concoction. I prefer a corn dog purchase, a fresh one please, (an oxymoron, I fear), not one discarded curbside. A corn dog, like a twinkie, demonstrates the miracle of the human digestive tract marvelously. Can the common cabbage say the same? I think not.
Posted by: Carolyn | February 04, 2009 at 08:09 AM
Tax Cheats to corn dogs in five comments ... definitely why I keep coming back to visit Sassistas!
What disappointed me most was hearing Senators interviewed last night, who guaranteed that if Daschle had continued as the nominee he would have been approved ... easily. They conceded that the American public would not have been happy, but agreed that he is very well-known and well-liked. One man went so far as to say that the Senate is sort of a "Good ol' Boys Club."
Honestly, that makes me want to puke. Clearly, there is a LOT more change needed and it is the voters, not the President, that need to take responsibility for the people they elect to office. What sickens me most is the casual way our representatives "accept" tax cheating, which only makes me wonder how many of our currently elected officials might have "issues" with this. Their thinking seems to be, "Oh, tax cheating ... that happens to EVERYBODY!" Not to most of us mere mortals.
I now doubt that any human president will be able to overhaul this ailing governmental system in a mere one or two terms. Obama will likely be ousted by his peers if he tries too hard. How can a very sick government overhaul a dying healthcare system? We may be focusing on the wrong "patient" first.
Posted by: PEACEsista | February 04, 2009 at 10:17 AM
Peace, I'm fairly confident that I can link any subject Flannista can dream up to corn dogs in five comments. It's like the great human grid known as "six degrees of separation." Corn dogs are a recurring theme in all schools of lofty and grandiose thought.
As for your post, I can feel you getting riled up, and I couldn't agree with you more. Tax cheating by our elected officials is addressed quite cavalierly. Their honesty would be examined more closely if they tried to heist a package of razor blades from a grocery store.
Posted by: Carolyn | February 04, 2009 at 10:43 AM
Carolyn, how soon you forget Sassley's Super Bowl cheese dip made from TWO bricks of Velveeta, one of which I am still digesting. My human digestive tract still ain't feelin' so marvelous -- three days later. Should have gone for the cabbage.
Speaking of intestinal nausea, the "Good ol' Boys Club" makes me want to puke, too, PEACE. I, too, was shocked when I heard different Senators -- from both sides of the fence -- saying Daschle would have been confirmed, like Geithner, who scrambled to get his butt under the wire in the nick of time.
Cheating on taxes is endemic. The very wealthy can afford to pay lawyers to find all the legal loopholes, including ways to write off what they pay to heat their homes. The privileged who can't afford tax lawyers (who are very, very expensive) think they can get away with it because, well, they HAVE gotten away with it. But the tax returns of peons like me -- and apparently, Joe the Plumber -- are scrutinized zealously.
I would donate a year's supply of OxyContin to know how much Limbaugh doesn't pay in taxes, living large like he does in his 24,000-square-foot home, bedding any number of desperate women. All the comforts of home. A portion of the tax liability. Go get 'em, Rush, you true, blue American. Save our country from a President who admits responsibility for mistakes. Light up that $40 Cuban cigar. Pour yourself another finger of your favorite single-malt scotch. Bring it on.
Posted by: Flannista | February 04, 2009 at 10:46 AM
Carolyn -- bet when you read "$40 Cuban cigar" in my last comment, you thought "corn dog."
I know I did.
Posted by: Flannista | February 04, 2009 at 10:48 AM
Hey, when I read "year's supply of oxycontin" I thought "corn dog".
Flannista, nauseated is how I feel at the words "bedding" and "Rush Limbaugh" in the same paragraph. It's enough to put me off corn dogs and all other gastric treats.
Posted by: Carolyn | February 04, 2009 at 11:02 AM
This really irks us because it seems like there are two sets of rules here. I mean how can these people not be ashamed?! It's outrageous.
Several years ago, I was working freelance in addition to my full-time job. At the time, I did my taxes. (It's so much better having an accountant do it.) Well, I figured out the amount that I owed incorrectly. Truly, an honest mistake. Three years later, I received a notice from the IRS. I owed a little over $200, because of my error. They tracked me down and charged me a penalty fee. I paid without hesitation, because I realized I had made the error. Why isn't the government tracking these people down? I wonder how many of our politicians just haven't gotten caught yet.
Forget the corn dog, I'm already sick to my stomach.
