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-- Obama appointee tax cheat of the day: Tom Daschle
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Originally posted by The17sss haha! This keeps getting better. Apparently, Daschle can't even use the Geithner "I�m so stupid" excuse, as ABC also discovers that he flat out failed to report direct income: Plus, Daschle claimed almost $15,000 in charitable donations over three years to organizations that don't qualify for the deduction. How many Americans make so much money that they could forget about $83,000 of it in a year? http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalp...daschle-ta.html

to be fair, that article says he failed to report 101K of value from the use of a car and driver of a friend. that's questionable whether it's actually income or a gift. He could have thought his friend was giving him a gift.

as for geithner, you are thrown so many forms to sign when you get a job, and most of those forms aren't read, that it is easy for someone without knowledge of taxation not to pay social security and medicare contributions.

I don't know how many of you actually fill out your own tax forms (not 1040EZ), but when it includes dividend income, charitable contributions, mortgage interest deductions, state tax deductions, and other business income and deduction, it becomes very time consuming and possibly confusing. If someone owns a business as an LLC, partnership, or sole proprietorship some tax issues can be extremely confusing, which could easily lead an average person to incorrectly file their tax return. A business owner could easily over-depreciate an asset incorrectly, which would lead to underreporting income (which the news media would simply say he failed to report XXX amount of income). In reality, Daschle likely reported the income as revenue, and took more deductions than permitted.

Taxation is easily the most complicated area of law, which is why most tax lawyers have two law degrees. Most people (with substantial income) have their taxes completed by accountants (either solo practitioners or at small firms), many of whom aren't quite as familiar with the complexities of the law of taxation. Also, many accountants (but certainly not all) see the law as black-and-white, and are extremely aggressive in their positions on the law. Regardless of who was being accused of underreporting taxes, I would be hesitant to believe that the person did so without the advice of an accountant (professionals that many people see as an authority on taxation, rightly or wrongly so).

Does anyone else find it amusing that this thread was started by someone that wrote this a few months ago?

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Originally posted by The17sss it's greasy, not sticky...lol. Hell no I wish I had a personal income of $600K. But I don't. However I do have a legitimate CPA who always does my business and personal taxes, and I've paid my deductions accordingly. It's just fortunate for me that in the last year, my company's business operations have flourished overseas and given me more flexability. Really, I'm not doing anything illegal. It's totally legal to get paid through a company I work for through the Malaysian based division, into a legal bank account set up over there, and make wire transfers in the amount of my choosing to anywhere I please.

http://www.tranceaddict.com/forums/...d=&pagenumber=1

Hope you're never planning to apply for a government job The17sss

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Originally posted by Groundhog Boy Does anyone else find it amusing that this thread was started by someone that wrote this a few months ago? http://www.tranceaddict.com/forums/...d=&pagenumber=1 Hope you're never planning to apply for a government job The17sss

haha.. why, what would happen if I did? They wouldn't hire me because I was searching for a totally legal loophole? I've still paid my taxes accordingly every year, no matter what. After that thread, I had some off the record discussion with Jerez on the PM about taxes and such and realized that although like everybody else I would love to not pay taxes like our friends in the Democrat party, I can't get around it unless I have dual citizenship (and probably live for a period greater than 6 months) in Malaysia where my other business runs.

Would I skirt around it if there was a [legal] loophole? Sure. But I'm not breaking any U.S. laws and I haven't... and it doesn't make me a scumbag for fantasizing about not paying taxes. Rangle, Daschle, Geitner, that stupid lady named today, etc... all of them knowing broke the tax law while in positions of power. There's no comparison here.

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Originally posted by The17sss Would I skirt around it if there was a [legal] loophole? Sure. But I'm not breaking any U.S. laws and I haven't... and it doesn't make me a scumbag for fantasizing about not paying taxes. Rangle, Daschle, Geitner, that stupid lady named today, etc... all of them knowing broke the tax law while in positions of power. There's no comparison here.

She wasn't named today, it was just brought up in the past few days. The administration has known about it for 3 months.

And you can assuredly state that all of them knew about it? What proof do you have of that? I'm not excusing it, but as Jerz stated a few posts ago, it's not really as cut and dry as people want to portray.

