How Many Tax Evaders Are Acceptable?

Here we go again! Headline on Yahoo News Trade nominee Ron Kirk agrees to pay back taxes! Yet he's the right person for the job.

What in the heck is going on? Everyone is complaining about the tax payer money the administration is pouring into businesses that should be allowed to fail, mortgages that people shouldn't have in the first place and programs that haven't been thought through as to the possible unexpected consequences. Nothing new here. It's politics. It's also known that we are actually borrowing this money from foreign countries, mostly China. Why? Could it be that too many tax payers aren't paying?

Okay, the tax code is confusing at best and it's easy for an individual to make mistakes. But what about the tax programs you buy to simplify the process? Plug in the numbers and walla, you've got your tax return. Are they flawed? Or all the tax preparation companies that have their Uncle Sams on the street corners to entice you in. Do they know what they're doing? And the professionals on a higher level who work with the Daschles of the world; do they not sit down with their clients to make sure everything is in order before submitting the return for signature? Or are these people, you know the tax payer who signs the return, truly - cheats? And if they are why are they being included in the administration under the guise that it's a "few minor issues"?

There has been much criticism about the bailout packages rewarding people for bad behavior. I believe it to be true but apparently I am wrong. Bad business decisions. Buying unaffordable homes and allowing it to be done. What the heck, those are but a few minor issues.

How can it be anything else when this is the standard applied to those who would serve in the administration? The return was prepared by a paid tax preparer. Right. Now you know where the buck really stops!

One Man's Pork Is Another's Bacon!

Kathleen Parker's column in today's Spokesman Review talked about how Bobby Jindal's Republican staff nearly did in his political ambitions by the way they framed him in his response to Obama's speech to Congress. As an aside, I agree that he is one of the bright spots in the Republican gloom and left to his own instincts he'll do just fine.

The point of this post, however, is something that was mentioned almost in passing in the column. She pointed out an instance where he was emphasizing excess pork in the stimulus bill. She also mentioned one attributed to Sarah Palin as a gaffe along the same lines. Jindal's was the mention of "volcano monitoring" as wasteful spending. I think not. Just think about it.

Palin's was a reference to fruit fly research as silly spending. Then Parker points out that fruit fly research is crucial to medical research. Did you know that? I did not.

Now I'm going to jump on the media and watchdog groups. True, there are a lot of projects that raise many an eyebrow with good reason, but now I'm wondering how many, even though they may sound silly, are not.

We know the media has become personality driven, too many reporters are lazy and substance is often lacking not to mention objectivity. I would like to see an explanation of pork projects paired with a justification before I'm so quick to condemn them.

Congress embeds pork in bills. They all have computers, cell phones, land lines, Blackberries and web sites. More and more are utilizing Twitter. Spare me. It's not like they don't have better things to do. Point being, they are not difficult to access. So ladies and gentlemen of the media, those of you who still have jobs, how about doing a little probing about these projects and inform those of us who still listen to you or read your papers. Just in case you wonder why there are so few of us and your papers are folding around you, it may be because you're not doing your jobs. I'd not expect to get this information from a columnist. I would expect it from a reporter.

Mass condemnation because we don't like pork no longer makes sense. If you guys want to continue to take home the bacon, talk to us about pork!

Roses And Thorns

Will you look at that! Democrats and Republicans giving a standing ovation during Obama's speech to the joint Houses of Congress. How I hope it was sincere rather than just for show.

I've done my share of complaining about the recovery packages that are being passed into law; the cost along with the amount of pork that has been included. And I've done a fair amount of complaining about the missteps our new President has made; or rather that his "people" have not prevented him from making. Therein lies the problem and I think it's worth hammering home.

I give Obama an A for effort. He's barely a month into his Presidency and look at what he has accomplished. Whether or not you agree with its substance, it is a phenomenal accomplishment. It shows me that, in keeping with his word, he has a plan.

The Republicans are beating their breasts and screaming waste. Well. Where were they with their plans when they held the power as the Democrats do now? Most of what was heard, that has not been kept secret, was bloviating from incessant hearings with little to show at the end. The war raged and the country withered.

I listen to all the snarky comments about the "Messiah" and how he's governing by photo op and that Michelle wore a sleeveless dress in February. Ho hum. At least he is bringing forward actual ideas. He is correct. And this is so important. The old ways that have been tried haven't worked. It's time to try something new.

They may work. They may not. At least the effort is being made by the Administration, as imperfect as they may seem to many of us. What more can we ask? A lot - from Congress.