Posted by: Matissta | February 04, 2009 at 12:58 PM
Just read Maureen Dowd's column in today's New York Time, the title of which echoed Carolyn's first comment: "Well, That Certainly Didn't Take Long." Following is how Dowd's column ends:
It took Daschle’s resignation to shake the president out of his arrogant attitude that his charmed circle doesn’t have to abide by the lofty standards he lectured the rest of us about for two years.
Before he recanted, his hand forced by a cascade of appointees who “forgot” to pay taxes, his reasoning was creeping perilously close to that of the outgoing leaders he denounced in his Inaugural Address: that elitist mentality of “we know best,” we know we’re doing the “right” thing for the country, so we can twist the rules.
Mr. Obama’s errors on the helter-skelter stimulus package were also self-induced. He should put down those Lincoln books and order “Dave” from Netflix.
When Kevin Kline becomes an accidental president, he summons his personal accountant, Murray Blum, to the White House to cut millions in silly programs out of the federal budget so he can give money to the homeless.
“Who does these books?” Blum says with disgust, red-penciling an ad campaign to boost consumers’ confidence in cars they’d already bought. “If I ran my office this way, I’d be out of business.”
Mr. Obama should have taken a red pencil to the $819 billion stimulus bill and slashed all the provisions that looked like caricatures of Democratic drunken-sailor spending.
As Senator Kit Bond, a Republican, put it, there were so many good targets that he felt “like a mosquito in a nudist colony.” He was especially worried about the provision requiring the steel and iron for infrastructure construction to be American-made, and by the time the chastened president talked to Chris Wallace on Fox Tuesday, he agreed that “we can’t send a protectionist message.”
Mr. Obama protested to Brian Williams that the programs denounced as “wasteful” by Republicans “amount to less than 1 percent of the entire package.” All the more reason to cut them and create a lean, clean bill tailored to creating jobs.
The Democratic president has been spending so much time trying — and failing — to win over Republicans that he may not have noticed the disillusionment in his own ranks.
Betrayed by their bankers and leaders, Americans were desperate to trust someone when they made Barack Obama president. His debut has left them skeptical about his willingness to smack down those who would flout his high standards or waste our money.
Companies that have gotten bailouts continue to make a mockery of taxpayers.
Until it came to light Tuesday, Wells Fargo, which received $25 billion in federal funds, was blithely planning a series of “employee recognition outings” to Las Vegas luxury hotels this month.
As ABC reported, Bank of America took its $45 billion in bailout funds and sponsored a five-day carnival outside the Super Bowl stadium, and Morgan Stanley took its $10 billion in bailout money and held a three-day conference at the Breakers in Palm Beach. (Morgan Stanley had also still planned to send top employees to Monte Carlo and the Bahamas, events just canceled.)
The New York Post revealed that Sandy Weill, former chief executive of Citigroup, took a company jet to fly his family for a Christmas holiday to a $12,000-a-night luxury resort in San José del Cabo, Mexico. No matter that the company just got a $50 billion federal bailout and laid off 53,000 worldwide.
The interior of the 18-seat jet, as described by The Post, is posh, with a full bar, fine-wine selection, $13,000 carpets, Baccarat crystal glasses, Cristofle sterling silver flatware and — my personal favorite — pillows made from Hermès scarves.
Aux barricades!
Posted by: Flannista | February 04, 2009 at 01:03 PM
Matiss -- one of the reasons I have an accountant is because when I moved from one Virginia county where I didn't have to pay self-employment tax to another Virginia county less than three miles away where I did but didn't realize it, that county government was on me like flies on you-know-what for not paying county taxes. It, too, was an innocent mistake, and with penalties, I ended up paying about $2,500. But, like you, I paid it.
President Clinton screws an intern and gets impeached. President Bush screws the country by dissing the Constitution and gets re-elected.
Forget the corn dog. I need a drink.
Posted by: Flannista | February 04, 2009 at 01:32 PM
I'm not that surprised by any of this. Sure, I'm ticked by the "I'm so sorry (I got caught)" load of BS that is the norm in politics, and well, everyday life. We, the people, don't really seem to mind though, and we especially hope that line of defense works when it's our turn.
When people revel in naming the things that bind us together, make us one big family, and affirm our equality, I just never hear this one. I may call it sin, but you may call it being human, not fully evolved, or nobody's perfect. It's no surprise that people act in their best interest, with varying degrees of moral restraint, family honor, or seeing others' interests somehow connected to their own. Who are we to say Limbaugh's cheese is stinkier than our own?
