Thanks, Tom. You did the right thing. Obama’s debt to you for your support is paid. Too bad you screwed it up. Change we can believe in is not the same as business as usual.

Jed Clampett

About time he did the right thing. Now he can go back to his $2Million a year job trying to destroy the Healthcare system for conservatives from the outside rather than being given an inside track.

Peace, it’s easy if you try.

This is a mistake. I am going to go out on a limb and say that none of Obama’s peeps who have been scrutinized for tax evasion knowingly under reported their incomes. To me this is clear evidence that the tax code is too complicated. Massive reform of the IRS should be a component to any plan to resuscitate the economy. Flat tax, fair tax, something. If Daschle is the right man for the job – and I am not saying he is – then a flawed tax code should not disqualify him.

Shouldn’t republicans be happy about these ‘tax evaders’? Aren’t they the ones who hate taxes?

blood for oil:

You’re right, this is a mistake. Like many a pol when they leave office Daschle chose to get rich off the connections he made when he was in office. Maybe no real crime after a lifetime of public service. The mistake is Daschle traded a chance to reenter government and make a real difference in a powerful position but he traded it away for his own personal greed.

That means he wasn’t the right guy for the job after all.

obameter -

You conflate a lot of issues that are probably best left separated. Whether Daschle made money after his career of public service is of absolutely no importance. Why shouldn’t value be placed on the insight of someone who has comparable knowledge of the intricacies of US government? Suspicion of his motives just because he is well-compensated is a silly perspective for babyboomer dudes with ponytails. Daschle was crunched under the weight of our bloated tax code.

I’m with Jed. Daschle’s tax problems were bad, but his cozy relationship with the health care industry was far more troubling. I hope Obama considers Dean or Sebelius for the job. And asst. Coach makes a good point. You’d think the repubes would admire folks who use plays right out of their book. Maybe if the story invoved hookers, then they could relate?

blood:

Ya know, you may very well be right. Daschle had a long distinguished career with much focus on health care reform. He seems to have the cred for head of HHS. However, read this from an earlier post of mine…

‘Daschle lost his Senate seat in 2004. Following his election defeat, Daschle took a position with the lobbying arm of the K Street law firm Alston & Bird. Because he was prohibited by law from lobbying for one year after leaving the Senate, he instead worked as a “special policy adviser” for the firm. Daschle’s salary from Alston & Bird for the year 2008 was reportedly $2 million. Alston & Bird’s health care lobbying clients include CVS Caremark, the National Association for Home Care and Hospice, Abbott Laboratories and HealthSouth. Even considering his apparent qualifications for head of HHS he appears to be a de facto lobbyist for the health care industry and is in conflict of interest. Didn’t Obama say down with lobbyists?’

This seems to violate the strict guidelines Obama established for those working in his administration. At least in spirit if not the letter of the rule. I think this a greater disqualifying issue than his tax problems.

I don’t begrudge the man being well compensated when he leaves office. Heck, public service is essentially long hours on short pay so why not get some when you can. I can question who is signing his checks if chooses to reenter government service though.

As to the tax issue, I find it hard to belief Daschle’s $133,000 ‘inadvertant error’ was the result of a bloated tax code. He thought the use of a car and driver costing well over $200,000 was an untaxable gift? Please. The fact that a value was placed on the service would indicate it was taxable income. Maybe if the man who gave him this ‘gift’ paid the tax I’d be with you. Granted the tax code needs reform but I don’t feel this is an example of why.

Jed Clampett

To think that most of these guys are not wealthy going into politics in the first place is as disingenuous as thinking they are poor when they get out(insider trading is rampant in congress); kind of like thinking Bush is out of a job, he’s on our payroll for the rest of his life. We also pay for his office space.

That being said, it’s hard to believe that these guys are not paid those exorbitant salaries after congress because of favors the did for the lobbyists while in their positions. 5 year moratorium would be more comfortable for me, but then you have the question of whether they can use their acquired knowledge and connections to make a living.
One has to wonder however, making 2 million a year as an ‘adviser’ in order to avoid rules of lobbying seems unethical, not to mention needing a ‘gift’ of a car and driver at inflated prices from a businessman that used to have favorable treatment from Daschle in congress is even more troubling.