I got a kick out of watching Nancy Pelosi lead each wave of applause. No wonder she stays so slim. She had a pretty good workout last night. But she, along with the rest of her colleagues in both houses ought to remember these ideas haven't really come from them as much as Obama and his teams of advisers.

We may not agree with all that is being put forth but without viable alternatives, obstructionism for the sake of same is disheartening to say the least.

I'm proud of our President, even in disagreement. I'm proud to have someone who can articulate, I'm encouraged that he is young and vigorous. I love the fact that his daughters are a picture of youth and vitality in the stodgy world of Washington politics.

I especially appreciate how astute they are. Dinner table conversation revolves around a game called Roses and Thorns. Each recalls a "rose" moment and a "thorn" moment from their day. Malia is reported to have said to her Dad, "You have a really thorny job."

They are of a generation yet to come into their own. Astute. The country is going to be just fine.

Out Of The Mouths Of Babes

One reason I was so pro Obama during the election season was due to his age. No one knows better how old and tired those of my generation are then we members of it. I've felt for a long time new energy needs to be introduced into the process of running the country to the running of businesses large and small. Heck, energy period. A commodity which I find in short supply these days.

One of the more difficult aspects of adjusting to the generational difference is one of realizing attitudes differ. It is no longer taboo to have sex before marriage and children out of wedlock. In my day the guys had bragging rights and the girls were ostracized. Morality has a new definition. I don't even know what it is any more. It is a rite of passage of sorts. I well remember my Mom complaining about differences in thinking between herself and her care givers. "Why should I give up my standards just because they don't have any," she would grouse. I find myself having similar thoughts more and more often, but unlike her, I realize the realities of my generation are very different from today's.

Sometimes, though, the very young seem to have better heads on their shoulders then their parents. As in the case of Bristol Palin; she has come to realize the huge responsibility she now bears due to the loosening of what I would have defined as morality.

She is still young enough not to have had ambition and expediency take over truth and common sense. As her mother seeks constant face time in the media, Bristol has had time to reflect. While her mother is crusading for her Christian conservative principles, one of which is the teaching of abstinence for young people; young Bristol is saying, on FOX News no less, that abstinence is "not realistic at all".

When Sarah Palin said about Bristol's baby, "He's going to be just fine", she's probably correct. Because he has Bristol for a mom; not Sarah. I cannot help but wish both mother, father and son the very best. And please, continue to recognize and speak the truth.

Pelosi And The Pope - Does Either One Get It?

As I've watched Hillary's love tour progress around Asia I've found myself wondering if we really need a Secretary of State when we have all these Congressional delegations doing much the same thing. After all it's a redundancy of effort and an expensive one. I have no idea how many people are in Clinton's entourage, but Nancy Pelosi has seven other Democrats in hers! Not counting staff of course.

Nancy Pelosi? What the heck is she doing in Rome on my dollar? It's bad enough Obama is flying around on his big plane anywhere and everywhere. As is Hillary. I may think it's being a bit over done considering these economic times, but it is, at least, a part of their jobs. But Pelosi? She's a legislator! Supposedly she is talking with top Italian officials about the economic crisis and other "leading issues", whatever they may be. Oh, yes, she's talking to them about the environment and the situations in the Middle East, Iraq and Afghanistan. Right. How many troops do the Italians have committed? Or is it just chit chat?

I'm sorry. It's bad enough we, who pay our taxes and mortgages yet see the value of everything we hold dear diminish, are asked to bail out the deadbeats, but to also have to fund automatic pay raises and worldwide boondoggles is more than I can swallow. Enough!

Other than great food, wine and good shopping, what is she getting for our buck? An admonishment for every Catholic office holder who might dare to be pro choice? This from a man, and he is merely a man, who reinstated a Bishop who fervently denies the truth of the Holocaust? Talk about not getting it!

Everyone in the country is being asked to pay for the excesses of others. That should include government officials. There is not a one of them that can understand our pain unless they suffer a bit themselves. So far I'm not seeing it.

If It Looks Like A Duck And Quacks like A Duck, Is It A Duck?

Attorney General Eric Holder, in a speech to Justice Department employees, said the Untied States is a nation of cowards on matters of race and that most Americans avoid discussing awkward racial issues.

