Senator Pot, Meet Secretary-Designate Kettle
EmailThe Salt Lake Tribune notes that just "hours after former Sen. Tom Daschle dropped his bid to become the next Health and Human Services Secretary, Utah Sen. Bob Bennett called it all but ‘inevitable.’… He could not possibly have functioned effectively with this cloud over him," Bennett said, noting that the $140,000 in back taxes Daschle paid is "more than most Americans make in a year."
Notes the Tribune, "Good thing no president ever tried to nominate Bennett to a Cabinet post, because he has had his own problems with back taxes. In late 2005, Bennett and some business partners paid back about $320,000 in back property taxes that had accumulated over four years for their Anniversary Inns business, and that’s in addition to $140,000 in tax liens for late sales and tourism room taxes.
"For the record, that’s about three times ‘more than most Americans make in a year.’"
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“noting that the $140,000 in back taxes Daschle paid is ‘more than most Americans make in a year.’”
Don’t look now, but millions of Americans don’t make that much in FIVE years.
Posted by: Human Intelligence | February 8, 2009, 7:05 pm 7:05 pm
What a chump. Everybody knows you don’t have to pay any taxes (back or otherwise) until you are nominated for a post in the Cabinet.
Posted by: jana | February 8, 2009, 7:08 pm 7:08 pm
Yeah, I noticed that too. Average household income (before the recent economic decline) was around $50,000 annually.
Posted by: MIguy | February 8, 2009, 7:17 pm 7:17 pm
Note: the US minimum wage is 7.75 an hour, up from 6.55 last year.
Maybe some smartypants with a calculator can figure out how long it would take a minimum wage worker to make $140,000 …
Posted by: Human Intelligence | February 8, 2009, 7:28 pm 7:28 pm
Open mouth
Insert foot
Posted by: snooch | February 8, 2009, 7:51 pm 7:51 pm
I get it. The pot is calling the kettle black!
Posted by: amber | February 8, 2009, 8:17 pm 8:17 pm
I fear this is a clue about why so many in Washington have had a hard time criticizing Geithner and Daschel.
Posted by: MayBee | February 8, 2009, 9:31 pm 9:31 pm
Boy these Reps are really hypocrites.
It will take many Americans living below the poverty line more than 10 years to make $140K.
What is Sen. Bennet talking about?
Do these guys really live in America?
Bennet and his chumps recently paid $460K ($320K + $140K) in back taxes. How long will it take a median income American family to make that?
You guessed right. More than 10 years.
No doubt these jerks ruined the country. They live in an America different from ours.
Posted by: Steve_NJ | February 8, 2009, 9:55 pm 9:55 pm
HI: So, I thought I’d calculate the answer for the question you posed below. At $7.75/hour, someone working 40 hours/week will need to work 451.61 weeks to make $140,000.00 (assuming no taxes/social security/medicare is removed from the paycheck – which is of course not true). So, it would take that person working continuously 8.68 years to make that amount. Factor in the taxes, etc and it will take longer…
Posted by: MIguy | February 8, 2009, 10:07 pm 10:07 pm
Bennett is disgusting like his peers. Would follow them aroung the “block”. The people have no credibility after lying around Washington for the past 8 years looking for another way to pad their own pockets. Disgust in the lowest form.
Posted by: sngeorgia | February 8, 2009, 10:16 pm 10:16 pm
Sir, I cannot tell a lie…my house is clean. I owe no taxes, at least nothing anyone would notice. $320,000, $140,000, what’s a slight oversight among friends?
Posted by: Sen. Bob Bennet's Advocate | February 8, 2009, 10:23 pm 10:23 pm
Can somebody please hand be a SHOE!!!!
Posted by: sisterdearest09 | February 8, 2009, 10:28 pm 10:28 pm
Disgusting news. Make him famous.
Posted by: mad | February 8, 2009, 11:44 pm 11:44 pm
Thanks for the heads up that Republican Senators and Representatives probably are just a lousy at paying their taxes as the Democrats. I getting the idea that if you are employed in city, county, state, and U.S. government you probably don’t have to don’t have to submit annual Federal Income Taxes.
President Obama has shed a great deal of light into the actual timeliness that is expected for the individuals that are employed in our Federal Government. Anyone know what that is? When they feel like it.
Posted by: elainekramer | February 8, 2009, 11:45 pm 11:45 pm
Hmmm,
Is Bennet running this business that he could have reasonably been expected to handle the property tax issue? Was he a silent partner and the other partner we supposed to take care of it? Did he only pay up when he was nominated for something?
The question is WHY didnt Bennet and his partner’s pay up? I am convinced Killifer’s case was reasonable and shouldnt have blocked her nomination and Daschle and Geitherner were shady. Dunno about Bennet, so its alittle early for a news story to be lumping them all together.
Posted by: BertieW | February 8, 2009, 11:51 pm 11:51 pm
I think we have seen enough now that we should be demanding an audit of all in congress and cabinets. They all seem to owe us money.
Posted by: Ron | February 9, 2009, 12:18 am 12:18 am
And the dirty little secret:”Politicans like most Fortune 500 corporations pay NO TAXES!!! Oh well, at least those with the least get to bankroll those with the most.
Posted by: hmn... | February 9, 2009, 12:20 am 12:20 am
How is that ABC MSM investigation of Rezko going?
Posted by: Sluggo | February 9, 2009, 2:11 am 2:11 am
They should make it a prerequisite for any elected official to submit ALL tax records etc. I think they should investigate every last one of them in the House and Senate and we shall see who owes back taxes.
Posted by: Jwench | February 9, 2009, 5:32 am 5:32 am
LOL. Typical Republican hypocrisy.
Posted by: SpaceCat | February 9, 2009, 1:03 pm 1:03 pm
You changed your picture – you look more news-y.
Posted by: cordelia525 | February 9, 2009, 2:17 pm 2:17 pm
“They should make it a prerequisite for any elected official to submit ALL tax records etc. I think they should investigate every last one of them in the House and Senate and we shall see who owes back taxes.”
Agreed.
I doubt Bennett is the last.
Posted by: Ryan C | February 9, 2009, 7:39 pm 7:39 pm
Anybody ever notice that ever single democrat and 95% of the republicans are criminals?
Why is that?
Posted by: notafool | February 9, 2009, 8:57 pm 8:57 pm