Close Topic Options

Tom Daschle

Tom Daschle

Tom Daschle Will Be the Next Health and Human Services Secretary [12:28 p.m. ET]
Ref. ABC News

Daschle Tom

You all know that Tom Daschle has been found out as having not paid his taxes. He recently paid US$150,000 in back taxes and said that he made an unintentional mistake. My question, how do you unintentionally make a mistake to pay $150,000?

Tom Daschle History & Civil Business Politics

The unintentional mistake was him having to actually pay the taxes. Normal people make mistakes on taxes that cause a shift of a few hundred to a couple of thousand dollars. You dont make a $150,000 mistake. It clearly ask if you sold stock or had other forms of income...if he didnt report it...he clearly indicated a false "no" to the IRS. This is pretty much why the White House (Obama) quickly came out and said they viewed this as a serious mistake.

Source 2

I guess I am to take this as the salary wasnt enough and that the extra benefit of $5k per year is warranted. This wouldnt get to me so much, but I actually have to keep a car and a residence in the US while I am on long term assignment overseas. I cannot sublet the place and I cannot sell my car or I have to pay a monthly fee of 20% of my salary to the government for a living expense and $250 per month for no automobile cost. I am forced to do this on laws and rules that the government (Daschle) help create.

Daschle didnt realize that the car and the service with it wasnt just a gift from a friend and not taxable income.

Oh...here buddy...have a car and a chauffer! Where do we find friends like this? I have one question for you Tom...did the car service stop after you left office? The total forgotten income includes consulting fees. How do you forget this? The answer is you dont. It is also the same reason that the oversight was found so quickly when he was checking his closet for a cabinet post.

If you read the story, the best part is that this whole thing started when it was found out during the vetting process that he took illegal deductions and they needed to be ammended. Hey, perhaps we need to put all politicians up for cabinet post and vet them. This might help pay for some of the bailout situation that they put us in!

Edited: Vincenzo on 3rd Feb, 2009 - 1:30am

Daschle Tom

What is more is that Obama still backs him and he will be in charge of overseeing the same entities that he used to make money consulting. Seems all too convenient to me. Let's see what kind of stories he can drum up for the senate.

Daschle Tom

I dont want to nail this guy, but when you are smart enough to be elected a senator and lead senate majority...you are smart enough to know what is a gift and what isnt. Here is a good source from FOX that lays out the tax issues...

Source 9

I can help them out on the entertainment services that he recieved. YES, they are taxable income too! To me, as you read where all this confusing money shows up from, it just shows how easy it is to become corrupted in that business. One million dollars for consulting fees... I would love to know exactly what he did in a consulting manner that warranted 1 million USD. Oh wait, I bet that just might be 1 million USD for his contacts and influence. Hmmm...that means he probably was a lobbyist of some sorts, but didnt want to file as a lobbyist. However, he certainly did make lobbyist type money for the last few years!

Source 1

So the biggest different between a lobbyist and Tom Daschle is that Tom tells you who to call for your money and a lobbyist calls for you, but they both use their inside connections to get it right. It was a clever way to avoid having to file as a lobbyist and since Obama is not hiring lobbyist in his cabinet, Tom still has a seat. Again, dont get me wrong...Tom is probably no worse than anyone else Obama would pick and he should be confirmed. After all, he will make less money in his cabinet position than he would as a nutra-lobbyist.

Source 6

If you read the bio, the only thing stopping him from becoming a lobbyist was time. I interpret that he didnt file to be a lobbyist as him realizing that he could make good money being a "special advisor" and this also kept his options open for the future. Smart guy...smart enough to know that he didnt pay his taxes correctly when this opportunity came up.

Dont feel to bad for Tom taking his huge pay cut. His wife is a actual, certified, card carrying lobbyist, so the money will continue to flow.

Please, just dont spend any more time analyzing his finances and get him seated. If you reject him, we will only be saddled with another person looking for skeletons in the closet or someone that will take about a year to find the bathroom before they are effective.

The "change" in Washington is so fresh and pure, I might just puke.

Edited: Vincenzo on 3rd Feb, 2009 - 8:26am

Tom Daschle

These are the simple questions to be asked of Senator Daschle

Should Senator Daschle withdraw from consideration as the HHS Secretary? or should President Obama withdraw his nomination? I have some simple questions to ask and the answers would tell me what to decide.[...] Ref. Source 1

Tom Daschle

If this guy was so sneaky to try and get away with not paying some taxes what is he going to do when or if he gets this position. I hope he does not get the position myself.

Tom Daschle Politics Business Civil & History

Well, well, did someone say the power of the media? He did the right thing.