That begs me to question if such is the reason Roland Burris is still a member of the United States Senate. A spotlight seeking egomaniac with questionable abilities, he has been controversial from the start as Obama's replacement. He convinced everyone, at the outset, that he was squeaky clean when it came to his appointment by "Pay to Play" Blogojevich. Well, as squeaky clean as one is when involved in Illinois politics. Which would seem to be not very.

That he is an embarrassment is an understatement. What I don't understand is why the revelations that are coming out now weren't discovered before he was sworn in. At first he swore he had no contact with either Blago nor any of his team. Now, he claims, it was a matter of semantics; one question being answered while another was being asked thus confusing both. Balderdash! He lied. Pure and simple. He's on the bloody tapes!

Next I wonder why the ethics committee is pussy footing around this. Is it because he's black? That was why scrutiny was eased at the beginning. No one wanted their objections to be linked with race.

This is truly a bad play within a bad play. Obama continues to cover the country in an attempt to convince us all these billions of dollars going to a multitude of bailouts is necessary. Sorry. I'm not convinced. When GM is asking for loans on top of loans and the same man sits at the helm, I'm not convinced. When Nancy Pelosi's marsh rat gets zillions for saving it's habitat I'm not convinced.

When the new attorney general states we're a nation afraid to discuss that which is awkward, he has a point but it has nothing to do with race. After all, we did speak out for hope and change. Why is it so many individuals haven't gotten the message? Because we're too timid to call them on the carpet because they happen to be black? I don't think so. I think we're just too timid, period.

Who's next? There are a whole lot of Chicago and Illinois politicians in this administration. If they're all as squeaky clean as Burris, regardless of race, we're in big trouble. We'll be governed by nothing more than a bunch of quacks. Not unlike an ostrich with its head in the sand, we'll have ducks with their heads underwater and their tails in the air. As they hold their collective breath hoping not to drown, we're the ones who will be tortured!

Do You Know What's Under Your Bed?

I love skimming the headlines and finding two from unrelated stories that make a story of their own. Such was the case today when I read that newly appointed New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has removed two rifles she kept under her bed for protection. Maybe she feels living in Washington D.C. to be safer haven.

Widely criticized for her support of gun owners' rights when she was appointed to Hillary Clinton's seat, she may have been on to something. Representing an upstate New York district may have its perils.

Across the state in Orchard Park the police are investigating the beheading of a woman; the wife of an influential member of the Muslim community. The husband walked into the police station and reported that she was dead - at his place of business. He ran Bridges TV, designed to show the Muslim community in a positive light. Oops!

Of course she broke every rule in the book by filing for divorce and taking out a restraining order against him. The district attorney was quoted as saying, "Obviously this is the worst domestic violence possible." Do you think?

He has been charged with second degree murder. Second degree? Wow. Maybe it's because they have yet to find the murder weapon. I doubt it's under her bed!

I think if I still lived in upstate New York I might just have a rifle or two stashed under my bed too. You just never know who your neighbors might be!

While Congress Postures Hillary Earns Her Pay!

The Monday morning papers around here are usually light in weight and substance. I guess reporters don't work week ends on the assumption that news worthy events do not occur. Or else editors figure it's a time to get their money's worth from the wire services.

If that's the case today was their bonus. Oh, there was news all right. Hillary began her first official trip as Madam Secretary with a warning to North Korea that it needs to live up to its commitments to dismantle its nuclear programs. The Pakistani government, an ally of sorts, has cut a deal with the Taliban to allow them to impose Islamic law in the strategic Swat Valley. Think subjugation of women and school burning for starters.

The Venezuelans have over turned term limits which will allow the sane and beneficent Hugo Chavez to run for office for as long as he lives, effectively turning his tenure into a dictatorship. Oil, anyone?

The Iraqis admit there was fraud in their recent elections but not enough to be concerned about. And then there is Israel. Ah yes, the country we be beholden to forever. Our dear and staunch ally of allies! They've now seized 400 plus acres in the West Bank opening the door for more settlements. Despite their promise to the U.S. to refrain from doing so. Think peace gone down the tubes one more time.

I hope Hillary is as good as she thinks she is! Her hands will be full and her wits challenged.

Meanwhile our new President is having to travel the country to drum up support for his programs while the Republicans wave paper and belly ache about pork. For that I would applaud them if they had done something better during the time they had in the leadership. They didn't. Ms. Pelosi and Mr. Reid had better remember what happened to them for lack of performance. They were turned out. I feel like I'm on a see saw and can't get off.