Daschle should have just followed Rumsfeld's lead:

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One of the unseen costs of Tom Daschle using up all of America's car services is that ordinary war-mongering political has-beens are forced to fend for themselves at street corners, waiting for buses. That's the situation that ex-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld found himself in Monday, in a report from Roll Call's Emily Heil and Elizabeth Brotherton. (Roll Call's story is behind a pay-firewall. You can read John Byrne's witty retelling on Raw Story here.) Basically, Rumsfeld was in Dupont Circle, attempting to catch the 42 bus, and all this happened: quote: With his SmarTrip card in hand -- the DC metro's rechargeable fare card -- Rumsfeld "stood quietly" waiting for the bus. "It was almost like the guy at the first day of work," Heil and Brotherton's source remarked. "He was looking at the card, thinking, 'How does this work?'" The bus eventually came but "was too packed to pick up any more passengers," the reporters wrote. At least Rumsfeld was in possession of a SmarTrip card, clear and convincing evidence that he did not receive his public transportation intelligence from celebrated pinhead Douglas Feith. Unable to board the bus, Rumsfeld took it on the arches. As Roll Call's source details, "He made it down the hill just fine...He didn't fall or anything." So there you have it! Donald Rumsfeld, a man for whom reports of being able to walk must be corroborated by witnesses.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/...s_n_163533.html

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Originally posted by Groundhog Boy She wasn't named today, it was just brought up in the past few days. The administration has known about it for 3 months. And you can assuredly state that all of them knew about it? What proof do you have of that? I'm not excusing it, but as Jerz stated a few posts ago, it's not really as cut and dry as people want to portray.

Geithner: He paid his back taxes for 2003 and 2004 when the IRS notified him (in 2006), but not until this past November 21, coincidentally the very day he was named Treasury appointee, did he pay them for 2001 and 2002.

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Which begs the question: If the IRS notified Geithner in 2006 that he owed self-employment taxes for his time at the IMF in 2003 and 2004, why did he not realize that those taxes should have applied to him in 2001 and 2002 as well?

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalp...ky-road-fo.html

Daschle: Same thing... coincidentally, he only reported his problems after getting the HHS nomination. He also failed to report DIRECT INCOME:

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The report indicates that Daschle's failure to pay more than $101,000 taxes on the car and driver a wealthy friend let him use from 2005 through 2007 is not the only tax issue the former Senate Majority Leader has been dealing with since his December nomination prompted a more thorough examination of his income tax returns. Mr. Daschle also didn't report $83,333 in consulting income in 2007.

This doesn't include the $15,000 in charitable donations he made over three years to organizations that don't qualify for the deduction.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalp...daschle-ta.html

Killefer: This one is a little harder to pin down, but I've placed leins on dozens of peoples' homes or businesses where they failed to pay their bills on time, and they know when there's a lien.

Charlie Rangle: He acknowledged himself last fall that he failed to pay thousands in real estate taxes for rental income he earned from a property in the Dominican Republic. This doesn't include inappropriate taxpayer funded use of a Cadillac and 4 rent controlled apartments in Harlem. With the Caddy, it was hilarious that suggested he was simply doing it for his constituents. Behold the sacrifice of the hardworking public servant, forced to travel by Cadillac just to make you smile! (If you want the video clip of this let me know).

Franken: His total tax bill came to over $70,000 over a four year period in which he knowingly ignored tax responsibilities.... in 17 states.

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DFL U.S. Senate candidate Al Franken owes $70,000 in back taxes in 17 states, where he earned income going back to 2003. Franken has been under fire since early March, when a Republican operative revealed that Franken had failed to pay workers' compensation and disability premiums for employees of his New York-based corporation, Alan Franken, Inc., between 2002 and 2005. New York state officials had tried to collect the back premiums for four years, resorting to a collection agency and even filing a summary judgment against Franken in state Supreme Court last May for $25,000.

http://www.startribune.com/politics...e/18377884.html

Franken never filed any tax returns for income in states other than his residence, even though his corporation generated revenue in 1/3 of the states in the US. If he didn't know about filing the taxes, he certainly knew enough to incorporate to get those tax advangates.

I think you're being too soft on these people man.

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Originally posted by Lebezniatnikov Unable to board the bus, Rumsfeld took it on the arches. As Roll Call's source details, "He made it down the hill just fine...He didn't fall or anything."

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Originally posted by Renzo Who do you think will take over the HHS department?

I'm beginning to think Howard Dean. And I'm ok with that. After all, he passes the17sss's doctor litmus test.

