I have to say it’s been quite entertaining to watch the parade of people withdraw themselves from nominated positions as they head over to find their places underneath the bus. It’s probably a fleet of buses or a long train by now there are so many people under it!
It seems many of them have a hard time remembering to pay their taxes. Hmm are these the same people who were blathering on about how paying taxes was patriotic and we should all want to pay higher taxes? Isn’t that what Joe Biden said?
Of course I forgot to mention Bill Richardson who is currently under investigation by a federal grand jury in a pay to play scheme thus he had to withdraw from his nomination for Secretary of Commerce.
Then we have Tom Dashel and Nancy Killefer withdrawing for not paying taxes and Tim Giethner was confirmed despite having a similar embarassing problem. Not to mention the whole “nobody will work in my administration if they have been a lobbyist.” thing.
Give us a break! Now the media is finally starting to report on the plethora of problems. Well all I can say is where the hell were they for the last two years? How is it no one saw this coming? WE saw it coming! We told you so idiots!
I’ll tell you why no one saw this coming because the mainstream media deliberately played the role of public relations representative rather than do their job and report accurately the facts and or lack of them in an unbiased and professional manner. They in fact became more than a little responsible for the outcome of the primaries and the election and they will share the responsibility of the aftermath.
I will admit to being pleased with the decision to limit the salaries and bonuses of top executives of companies that take Bailout funds. I think pretty much everybody agrees on that except maybe the execs who will have to take a pay cut.
Listen if they want the taxpayers to bail them out they should expect some conditions. After all if they are in bad shape and need bailing out shouldn’t they be looking for ways to cut expenses and railse more capital? Isn’t that more reasonable than to continue spending on lavish office remodels or over the top business retreats? Or paying say, $400 Million to have your name on a stadium?
If they want us to foot the bill they should expect not to go on as though it’s business as usual. It’s not. Not when you need bailing out that is about as far from business as usual as you can get and still be in business and it dictates that you do some serious evaluation and re-tooling at the very least. To get out of the position where you need a bailout and get to a position where you make a profit they should be thinking this way already.
If they don’t like the conditions they should look elsewhere for help. Now if they want to pull their own fat out of the fire it is their business how they spend their gains. That’s the American way.
Though lately I’ve had some interesting conversations with people on this subject and find myself wondering what some people are really thinking. One friend suggested that we go even further and limit the salaries and bonuses of all company executives regardless of whether they accept bailout funds or whether they are private or public companies.
His theory is that no one can possibly make more than the president without having broken some law or regulation and without having screwed over “the rest of us”. My reaction was something like WTF?
I think that is way too far myself. Isn’t one of the greatest things about our country? Isn’t the American Dream the idea that if you have an idea or a product, a service or whatever and you do what it takes to make a sucsess the sky is the limit? The idea that anyone can make it regardless of who they are?
I understand the anger and the feeling that many times the Big Shots get where they are on the backs of the rest of us. I mean I get just as PO’das the next person over all these people who rip others off or waste money on stupid things then cry about needing a bailout even as their own bad management caused the problem but do we really want to go so far that nobody can make more than a set amount?
Who decides what that amount is? Will that amount be different for different people or will everybody have the same limits? What happens if your idea makes more than that? Should you not benefit from your efforts?
I’m all for doing what we can to preserve the idea of freedom we have here. I want to improve it as well by doing what we can to make all of us more free and insuring equality but if we get too involved in legislating people’s freedom it can have the adverse effect of making us all less free.
JMO what’s yours?
CQ
HI!
I understand COMPLETELY! To the neglect of important matters…almost chucked it myself last week, with a statement about going a little “light”…
Then, I posted anyway! And kenosha Marge has a piece today …so
We’re still hanging in there at IA, but the heavy research that I have to do on some stuff is lagging!
Enjoy your life….we’ll be looking forward to whenever you surface. Let us know at IA and we’ll come visit, if we don’t visit once in awhile anyway to see if you’re back!
GRL
Sorry, that was a comment about your announcement about reclaiming you life!!
As for our “observations”–spot on….
And here in NM Richardson is getting into hotter water…which I want to write about but…TIME!!!!!! LOL!
Sorry again…that’s YOUR observations, of course…
My fingers must be going nuts today…
Let Obama works for IRS because he can dig out the tax evaders and they all obediently paid the taxes owed with no dispute. What better auditor can we get than Obama!
Thanks IA! I guess it figures we can’t all keep up the pace we were at over the last two years without something suffering!
Yes I love that Richardson is in trouble! never liked or trusted that guy!
So do you think we are reaching a dangerous point with some people and their idea of fairness? The same friend who said we should limit how much all people make also told me his opinin on Bernie Madoff.
In his opinion the guy was just another get-rich-quick-scheme and he says the people who lost their money really shouldn’t complain because they invested their money with him because they wanted to get rich quick so according to my friend they deserved what they got? WTF kind of attitude is that?
I pointed out that the big difference is that those peple trusted Madoff with their money and his get-rich-quick-scheme was to steal from those who trusted him. Not to mention all the charities that invested with him. But my friend still thinks they deserved to be ripped off I guess because they had the “bad manners” to have money to invest in the first place.
Somehow I don’t think that was the idea behind our system of free markets. I think it’s a trend to hate everyone who has rather than go out and get your own. Do they not realize how they limit themselves with this thinking?
CQ
Xian;
I’m not sure if you are being serious or sarcastic? The people in question paid their taxes because they were found out and embarassed and the sad part is these are the same people who should be setting an example. Plus they all seem to think raising taxes is a good thing regardless well that’s because they have a double standard apparently. They don’t mind taxes being high because they don’t pay them unless they get caught.
Personally I would not want Obama in charge of the IRS as you suggest. I can only imagine the “new and improved Obama plan” for the IRS if he were in charge. Were it up to me he would nt be in charge of anything. He’s got a long way to go before I trust him.
CQ
Wonderful to have you back my dear.
My opinion? There is only one thing that concerns me now…dissolving Congress. The social contract is broken. Governments derive their powers from the consent of the governed…at least that’s what the Declaration of Independence says. The President and the Congress do not have my consent so to hell with the lot of them.
Yes, it’s time for a change…