One thing both sides need to remember. It took a world war to get us on the road to recovery after the last stifling depression. It seems like our enemies and allies alike know we're bickering within and are taking advantage of it. Is this the mind set? The stimulus to economies that wars bring? If that's the case forget about saving GM and Chrysler. It will be all desert camouflage Jeeps and Hummers.

Just don't bet this time around it will be contained on another continent. I personally don't want to ask, "Where have all the young men gone? Gone for soldiers, every one."

Huckabee - What A Stretch!

Wow. The ink isn't even dry on the stimulus compromise and the religious right is already up in arms!

Mike Huckabee has declared it "anti-religious". What?? It must have really hurt to have to take both the Democrats and Republicans to task for this offense. After all, it is a 'bi-partisan' bill. Well. Hardly. Three Republicans signing on hardly makes it 'bi-partisan'!

What, however, was so egregious it warranted this response? Both the House and the Senate version banned higher education funds from going to either a school or department of divinity. What's his rationale?

Actually the Congress got this right. It's what separation of church and state is all about. If included, how would you explain it to the tax payers? How would you explain to one religious persuasion that their tax dollars were being spent to support a religious persuasion to which they might be strongly opposed?

I'm not sure higher education funds fit the parameters of "stimulus, but if they do, the Huckabee wing of the Republican party needs to do better than this. It will, for sure, "stimulate"! It will "stimulate" strong opposition from those of us who actually understand and support the premise of separation of church and state!

Police Guild = Justice Denied

There are days when I just don't get it! You read time and time again about zero tolerance policies, especially in our schools. A little kid who may have a GI Joe with a gun tucked in the innards of his back pack is expelled. A disruptive eight year old is led off in handcuffs because a teacher felt threatened. By an eight year old girl!

Sex offenders have to register even if the crime was sex between a nineteen year old and his sixteen year old girl friend.

Appointees to high government positions pay their taxes only when the job may be at stake.

Now, the Spokane Police Department is back in the headlines. An officer gets reinstated with back pay after arbitration ruled firing was too stiff a penalty. For what? For driving his city assigned car after having been drinking and using his city issued cell phone to snap pictures of a bare breasted woman then having sex with her in her car.

According to arbitration, the penalty was too stiff. He deserved punishment but not dismissal.

Here's Dogwalk's take. There was no policy regarding cell phone pictures. Come on! It was city property. A Mayor was ousted for cruising gay web sites on a city computer!

He was nowhere near legally intoxicated. Just when was he tested? He's a police officer for crying out loud! What can I say?

Excited about his reinstatement he let it be known he didn't want to work anywhere else. Who can blame him? Spokane police, time and time again get a free pass! I give a thumbs up to Chief Kirkpatrick for firing him; a thumbs down for saying "That's our system of justice and I respect that." As for the officer, Spokane is welcome to him.

Unions. They protect athletes who cheat. They demand concessions that reduce companies to the verge of bankruptcy. Think baseball and the auto industry as examples. They protect police officers from punishment for behavior that would have landed the rest of us in jail.

Isn't it time we reassess the zero tolerance rules now on the books before somebody really gets hurt?

With $3.3 Billion in U.S. Aid Is This The Best Iraq Can Do?

I've spent several of my recent posts lambasting our government and those who run it. It has been an outlet for pent up (or maybe not so pent up) frustration. Then a story comes along that makes me repent, knowing full well this is the best country in the world. Especially for women.

The AP tells us that Iraq's state minister for women's affairs has resigned. Nawal al-Samarraie's task was to improve the lives of women left poor or abandoned by the war. Calling it a "full army of widows", al-Samarraie estimates the number at around three million. This does not include children for whom they are responsible.

Lasting only six months on the job, this gynecologist and mother of five, came into it full of ideas like setting up regional offices and vocational training. But her office and staff of 18 was not a full ministry and had little authority and fewer financial resources. Soon she found herself dipping into her own pocket to try and help.

Making up 65% of the population, many of the most desperate have been successfully recruited as suicide bombers. They have nothing more to lose.

If this doesn't drive home the point that many cultures consider women as nothing more than chattel I don't know what will. Iraq. Into which we are pouring billions of dollars of aid!

We have given Iraq $3.3 billion in aid. Al-Samarraie's budget was cut from $7,500 to $1,500 per month! To care for three million plus citizens of the newly democratic Iraq!

I had concerns about a female President being effective in such a climate. I also have the same concerns about a female Secretary of State. Protocol officers will make sure everything is according to Hoyle for the photo ops, but where it goes from there is any one's guess.