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Originally posted by The17sss Geithner: He paid his back taxes for 2003 and 2004 when the IRS notified him (in 2006), but not until this past November 21, coincidentally the very day he was named Treasury appointee, did he pay them for 2001 and 2002. http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalp...ky-road-fo.html

i'm not defending geithner, but he had no legal obligation to pay taxes that were due more than 3 years ago. it's called a statute of limitations.

quote:

Originally posted by The17sss Daschle: Same thing... coincidentally, he only reported his problems after getting the HHS nomination. He also failed to report DIRECT INCOME: This doesn't include the $15,000 in charitable donations he made over three years to organizations that don't qualify for the deduction. http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalp...daschle-ta.html

like i said before, i'm highly suspicious that daschle legitimately knew he wasn't reporting income from car services he received. he legitimately could have believed it was a gift and not reportable as income. most people don't report these items as income because they have NO IDEA THAT IT IS TREATED AS INCOME. I would suspect most accountants have no idea it is income.

As for underrporting consulting income, i would be highly suspicious if that means he didn't report revenue. the more likely scenario is that he overreported deductions or credits. people in his position simply don't fail to report almost 100K of consulting income that the payor would have to report in a 1099 to the IRS. most people writing these news items are unfamiliar with how tax law and forms actually work.

quote:

Originally posted by The17sss Killefer: This one is a little harder to pin down, but I've placed leins on dozens of peoples' homes or businesses where they failed to pay their bills on time, and they know when there's a lien.

i'm not familiar with this particular issue.

quote:

Originally posted by The17sss Charlie Rangle: He acknowledged himself last fall that he failed to pay thousands in real estate taxes for rental income he earned from a property in the Dominican Republic. This doesn't include inappropriate taxpayer funded use of a Cadillac and 4 rent controlled apartments in Harlem. With the Caddy, it was hilarious that suggested he was simply doing it for his constituents. Behold the sacrifice of the hardworking public servant, forced to travel by Cadillac just to make you smile! (If you want the video clip of this let me know).

rangle is a scumbag!

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Originally posted by The17sss Franken: His total tax bill came to over $70,000 over a four year period in which he knowingly ignored tax responsibilities.... in 17 states. http://www.startribune.com/politics...e/18377884.html Franken never filed any tax returns for income in states other than his residence, even though his corporation generated revenue in 1/3 of the states in the US. If he didn't know about filing the taxes, he certainly knew enough to incorporate to get those tax advangates. I think you're being too soft on these people man.

without knowing more facts, it's difficult to say whether he actually owed taxes to these states. a business is only liable for taxes in a state if it has sufficient nexus with that state. generating revenue in a state isn't necessarily enough for a state to tax that business. certain courts hold that physical presence is necessary for a state to tax a business, and other courts apply a more liberal test in which directing economic activities towards a state is enough for taxing a business. it all depends on the activities and the states.

EDIT: I Just read the article, Franken definitely owes taxes in states in which he made personal appearances. If he was purposefully evading those taxes he's a scumbag. If he was relying on an accountant that said he didn't owe taxes in those states he's a moron and his accountant is a douche bag.

quote:

Originally posted by The17sss haha.. why, what would happen if I did? They wouldn't hire me because I was searching for a totally legal loophole? I've still paid my taxes accordingly every year, no matter what. After that thread, I had some off the record discussion with Jerez on the PM about taxes and such and realized that although like everybody else I would love to not pay taxes like our friends in the Democrat party, I can't get around it unless I have dual citizenship (and probably live for a period greater than 6 months) in Malaysia where my other business runs. Would I skirt around it if there was a [legal] loophole? Sure. But I'm not breaking any U.S. laws and I haven't... and it doesn't make me a scumbag for fantasizing about not paying taxes. Rangle, Daschle, Geitner, that stupid lady named today, etc... all of them knowing broke the tax law while in positions of power. There's no comparison here.

One of the most famous jurists of all time, Learned Hand, famously said:

quote:

"Anyone may arrange his affairs so that his taxes shall be as low as possible; he is not bound to choose that pattern which best pays the treasury. There is not even a patriotic duty to increase one's taxes. Over and over again the Courts have said that there is nothing sinister in so arranging affairs as to keep taxes as low as possible. Everyone does it, rich and poor alike and all do right, for nobody owes any public duty to pay more than the law demands."