The president should now ignore any alliances he used to reach his position. He belongs to the people now, that’s whom he should make his appeals to.
Republicans have chosen to obstruct progress… at a time when even Donald Trump is being denied loans and after giving away $350 billion to bankers without any effect on the economy or effective oversight, it seems stupid to argue about a few million here or there.
Why are they doing this? because the collapse of the economy was a purposeful act, designed to reduce labor costs, discredit unions and set social programs back decades. What a bunch of selfish traitors. I hope it backfires on them so hard that they are shunned by the public for a couple of decades.

Peace, we need it now more than ever.

Good point. The professional politician who doesn’t have to live off his salary and so is above temptation from outside interests is the ideal I guess. Assuming they’re not already rich I bet a young congressman might have trouble paying for his house in D.C. and his one back home but a several term Senator must have many irons in the fire. Our mistake is to assume that these guys will act ethically because, unfortunately, the greedy bastards prove us wrong time and time again.

Q. How do you recognize a shunned Republican?
A. He has nowhere to put his hands.

Obameter-

you point to a very clear conflict with Obama’s stated policy on lobbying/lobbyists. On this basis it is curious why he was even nominated in the first place. In the interest of full disclosure, I must state that I absolutely loathe the healthcare plan that Obama ran on. I did not support McCain, but I found his plan vastly superior. That is not to say that I wouldn’t get behind a true NHS, but the piecemeal, bankrupt-the-health-insurance- companies approach would be a massive burden on the economy and likely to be reversed if (when) the GOP regains control of Congress. If Daschle was to be the visionary to implement Obama’s plan, then good riddance. At the same time, I still contend that a US President should not have waste time worrying whether the people he wants in his administration have followed a tax code that is 16,845 pages long. Last, I still can’t wrap my head around why someone with that pay grade would be so concerned about 130K over something like 3 years. It just seems paltry to me. I can’t see a bespectacled Daschle sitting down to do his taxes around 10pm on April 14. I would think he’d just hand over his financials to a CPA and have done with it. If I had that kind of money I would probably pay a professional to keep as distant from the painful process as possible. None of this exempts him from responsibility. It just seems a bit arbitrary and stupid. Reformation of the tax code could make it much easier to discern tax cheaters from tax fukkups.

Whist I always enjoy Ole’s inputs, I mostly don’t agree with them. This time I do. At least about tax codes. I’ll leave evaluation of the relative merits of health plans to others.

And to whom do we turn to see to code simplification? Why, our representatives, of course, among which Mr. Daschle was a long and influential member. The irony is striking.

He may have had ‘value’ when it comes to health care, but it appears he failed everywhere else.

And who gives a whit if former members of his staff work for Obama now? Only TD? They’re probably all shaking their collective heads and saying, “stupid.” If not, they’re railing at the demon tax code, of which they all have had a chance to reform.

I opt for stupid in the form of arrogance.

Conflate: nice word Ole. A little pedantic, perhaps, but that’s how we learn. Tnx.

Jed Clampett

I have no problem with ‘bankrupting the health insurance’ companies. Their leadership seems to have no trouble bankrupting the public via fraud. As Mr. Scrushy proved, they consider our healthcare their personal piggy bank.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/ industries/health/2007-04-23-s crushy_N.htm

http://www.pulitzer.org /archives/7194

Now, $2.7 Billion worth of fraud may not seem like a crime worthy of imprisonment to some on the conservative side, to me, it is an indication that the hogs are at the trough and will destroy everyone’s chances for healthy living if allowed to continue.

This is why I insist, the fundamentals of the economy are not strong, how can they be strong if the leadership of our highest halls of power are so weak? That said, I’m sure Mr. Daschle will not be driven out of policymaking, he just won’t have the high profile job to help him in his return to ‘treasury administration’. His people will still be involved in policy and that is probably good enough for them, they don’t give up power that easily.