At this point in time, I wish everyone success. Our new President. Our new Secretary of State and those who would help their own like Dr. al-Samarraie. This is one reason why I get so frustrated with our own politicians who seem to have lost sight of country for special interests.

We don't have three plus million war widows - yet. We should not ignore the fact that there are other countries with which we are involved who do. When we are the ones who in large measure created the climate in which this can happen we need be aware there is no gender gap when it comes to bitterness and the corresponding desperate measures. When one has nothing more to lose.

Quit Campaigning And Start Governing!

The Republicans warned us. The other Democratic candidates warned us. Obama has never run anything!

I chose to overlook the lack of experience, preferring to focus on the message. I was heartened when he surrounded himself with people of experience. Of course I made the same error in judgement with the Bush administration. Cheney. Rumsfeld. Men with vast experience in more than one administration. Look what that got us!

I never would have anticipated the problems Obama's choices have had in paying their taxes. All I had to do was look back at the Clinton administration where several of his nominees ran into the same road blocks. In my version of hope, I'd have thought the nominees would have learned! Oh well. I also remember that Clinton's entire eight years was a constant campaign for one thing or another.

I hope that isn't the model Obama intends to follow. Let's face it, the stimulus bill is a bad one. I'm disgusted that the Democrats and Republicans can't sit down together and work out what it's supposed to be. But then I'm giving them credit which is not due. We're asking politicians to make tough economic decisions. It's like asking Bacchus to analyze what's wrong with him and tell us how to fix it. It's that ludicrous.

I also fault Obama for not laying out guidelines in the first place rather than turning it over to Congress and saying "bring me a bill." That is not leadership. I also fault him for not going through it himself and striking the non-stimulus measures.

So tomorrow he's going to take his big plane and head out to see the people. I wish him well because support for this monstrosity is eroding and all the slick rhetoric in the world can't break it down into convincingly understandable parts. Because there are none. And Congress won't step up to the plate and do what's needed to be done. No matter what the Senate sends back to the house Nancy Pelosi will have her way with it.

As an aside, I worry when I learn former Marine General Anthony Zinni was offered the Ambassadorship to Iraq by both National Security Advisor James Jones and confirmed by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, only to learn in an article in the Washington Post the position was given to an outgoing Assistant Secretary of State for Asia! What a way to find out you've been shafted! Just what's the story here??

This is not only a rocky start, but a near disastrous one. Will the ship of state right itself? Does it have a Captain? Maybe we should find Jack Sparrow. At least he has a compass!

Congress Fiddles!

Nero fiddles while Rome burns. Congress fiddles while the country burns! And so do I!

I've spent some time over the past couple of days watching Robert Gibbs give the White House press briefing. Time and time again he is asked if Obama has lost control and time and time again he claims the administration did not expect to change the way Congress does business in three short weeks.

It's a good thing because they haven't changed one iota. I am thoroughly disgusted with both the Democrats and the Republicans. Nancy Pelosi allowing all the pork to be added to the stimulus bill in the House saying that since they won they get to write the legislation. The Republicans digging in their heels for the sake of digging in their heels. It makes me want to pick both sides up by the scruff of their necks and shake them! Grow up! Get over it!

Ms. Pelosi. You did not win. Obama won with the promise of change. Many like me voted for him because we believed in the man; not necessarily the entirety of his message. You, fellow Democrats, aren't giving him a chance.

There are fourteen centrist members of the Senate trying to compromise on the stimulus package. No where near enough! Cut all the non-stimulus measures and come back to them another time. Give the Republicans something they want and get on with it! You know. Compromise!

Huge demands are being made of the companies and executives who have already and will receive bailout money. How about some demands on Congress to get something done instead of all the partisan posturing! This isn't about philosophical differences. This is about power pure and simple.

Yeah, I know. I'm on a really short fuse. My dog is dying, I'm emotionally exhausted and I'm not suffering fools kindly. Funny, though, I'd be on just as short a fuse without all the emotional baggage. Following politics will do that to you!

Governing By "Photo Op"

Hub, being a Republican at heart, is not enthralled with the daily Obama photo op nor the media's obsession with him. Like myself, he recognizes the flaws in sound bites. The current one that has us both concerned is the capping of executive salaries at $500,000 if their company receives bailout money. If one understands the way the business community works, a cap this severe may make we ordinary folks feel good but does little else that's constructive.

