AAR

[dick]

Anybody read the Daily Beast article about Clarence Thomas' not declaring his wife's income, and excusing it by saying he didn't understand? A lawyer, a Supreme Court justice who supposedly can read with enough insight to make important decisions can't understand a form?

[erhea13]

Yeah, well, the head of the IRS (Timothy Geitner) couldn't figure out how to pay his taxes . . . neither could several other initially appointed members of Obama's cabinet - in all fairness most of those resigned.
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"I do not want people to be very agreeable, as it saves me the trouble of liking them a great deal." - Jane Austen
"The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid." - Jane Austen

[TMS]

I hadn't heard about the Clarence Thomas thing. I've always thought him a sub par justice, so I just continue to be underwhelmed by him.

Geithner was a real teeth nasher though. And I loved how he only made haste to pay the back taxes after he received word of the intended nomination for Secretary of the Treasury--until then he was probably supremely happy the statute of limitations had run on 2 of the years and he had gotten away without having to pay SE tax for that portion of the back taxes he owed.

I know how to pay my SE tax AND I pay them. Jeez, how frustrating.

I hear there was a bill proposed that would require federal employees to pay their taxes and if they didn't, they could be fired. I was amazed by the huge number of federal employees who owed taxes.

The IRS enacted something similar for IRS employees. The rate of tax compliance went through the roof. It definately gave me pause.

[iluvarake]

My understanding is that it could mean BILLIONS in additional revenue if the IRS stringently investigated and enforced current tax dodgers. In spite of that the budget bouncing around Congress right now CUTS the number of investigators. It's practically the definition of penny wise and pound foolish.

Also I read that Thomas filled out the forms correctly for years then suddenly forgot how.

Don't have much faith in Geithner either. Obama's cabinet has been one of the biggest disappointments of his administration - full of bankers and CEOs who have all worked for the industries they're supposed to be policing. They don't look like change I can believe in.
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Justin managed to look superior and bored and disbelieving all at once. No mean feat for a man who'd just fallen from a tree.

[Mark]

http://www.hightowerlowdown.org/node/2569
http://www.hightowerlowdown.org/node/2279
http://www.washingtonspectator.org/articles/20101101robertsandrove.cfm