I must agree about the absurd complexity of the tax code. Not only is the code itself extremely convoluted, congressmembers have placed loopholes in other unrelated legislation that only they and their beneficiaries are aware of. A new tax law that is more equitable and productive would go a long way to helping us fix our infrastructure, healthcare and education systems. It might just help us fund a decent public transportation system that allows people to use mass transit for daily commutes rather than being wasteful with a personal SUV.

No more tax breaks for established corporations that make more than $2 million in profits would be one way to start putting an end to companies like Wal-Mart that won’t do business in a city unless they are allowed a tax break. It’s just unpatriotic and mafiosi. IMO, tax breaks are to help small companies establish themselves and get the economy going in a vibrant, pluralistic manner.

Peace, it only happens if we all chip in.

Can the unravelling of the burdensome conflation(thanks, blood) known as the tax code be left to our representitives? Hasn’t the fox has been loose in the hen house long enough? I hope Obama can effectively regulate the regulators.

Jed-

Your assessment of health insurance companies is not very different than mine. A business model that minimizes coverage to drive profits is so bassackwards it’s (almost) laughable. I have no sympathy for people who run these companies. Rather, I am concerned that an effort to bankrupt them through Obama’s campaign plan would create a battle between the industry supporters and their opponents. Victory for either side could not be decisive. I suggest that the system would end up even more convoluted than it already is. I don’t have a strong opinion about any particular solution to the health care crisis. I am just looking for some kind of substantive change. Admittedly, I am very squeamish about the idea of getting the federal government involved a la a NHS, but I can’t believe the Federal goverment would do worse than the current system.

Jed Clampett

I agree, and go one further, a healthcare system driven purely by profits is self defeating. An investment in health, as in education, is not compatible with economic principles of almost instant gratification or evident as an investment that pays off future benefits.
Economists are not the proper stewards of such systems.
I am not however ready to accept Hannity or Faux’s assessment that the goal is to ‘bankrupt’ healthcare or insurance companies.

When I read books like ‘the cancer cure that worked’ and ‘the secret of life’, I realize the hogs are preventing us from reaching potentials that could be beneficial to all merely due to protectionism of THEIR way of life (excess). That sort of thing has to be stopped and legislation with real teeth put in place to prevent it’s future resurgence.

Peace, keep up the good works, it comes naturally.

Didn’t pull that from Hannity. I can’t stand the bastid.

Jed Clampett

Sorry, didn’t mean to imply that’s where you get your agenda. It’s clear you are quite capable of forming your own opinions that don’t always agree with what is going on in the leadership.
Nor is it my intention to equate all Republicans with what the leadership is espousing, their blind deference to Rush Limbaugh and the Faux news propaganda machine is quite telling of their lack of moral fortitude and bowing to a base… the basest for that matter, openly spewing hatred and discord and disguising it as constructive.
When I see how they act in contravention of the teachings of wise men throughout the ages, I realize they have succumbed to an influence that is actually pretty easy to avoid if they were to think with a little empathy rather than full of selfishness and a furthering of their greedy agenda, a desire for success to the detriment of others, disrespect for the environment, promotion of technology that enslaves the average person rather than liberates with knowledge and independence.
Yup, I think the leadership on the right, conservatives, the uncouth wealthy, has been hijacked by something that has the intent of the destruction of all things we hold sacred and of value.
What are these things… clean air and water;affordable energy for home and industry; accessible and economical communication and learning; safe and affordable foods; promotion of life in all forms… flora, fauna and yes, even bacterial, particularly those we have a symbiotic relationship with; plurality in culture and religious belief; respect for each other and their individualism; etc. etc.

Sad state of affairs, but something we must change, we must put the effort into forcing to change or we will pay dearly for our apathy.

“no eternal reward will forgive us now for wasting the dawn”

It seems Republican leadership has chosen to waste the dawn in a calculated risk designed to place them in a position to regain power in the future, let’s not allow them the pleasure of politicking with OUR future and our prosperity.

Peace, force them to listen through their YouTube pages.