I'll agree that multi million dollar bonuses should be curbed along with retirement packages that are worth more than most of us will see in a lifetime. However, we should also consider what will be lost.

The President's salary is $400,000 per year. Everything else, with the exception of clothing and tooth paste is paid for by the taxpayers. For instance, using Air Force One costs somewhere in the vicinity of $27,000 per hour. That alone would kick his salary in to the million dollar range in very short order.

I agree with the premise that executives should not be rewarded for failing. I also feel actors are over paid at $15,000,000 per film and athletes making millions of dollars for playing their games. We should perhaps be looking at their tax returns too!

As for executives of companies receiving bailout money, they might not be guilty of failing as much as being the result of others failing. Should they be so penalized?

Then too, back to the question of what else will be lost. Assuming there are good guys caught up in this and they pay their taxes, they are used to living on multi million dollar salaries. With that comes the probability of multiple households and all the help and upkeep that is needed to maintain them. Nannies, cooks, housekeepers, grounds keepers, etc. Those are people being employed by those millions of dollars. Do we want them added to the already burdened unemployment rolls?

Consider the homes themselves. Do we want the keys to them thrown back at the banks who already have more than they can handle?

There's a lot of trickle down here and a whole lot of big brotherism that needs to be fleshed out to make sense. Consider that former Treasury Secretary Paulson forced banks that did not want bailout money to take it anyway. There is a flurry of activity afoot for companies to find funding partners so they can give the bailout money back. Those partners will no doubt be foreign entities.

It isn't as cut and dried as the rhetoric makes it sound. The administration has already backed off the "buy American" mantra due to threatened repercussions from other countries.

Soaring rhetoric and indignation sounds wonderful but it needs substance behind it. So far the substance, let alone how to enforce the pronouncements, has been lacking.

As with his cabinet appointees, Obama might be wise and cut out the photo op of the day and give himself time to think things through. The constant reminder that "I won" won't get him far if we the people continue to lose.

These Requests Are "Shovel Ready" All Right!

Boy, can a picture ever tell it all! Today was the U.S. Conference of Mayors' turn to come forward with hat in hand and their lists of "shovel ready" projects. In reading through some of the requests I'm beginning to think we are a nation governed by those who just don't get it.

Granted, a lot of the projects would indeed provide jobs and therefore stimulate the economy. However, by their own admission, some used the "throw spaghetti against the wall" approach. Throw enough and some of it will stick.

The Wall Street Journal listed some of them. $2 million for neon lights for Las Vegas. Enlightening. $4.5 for butterfly gardens and gopher tortoises for an "eco" park in Boynton Park, FL. $500,000 for an off leash dog park in Chula Vista, CA. $3 million for an environmentally friendly golf course clubhouse in Lincoln Nebraska. The construction of said clubhouse would create a whopping 54 jobs! Then what?

I shouldn't leave out $886,000 for a 36 hole "disc golf" course in Austin TX and Shreveport, LA wants the Feds to pony up the funding for eight Harley-Davidson's for their police department. Vrooooom!

Either these mayors are the smartest politicians in the country or the dumbest of the dumb. I'm not sure. When they look at what Congressional pork projects have included previously, why not try? On the other hand this does not seem to me to be the time for frivolous wish listing. It gives me the feeling the economic meltdown is not being taken seriously.

Is it?

Bailout - Dogwalk Style

I listened to the White House press briefing this morning and of course the majority of the questions surrounded the withdrawal of Tom Daschle and Nancy Kellifer, the Performance Officer nominee. Interesting point about Ms. Kellifer is that she once actually worked for the IRS!

Some of the questions revolved around the vetting process. The answer was always, "The President believes in the process." Then came praise for how these tax evaders have served their country so ably.

That being the case, I've got the solution. Greed has been discussed as part of the housing crisis. Lenders lending to those who couldn't afford the payback. Buyers buying above their means. Now think about this. Maybe it hasn't been your experience but any time Hub and I applied for a new mortgage or to re-finance one, we've had to submit our tax returns as proof of income. Of course in Daschle's case he'd have had to actually report the income on which he neglected to pay taxes.

The vetters should take a page from the mortgage application book and demand tax returns for all potential administration hires and appointees. This could deter future embarrassment assuming, unlike Daschle, actual income was reported.

Over and above that have each and every appointed official and elected member of Congress undergo an IRS audit. My guess is that would make raising taxes to help restock the treasury unnecessary. Just collect them!