However, the777sss, dual citizenship will do nothing for you as long as you retain your US citizenship (us citizens are subject to tax on worldwide income). However, there is an $80K exclusion (it's inflation adjusted so i'm not sure of the current exclusion) for foreign earned income if you can establish that you are a resident of a foreign country for the entire year (or 330 days). If that doesn't work, then you can get a foreign tax credit for foreign taxes paid, but because there is a limitation to the credit, you will pay taxes at least as high as the US rate.

As i said before, you could structure your compensation as a loan (which would be untaxed, but would need to be repaid and subject to arm's length standard interest rates), but that runs the risk of being re-characterized by the IRS as an equity distribution (fully taxable). you could also take vested underwater equity compensation (call options with a strike price greater than the FMV of the stock - which would be untaxed because they aren't worth anything to you), and borrow against the underlying value of the stock (if you could find a bank that would do such a thing). for example, if the underlying stock is worth 50, and the strike price is 55, the option is worth almost nothing to you, thus untaxed. however, a bank may lend you 40 dollars because if you default on the loan the bank could pay 5 dollars to get 50 dollars worth of stock, thus becoming whole, and earning an extra 5 dollars. this is a strategy that many I-Bankers used before their options became absolutely worthless and banks began calling in the loans when the principal of the loans greatly exceeded the potential return for the banks.

there are definitely options, but mostly options that simply defer taxes.

Sounds so complicated. Do you only practice law in NJ? I may need your services

Seems my governor, Kathleen Sebelius is also in the running for the position. Either she or Dean would be good choices. I'm a little partial to Sebelius, of course, and her record of taking on insurance companies prior to becoming governor is pretty well known here in Kansas.

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Originally posted by The17sss Sounds so complicated. Do you only practice law in NJ? I may need your services

I'm admitted in NJ, but I can't practice in NJ because i don't maintain an office in the state. I'm also admitted in NY and practice in NY. Most likely I'll be admitted in DC within a year.

Just to add insult to injury and a little perspective.

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Democrats are hypocrites when it comes to paying taxes: They say taxes are a patriotic duty. So why did Geithner and Daschle have trouble paying them? By Jonah Goldberg During the presidential campaign, Joe Biden insisted that paying your taxes is a patriotic duty. No, scratch that. He said that supporting a tax hike was the American thing to do. "It's time to be patriotic," he told America's putative tax slackers. When asked whether he might be questioning the patriotism of people who don't want higher taxes, Biden, as is his wont, took things to the next rhetorical level. Forget patriotism, insisted Joe, paying higher taxes is a religious obligation. The man who gave an average of $369 a year to charity over the previous decade fulfills his religious obligations by cutting a tax check -- a check he's required to cut by law. Now it's always perilous to take Biden's statements too seriously, but it does seem eminently fair to say that his comments reflect a common, if not universal, attitude among Democrats. Taxes aren't a "necessary evil" so much as a joyous affirmation of the possibilities of government and the lifeblood of a more hopeful society. "Taxes are what you pay to be an American" -- like "membership fees," says Democratic language guru George Lakoff. President Obama merely says that taxes are necessary to "spread the wealth," which is better for everybody. New York Times columnist Paul Krugman frames the issue more reasonably: "Nobody likes paying taxes ... [but] most Americans also care a lot about the things taxes pay for." In other words, paying taxes -- and raising taxes in Krugman's view -- is the adult, serious, morally responsible thing to do. Government needs every last penny, and holdouts must be smoked out. Now, whatever the best articulation of liberal attitudes toward taxation may be, reasonable people can agree that they inject a lot of moralizing, righteousness and finger-wagging into the issue. As one leading Democrat put it: "Make no mistake, tax cheaters cheat us all, and the IRS should enforce our laws to the letter." That Democrat was then-Sen. Tom Daschle in 1998. The same Tom Daschle, we've since learned, who failed to pay more than $100,000 in back taxes for perks he received as one of Washington's most relentless influence-peddlers -- that is, until he realized he might receive a job in the Obama administration spending the money most Americans conscientiously send to Washington. Daschle's hardly alone. The recently confirmed Treasury secretary, Timothy F. Geithner, also failed to pay taxes he owed (even though he surely must have known he owed them) until it became politically expedient to pay them. Now he runs the IRS. Take that, suckers. Meanwhile, Rep. Charles B. Rangel (D-N.Y.), the chairman of the supreme tax-writing body in the United States, the House Ways and Means Committee, is under investigation for, among other things, dodging taxes. His excuse for his admitted mistakes is that he was sloppy and ignorant, but not criminal. Geithner and Daschle make similar noises. But doesn't that miss the point? When moralizing conservatives get caught, say, cheating on their wives or challenging stall mates to robust Greco-Roman wrestling in airport bathrooms, liberals justifiably howl at the hypocrisy of it all (even though conservative moralizing has no teeth, while the IRS has agents with guns). When liberals fail to pay taxes -- the wellspring of a just society -- it's merely, to borrow an old phrase from Daschle, "sad and disappointing," but ultimately not that big a deal. When he was still running the Democratic Party, Howard Dean made fighting hypocrisy his top priority. "Hypocrisy is a value that I think has been embraced by the Republican Party. We get lectured by people all day long about moral values by people who have their own moral shortcomings." Well, I hear a lot of lecturing from Democrats about why I should be ashamed for not liking taxes more because "the children" need it. Florida Democratic Rep. Alan Grayson defended the so-called stimulus bill last week by saying it "shelters the homeless, and heals the sick. It helps us to look forward to a day where we beat our swords into plowshares." By the Democrats' own logic, not wanting to pay for that is selfish, unpatriotic and immoral. But who do they think tax cheats are cheating? "I will use whatever position I have in order to root out hypocrisy," Dean promised. "I'm not going to be lectured as a Democrat -- we've got some pretty strong moral values in my party, and maybe we ought to do a better job standing up and fighting for them." Yes, I would like to see that myself. That would be change I could believe in.