So the surprise just ain't there for me. Everyone screws up bigtime. The rub, however, is the lack of striving for integrity, the lack of taking true responsibility, and the likelihood that almost all national politicians will hide behind their facade of virtue until they are caught. And then they'll be very sorry. And we'll re-elect them as long as we can still get our cotton candy and corn dogs.
Posted by: babysis | February 04, 2009 at 02:36 PM
Oh, c'mon, babysis! We all know that Rush isn't fully evolved! I'm a big old sinner, but I know that Rush Limbaugh's cheese is stinkier than mine. And I would appreciate it if ya'll would honor the sanctity of corn dogs-- and not speak of them, and Limbaugh's degree of stinkiness, in the same breath.
Posted by: Carolyn | February 04, 2009 at 02:49 PM
Well, babysis, that IS a brilliant comment. Thank you for reconstructing it after the Typepad platform jettisoned it into some cyber Dark Hole.
Nope, Limbaugh's cheese ain't stinkier than mine, but he sure gets paid a hell of a lot to stink up the place and my parents are forever quoting him word for word and unable to recall even a phrase from a perspective I might offer on an issue, unless of course, it disses Limbaugh. They don't think folks like Limbaugh screw up at all while I've been a screw-up in their eyes long before Limbaugh hit the airwaves.
You know, Limbaugh was caught once for illegal drug use; getting his housekeeper to get his drugs for him, blah, blah, blah . . . . He went on the air and pleaded, "I'm no role model" (I know, because I looked up the transcripts of that show today) but never said he was sorry. But folks like my parents forgave him -- even felt sorry for him -- and continued to buy shirt ties from his catalog, subscribe to his monthly newsletter, and wait anxiously every day for his radio show, even turning it up so they can hear it better when I'm over for a visit and actually try to answer a question one of them asks me. Picture me shouting over the sacred voice of Rush, "Yes, I'm fine. How are you?" Pleasantries quickly over, everyone in the room, including me, must now shut up and pay homage at the altar of Rush.
Forget the cotton candy and corn dogs. I need a drink.
Posted by: Flannista | February 04, 2009 at 02:53 PM
Um, seriously... all these people have been working around and in politics and foreign affairs, its probably a case of not doing your home work due to the fact that you are dealing with a shit storm of problems that the former inhabitant of the white house left you with. I mean, he didn't hire them off the street, the guy is young, and idealistic... probably not as used to be screwed over as the rest of Washington is.
Posted by: scarlette | February 04, 2009 at 03:06 PM
Wow, I'm really outside the group on this one.
I can't believe anyone really believes there are enough IRS agents to scrutinize the taxes of everyone in the country. One of the issues that Michael Dukakis ran on was employing more IRS agents and stepping up uncollected taxes, which he figured was many billion at that time. You see what the response was to that big idea.
I find it astonishing that anyone thinks that Obama should have known that (A) Daschle's car and driver were a gift, and (B) that he didn't declare tax on them. You don't get a 1099 or a W-2 on gifts. How many hundreds of appointments does the incoming president make?
How quickly did Obama go from getting an A+ on his cabinet picks to dogmeat? No offense to anyone, but I think people need to grow the hell up.
Does anyone remember that George W. Bush had Ken Lay interview his potential nominees for Energy Secretary? That was the ethics level that we've lived with for 8 years. For me personally, three people with tax problems is pretty small potatoes.
And as far as the stimulus bill goes . . . remember that little thing about 3 branches of government? The President doesn't write the legislation - that's the job of the Congress. And unfortunately how Congress gets bills passed is by adding stuff to the bills, which is how we got record-levels of spending during the past 8 years. Yeah, a problem, I know. But hardly a new one.
Posted by: Westsista | February 04, 2009 at 03:16 PM
scarlette -- welcome to the sassosphere and thanks for making such a positive point.
You are right, Obama did inherit "a shit storm" (love that phrase) from the former inhabitant of the Oval Office (and some from the one before that). If I were Obama, I wouldn't know what mess to focus on first. And I want him to remain idealistic for as LONG as he can. I need that idealism right now. The entire country desperately needs it . . . not the bitchy, bitter, putrid bile from the likes of Rush Limbaugh.
Please come back and dish again, scarlette.
Posted by: Flannista | February 04, 2009 at 03:20 PM
West, I'm not offended. Just challenged, and I appreciate it.