I can remember when my Mom was audited after my dad died because of a discrepency. She had inherited some stock from her father back in the '50s but could not provide the cost basis to provide the value of the gains. We searched everywhere knowing my Dad was a meticulous record keeper but they were no where to be found. That exercise cost her somewhere around $8,000 she could ill afford. This was a 79 year old widow.

The point of the story is the Tax Man can dig, if so motivated, until it hurts. No documentation, pay up plus penalty. Maybe the Tax Men should remember they too pay taxes and in turn are contributing to all these bailouts brought about by greed. Not oversight. Greed.

What I'd now like to hear from our new President, one who I strongly supported, is that he withdrew the nominations. Not that he regrets them. What he should regret is not knowing in the first place, if he actually did not. I hope he gets it right before I start regretting my support.

Have We Lost Our Moral Compass?

From the executives at Citigroup who will get 60% of their obscene bonuses even after the bailout to the local vet who refused to euthanize a dog because the owner couldn't afford it, I'm wondering if all the hype over hope and change has failed to penetrate our thick skulls!

On the "tell me something I don't know" segment of the Chris Matthews show, Bob Woodward said the issues of unpaid taxes were not over for Obama appointees. He didn't name names but assured Matthews there were names yet to come. A vote is due on an admitted tax cheat for Treasury Secretary. The headlines this morning tell me Lobbyists skirt Obama's earmark ban.

There are efforts being made to include adding sand to a beach in New Jersey and building a water park in Miami as part of the stimulus package! We're told the mall in D.C. needs re-sodded. How many hundreds of those promised jobs is that going to create? Please!

Another headline tells that a lack of grants and other funding will end a transportation service in Spokane to get seniors and disabled to doctors appointments. Well, thats certainly a method of population control!

The mayor of Portland refuses to step down after admitting he had lied about an improper relationship with a minor. He had this to say, "Tomorrow I go back to work as your mayor. I know I have let you down and made mistakes. I ask your forgiveness. I believe I have a lot to offer the city I love during this time of important challenges."

Please forgive him! Please forgive Bill Richardson and Rod Blogojevich and Timothy Geitner. How about throwing in all those banking execs who have gotten billions but won't account for them Forgive them. Don't forget former Treasury Secretary Paulson for giving it to them carte blanche. Forgive him.

My understanding and forgiveness quotient is tapped out. We have a new President who is trying to bring forward ideas to get us out of the mess we've gotten ourselves into. That won't happen unless we get beyond our own selfish interests and work with him. I'm not seeing that. I'm seeing no remorse for anything other than getting caught.

It's a sorry day when the letter "O" no longer brings to mind Obama, but rather a collective "Oops"!

Food For Thought Might Do Well As Pub Grub

We have much in common with our friends across the Pond. One is enjoying the camaraderie to be found in an English Pub or, in our case, a local bar. Like "Cheers", often every one knows your name and if you're a stranger when you enter you are not when you leave.

Hub and I have a favorite or two we visit whenever we're in the neighborhood. One is gone. The gentrification of Whitechapel, Jack the Ripper territory, has caused many to close including our favorite, The Alma.

Another is for the same reason many of our local establishments are thinking of applying for bailout money. The smoking ban. The health police are telling us it's for our own good and cite the hazards of inhaling second hand smoke. I don't know. I don't smoke. Haven't for years and as an adult, if it worries me that much I don't have to enter. Somehow a bar without a smoky haze just isn't a bar. It's a generational thing I suppose.

Europeans seem to smoke a lot more than we do and the ban has been devastating to the pub business and its workers! According to a letter in the Financial Times the smoking bans can kill pub workers! While true many workers may have been spared the "possibility" of getting lung cancer 40 years down the road, research is showing that the stress from job loss is causing severe consequences now!

It is pointed out that with 50 pub closures a week, each employing about ten, results in a five year loss of 100,000 or so jobs. A study several years ago found for each 1% difference in income resulted in 21 deaths per 100,000 per year. It went on to point out that if those 100,000 had their incomes cut by 50% for the five year period, that would result in over 1,000 extra deaths per year.

The statistical claims rationalizing the smoking ban was 100 lives possible saved 40 years down the road.

Statistical fluctuations no doubt apply, but the thrust of the letter is that the smoking ban in England and Ireland is killing the very people it was meant to save. To add to an already grim story, it is suggested that the politicians who voted the ban in were well aware of the studies and what they showed.

