The Understated Reality of Tom Daschle's Tax Problem

The number being thrown around is $124,000. That how much Barack Obama's nominee as the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Tom Daschle, failed to pay in back taxes. With penalties and interest it is $140,000. If you listen to the Obama administration and Daschle, himself, it was "just" an oversight.

Before you believe that, you have to look at the amount of gross income that would have to be ignored in order for someone to not have paid taxes. If you give Mr. Daschle a charitable, best-case situation, and say that he was in the highest bracket with a tax rate of 35 percent, that means that he had to ignore about $360,000. I don't know how much this guy actually makes each year; but I would think $360,000 or 1/3 of a million dollars would be hard to "just" overlook. Don't you?

By the way. When the Hollywood types get in trouble, they just go to rehab. Daschle could get himself out of this mess by following their lead. He could check into the Betty Ford Clinic for Tax Evasion; spend a week or so; and declare he's cured. Then, the whole world will take him back with open arms. As I said. It works in Hollywood.