February 4, 2009

What is it about the powerful, the well-connected and the wealthy who think they can avoid paying taxes? No, I’m not talking about Republicans, but Democrats.

Tom Daschle, President Obama’s choice to head the Department of Health and Human Services “forgot” to pay $128,000, plus even more for a car and driver provided him by a friend. He paid up most of it just days before his Senate hearings and the rest the day before yesterday after he was discovered to owe more.

We already have Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, who “forgot” to pay about $35,000 in taxes.

Now comes Obama’s choice to head the federal government’s performance office. Nancy Killefer withdrew her candidacy yesterday after it was revealed that she failed for eighteen months to pay employment taxes on household help. Let’s not forget New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson who withdrew as Obama’s Commerce Secretary nominee because of an ongoing investigation in his state.

What happened to the most ethical administration in history?

Cal Thomas is a nationally syndicated columnist based in Washington, D.C.