It would seem politicians abroad are as inept as our own when it comes to looking at the full picture before passing legislation. It's a continuation of the mind set revealed in my post from yesterday about recalling all the toys not certified lead free. It is no comfort to share that commonality!

It makes me wonder if our lawmakers were aware of these studies in their rush to ban smoking. If you excuse them for not knowing because the studies were not American studies, think again. The gentleman who wrote the letter is Michael J. McFadden, Philadelphia, PA, US - author of Dissecting Antismokers' Brains.

I wish he'd write one entitled, Dissecting Politicians' Brains!

"Toy Story" Congressional Style

I've become increasingly aware of two truths in politics. No matter how charismatic the President elect may be, how sincere, how well meaning, how able, he'll always have Congress to muck things up.

This time around it's a double whammy because his own party is in power. I have a reader who was at odds with my support for Obama, fearing what might be down the road with one party in control. I didn't disagree with his premise. But the more I watch these men and women we've elected, it seems to me it matters which party holds the power. They're all nuts!

Take for example a column in this morning's Wall Street Journal, Pelosi's Toy Story. It informs us of a law to go into effect in February that will require all unsold children's books and toys and clothing that have not been tested for lead and so certified to be scrapped. Do these people ever, ever think of the ramifications of their actions?

This action is so ludicrous I'm having trouble comprehending it. One more over reaction. Plus the question of how did any of us survive our lives to this point before Big Brother Government became paramount?

How many toy makers have the ability to get their products tested? You know, like the grandfatherly guy down the street that makes toys and sells them at fairs? Books? Is there really lead in paper and ink? Clothes?

Yes, toy safety has been an issue. Especially those made in China. An across the board destroying of those not "tested" however seems a tad extreme. Plus, what about the toys, etc. from those very same shelves that have already been sold or will be prior to the February date? Are those poor children doomed to death by lead poisoning? I rather doubt it.

When Congress passed this legislation in August Nancy Pelosi chortled, "With this legislation, we will not only be recalling, we will be removing those products from the shelves." Well, add the toy stores, especially the little independents, to the bailout list!

What was she thinking? Rather than passing just plain stupid legislation in attempt to woo us into believing they are actually doing something why don't they put in the hours necessary to think these things through?

I know the reason. It would take away from their campaigning which begins the day after they are elected.

I was so enthralled with the Obama candidacy and election, I totally forgot who caused all the problems he campaigned against in the first place. Mostly Congress by their actions or lack thereof.

Funny. When I was a kid the paint in my room had lead in it. I never ate it. I had toys with button eyes and fuzzy fur. I never ate any of that either.

I guess I just never had the taste for it.

To Those Who Would Serve - Pony Up!

Have you noticed that Obama's dream team is turning out to be less than perfect? Supposedly his selections for the Cabinet are thoroughly vetted before being offered a position. The process needs some fine tuning!

First there was Bill Richardson falling by the wayside by being under a Federal investigation. There are questions regarding Attorney General select Eric Holder for his part in pardons during the Clinton administration and the question of National Security Director designate Admiral Dennis Blair's role in backing the Indonesian occupation of East Timor back in the '90s.

Today, according to an AP report, we have yet another. Treasury Secretary nominee Timothy Geithner is having to explain why he failed to pay personal taxes and check the immigration status of a housekeeper! At least with Hillary, I think, the questions are more about Bill's relationships and activities rather her own.

The vetting process aside, I'm wondering what it says about these men who have been chosen to serve! Richardson knew he was under investigation, Blair knew what his activities were in East Timor and certainly a potential Treasury Secretary, Geithner, would remember he had failed to pay his taxes! If he doesn't remember, being a money man, I don't want him managing mine!

Is the urge to be part of the power base so strong it precludes honesty? And if it does do we want these men serving? I understand the mandatory questionnaire one must fill out to even be considered to be considered for a post in the Obama administration is so stringent it's practically a "boxers or briefs" probe!

I can't help wondering who will be next, what little tidbit will be revealed and how it will be explained away. All these men are well aware of the promises Obama has made to the people about "change". At the moment it looks more like business as usual.

Any real change will begin as a crawl before it can walk. I know that. I'd like to think, however, those who are to be part of the process are as pure of heart and clean of scandal as those who actually do crawl.

It's time for the euphoria of the moment to subside and allow reality to surface. A new administration is nothing more than that, no matter that the first African American President is at the helm. We sorely need some smooth sailing even if the crew is imperfect. The American people have put their trust in all of them. Is integrity too much to ask for in return?