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The governor's office wouldn't say this week how much she owes in back taxes for meal money, or whether she intends to continue to receive the per diem allowance. As of December, she was still charging the state for meals and incidentals. "The amount of taxes owed is a private matter," Sharon Leighow, Palin's spokeswoman, said in an e-mail. "If the governor collects future per diem, those documents would be a matter of public record."

http://www.adn.com/palin/story/693695.html

/waits patiently for the outrage to pour in from the17sss...

I would really love to never hear anything about Sarah Palin ever again for the rest of my life.

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Originally posted by Lebezniatnikov http://www.adn.com/palin/story/693695.html /waits patiently for the outrage to pour in from the17sss...

Haha.. I guess she's qualified to serve in Obama's cabinet now.

This is old news, friends... she requested that the matter be investigated back in August.

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"These issues were raised during the national campaign and as result of the national campaign the governor asked us to look into this," [Department of Administration Commissioner Annette] Kreitzer said. Palin had collected nearly $17,000 in per diem payments before she was named to the Republican ticket. The expenses were paid for more than 300 nights she slept at her home in the Anchorage suburb of Wasilla and commuted 40 miles to her Anchorage office instead of living in the governor's mansion in Juneau, the state capital. Juneau, in the Alaska Panhandle 600 miles from Wasilla, is only accessible by airplane or ship.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090218...alin_per_diem_1

She requested the matter be investigated, which is better than getting found out and then playing dumb and acting like you couldn't navigate Turbo Tax, a la Geitner.

But, taxes gotta be paid. She needs to pay up.

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Originally posted by Lebezniatnikov http://www.adn.com/palin/story/693695.html /waits patiently for the outrage to pour in from the17sss...

OMG did you even read your link?

you're capable of some fairly keen insight but that attempt at ridicule was pathetic, sorry.

why do people hate her so much? i can understand differing political views but peopel only generate this much hate against someone or something if they feel threatened in some way by them.

LIBERAL BDS SUFFERER's RULE OF THUMB #1: if Olberman isn't running with it in heavy rotation ad nauseum like an inbred golden retriever with a stick in it's mouth, it's best not to touch it for fear of further percieved psychosis.

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Originally posted by Q5echo why do people hate her so much? i can understand differing political views but peopel only generate this much hate against someone or something if they feel threatened in some way by them.

it's hard to describe, but she has an quality that makes you either despise her or love her.

For me, her dumb quirky comments drive me insane. The "ya betchas" and the country twang really rub me the wrong way. It has more to do with her outward appearance, i.e., the way she presents herself to the world, than any of her positions. While I don't agree with many of her positions that isn't the reason i despise the woman.