While Obama should not have been required to know that Daschle's driver and car were a tax liability Daschle certainly ought to have known. I know, for example, that I have to pay taxes when I get any kind of bonus from a client. Don't you think Daschle's accountant told him this? My accountant tells me.
It's not Obama, per se, it's the standards he preached about during his campaign. It probably wouldn't have been so bad if it had just been ONE nominee, but it was THREE.
Posted by: Flannista | February 04, 2009 at 03:31 PM
Really, I just can't take it seriously. Not in the context of other nominees and how they were chosen.
Here's a MUCH bigger issue for me - and I LIKE Hillary Clinton, and I'm happy that she's the Secretary of State. The Clinton Foundation received about 80 MILLION DOLLARS from Middle East companies and organizations and individuals. And also Citigroup's Citi Foundation gave ($1 million to $5 million), AIG ($500,000 to $1 million), Lehman Brothers ($100,000 to $250,000) and Goldman Sachs ($50,000 to $100,000).
I couldn't believe that no one seemed to care about the connection between the Secretary of State and enormous amounts of money from the Middle East. Seriously? This wasn't a huge problem for Limbaugh and Hannity and the rest of us?
I've got another one - Eric Holder. I like and respect him, but if you can believe that no money was involved in the pardon of Marc Rich, then you're much more naive than I am. Maybe Holder didn't benefit directly - he probably didn't - but really? That barely caused a ripple.
I am also a big fan of Bill Richardson's - but since a federal grand jury is looking into the connection between contributions to his PAC and the awarding of large contracts . . . this for me is a bigger problem.
Maybe we can just get our arms around tax problems - we feel that we can relate. I don't know. I really don't get why there's so much energy around this and so little around things that I really think are much more important and potentially alarming.
Posted by: Westsista | February 04, 2009 at 03:45 PM
All excellent points, West. You are clearly the sassosphere's expert on all things political. I really would love for you to host and monitor a regular, "Meet the Sass" feature here at Sassistas! You could you be our own Chris Matthews or Rachel Maddow. I'm completely serious about this. All of us would be honored to have your political dish served on a regular basis.
Even though it's frustrating at times . . . .thanks so much for continuing to show up and inspire us to look at all sides of an issue. xoxoxo
Posted by: Flannista | February 04, 2009 at 03:53 PM
I'm not any kind of expert - I just have an opinion about everything and I'm always interested in how things really work (politics for me is about human behavior and how things get done).
Would be honored and love to do Meet the Sass! Not as an expert (or frustrated), but as someone who is interested in issues and also interested in lots of different ideas and perspectives.
Posted by: Westsista | February 04, 2009 at 06:37 PM
I'm with West, these tax things just don't rock my world. I don't remember the politician involved, can't even recall if it was House or Senate, but I do remember that some guy would always convene a meeting every spring in his committee to point out how ridiculous and arcane our tax code is, and how very easy it is to go awry and not even realize it. All for tax clarity, save a tree!
I was thrilled to see Obama come out today in support of the salary limits for the fat cats -- LOVED IT. I have deplored the pay disparity in this country for years -- a little comeuppance is greatly in order there, esp. since we taxpayers are now supporting the fat cat's institutions!
And as to the initial point of this post -- I have had it UP TO HERE with the "I'm sorry" crapola. I'm running a project for VZW and have to herd a variety of cats, some really cool and some really lame. I'd LOVE to ditch the lame ones, they keep finding targets to blame for their ineptitude, and I am not the decider when it comes to hire/fire authority -- they have a buddy inside who keeps giving them work -- ARG! A co-worker and I keep looking at each other and wonder how inept people continue to find work, just freakin' amazing. Did I mention I abhor cronyism as well?
Posted by: Chrysosistah | February 04, 2009 at 09:23 PM
This is pretty interesting and this amigo is not the one to throw the first stone. Then again, I did not ask to be the Secretary of Treasury. I find T. Geithner's behavior deplorable. Daschle should have had the courage to step away. Dodd needs to play by his own rules. Rush should shut up and go away ... absolutely kills it for those of us who are not on the Left. But he is show biz. The scary part is the other clowns are for real. Or at least they think they are.
Peacesista and I long ago posted a quote from Dwight Eisenhower: " A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both" in the kitchen. I have faith in this country and its people. We will find our way.
Posted by: nowayasista | February 04, 2009 at 09:57 PM