FYI - there are also a ton of democrats whom i despise; kennedy, pelosi, and Rangel are three I could think of without any significant effort.

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Originally posted by Q5echo why do people hate her so much?

She's the real life version of a cartoon character that represents everything wrong with this country.

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Originally posted by Clovis She's the real life version of a cartoon character that represents everything wrong with this country.

yeah but why? is vague the new irrational?

EDIT> anyways, only a meat head would srsly think a cartoon character could represent everything wrong with this country. try again.

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Originally posted by Q5echo OMG did you even read your link? you're capable of some fairly keen insight but that attempt at ridicule was pathetic, sorry. why do people hate her so much? i can understand differing political views but peopel only generate this much hate against someone or something if they feel threatened in some way by them. LIBERAL BDS SUFFERER's RULE OF THUMB #1: if Olberman isn't running with it in heavy rotation ad nauseum like an inbred golden retriever with a stick in it's mouth, it's best not to touch it for fear of further percieved psychosis.

How does pointing out that it happens to your darling Republican savior too constitute hate?

My point is that if there's going to be outrage that Daschle and Geithner owed back-taxes, we might as well be consistent.

Also, I don't watch Olbermann. Sorry.

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Originally posted by Lebezniatnikov Also, I don't watch Olbermann. Sorry.

I detect a glimmer of hope in you Lebez. One day, we'll have a break-through

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Originally posted by The17sss I detect a glimmer of hope in you Lebez. One day, we'll have a break-through

I've never really watched Olbermann. That's why I cringe everytime I see you quote Rush or some other right-winger; it would be the equivalent of me getting my news from the likes of Michael Moore and Olbermann.

Obama transition team pay-for-play scandal of the week. Un fucking real.

Adolfo Carrion, named as Obama's "urban czar", took thousands of dollars in donations from developers as Bronx borough president just before and after the developers scored big with approved projects:

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The man who is President Obama�s newly minted urban czar pocketed thousands of dollars in campaign cash from city developers whose projects he approved or funded with taxpayers� money, a Daily News probe found. Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion often received contributions just before or after he sponsored money for projects or approved important zoning changes, records show. Most donations were organized and well-timed. In one case, a developer became a Carrion fund-raiser two months before the borough president signed off on his project, raising more than $6,000 in campaign cash. In another, eight Boricua College officials came up with $8,000 on the same day for Carrion three weeks before the school filed plans to build a new tower. Carrion ultimately approved the project and sponsored millions in taxpayer funds for it.

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local...ns_rained_.html

"Some will say that this is just a coincidence. If so, then Carrion has to be one of the luckiest fellows in New York. The Daily News details a few of the highlights in Carrion�s ledger and in Bronx development over the last few years:

-Jonathan Coren started fundraising for Carrion three weeks before getting permission to build 166 units of affordable housing. Cohen had never raised funds for any politician before then, but managed to raise over $2500 for Carrion before getting the project. He raised over $3000 in a few weeks afterwards.
-Boricua Village first hit the books in March 2006. Three weeks later, its backers raised $8750 for Carrion � all on the same day, from eight separate donors. Over the next year, Carrion would get almost $70,000 from Boricua College and Atlantic Development sources, and it paid off as Carrion approved the project.
-BTM Development Partners needed a critical zoning change for a project that elicited a large number of complaints about potential traffic and other problems in the community. Its executives began writing $1000 checks to Carrion. Three months later, they announced plans for hotel-retail complex, and four months after that, Carrion and the Bronx approved the zoning changes necessary.

After Bill Richardson and Hillary Clinton, one might think that the Obama vetting team would have learned something. Apparently not, although in this case, they may not have to worry much. An �urban czar� doesn�t require Senate confirmation, which would have derailed Richardson and should have derailed Hillary.

Even apart from this, though, why does Obama need an �urban czar� at all? Wouldn�t any of the tasks assigned to Carrion normally fall under the aegis of Housing and Urban Development? Shaun Donovan must wonder why he�s attending Cabinet meetings. Does a Secretary outrank a Czar? If so, why have the czar at all?

One thing is certain. Obama ran on a pledge to change the way Washington works. Who knew he meant that he would increase the power of cronyism, payoffs, and patronage?"

* - We did. We warned people constantly about Chicago Machine politics. Too bad people didn�t listen.

-Ed Morrissey

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