A Pizza Omelette and a Question
58Show Us The Money!
Good morning breakfastpopers. Today is Wednesday, September 15, 2010. I have a question I would like to ask federal employees. Before I get into it let's prepare our morning meal. Today we will be having a delicious Pizza Omelette. The following ingredients are enough to make one serving. You will need 2 eggs, 2 tablespoons water, salt and pepper to taste, 3 tablespoons pizza sauce, 5 slices pepperoni, 1/4 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese and 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese. Combine eggs with water and beat. Season with salt and pepper. Spray a non stick skillet with cooking spray and heat on med-high heat. Pour in egg mixture. As eggs begin to set around the edges, gently push cooked portions towards center. When eggs are almost set, spread pizza sauce over half the omelette. Top with pepperoni and Mozzarella cheese. Fold omelette in half and place on a warm plate. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and enjoy.
My question is directed at federal employees nationwide. Why are you delinquent in your taxes? Why do you owe 1 billion dollars in overdue taxes? Do you somehow feel above it all in your role as government workers? What is going on? Those of you who work on Capitol Hill owe 9.3 million in overdue taxes. Are any of you worried about this? Are you embarrassed? If not, you should be. At a time when President Obama is reluctant to extend the Bush tax cuts and people everywhere are fearful of a rise in their taxes, you have decided to just ignore your responsibilities. Millions of Americans faithfully pay their taxes year after year, but not you. The average unpaid tax bill among the Senate's delinquent taxpayers is $12,787 and in the House it is a whopping $15, 498. I can only presume that somehow you don't feel the laws apply to you. Three employees at the Office of Government Ethics owe a combined $75,000. How ethical is this kind of irresponsible behavior? Forty-one employees at the Executive Office of the President owe $831,000.
Now let's get to the nitty gritty of it all. You have the same obligation to pay your taxes as the rest of us. Your obligation may actually be somewhat higher since many of you write the laws that the rest of us have to live by. Your refusal or reluctance to pay infuriates the rest of us. You are coasting along on our backs and we don't appreciate the strain of the heavy load you are imposing upon us. Get off our backs and pay up. Work out a payment plan if you must but pay up. Collectively you owe a lot of money. You are making life more difficult for the rest of us who live responsibly. Representative Jason Chaffetz, a Republican from Utah, introduced legislation that would require federal workers to enter into a payment plan or be fired. The bill should be passed.
Those among you who write the laws should know that you are not above the law. For the rest of you who somehow feel protected by the government, your comfort zone is an illusion. Stop emulating people like Rangel and Geithner. Instead emulate the American taxpayer who obeys the laws and pays their taxes every single year without fail. Pay your taxes now. You owe it to the rest of us...POP...
Good morning Sheri,
Wow you are first today at the table! This kind of garbage infuriates me, but I suppose considering the low standard set by many in Washington it should come as no surprise. Second to this I despise those commercials with couples proudly proclaiming that they owed the IRS 2 million dollars but only paid 10,000! It's all so maddening. See you at the bar. I'm buying.
Pop,
I think it's all part of the arrogance of power. It's gone directly to all their heads, which are all puffed up!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'll meet you all at the bar later. I'm writing a hub now.
Good morning Tom,
What heads? They have heads? Are you sure? See you later. I'm buying.
POP - Careful that you don't demonize all of us with the brush of the few. It does piss me off that those few make all of us look bad. I'll see ya at the Inn after my shift later.
POP: There used to be a list of all the Congressmen/women who were overdrawn on their bank accounts, but I cannot find it anymore. The list was impressive.
So, I'm not surprised about their taxes.
This is not something new, and what does surprise me is that our president (any one of them) does not direct the IRS to collect under the same rules that we have to live.
If the IRS goes after a few, the rest will pay up.
POP, thanks for buying today. I would like to sit next to you, so save me a seat....
Dear Hmrjmr,
Certainly most federal employees pay their taxes. Where would we be if they didn't, but there are always some bad apples in every bunch and some of them write the laws that the rest of us have to live by. Now that's an impossible situation. See you at the Inn. I'm buying.
Good morning Pino,
The IRS is very occupied trying to figure out the new health care laws. Taxes, Smaxes, what's that? See you later. I'm buying drinks and pizza.
Two things in life are certain, death and taxes. My taxes were always taken before I got my paycheck and sometimes at the end of the year I had to cough up a few extra dollars to satisfy the IRS. What bothers me is the IRS seems to go after the little guys who made an error computing their taxes and seem to ignore some who are deemed above the law.
I'm cowering a little bit here because my family is a "federal family" - but I can assure you that we have never once been delinquent on paying anything, so I can proudly say that we are one of the exceptions!
I do completely agree with your question here and I don't see any reason why those that are delinquent or taking advantage should feel that they are entitled to do so, and there should be harsh consequences, no turning of the backs!
I don't understand how this issue arises. I assume that virtually all of these people are salaried so the government gets its share of their income by withholding tax. That's what happens to me; the government gets it before I do. So, did they have too little withholding? If so, did they file a return? If so, the IRS should be on their a#$. If they owe money because of other income, then you better believe the congress, the executive branch including those who work for them are all tax cheats and should be tarred, feathered and drawn and quartered. There are enough tax cheats but if you work for the government and don't pay your taxes, you should be fired, whether you applied for your job or were elected to it. Who's buying today? BARTTENDER.............
Morning POP...Fiscal responsibility...A phrase unknown to the government...If their own bosses are irresponsible why should they be any different..?
As an aside, the O'Donnell victory in Delaware has establishment Republicans in a frenzy...Rather than throwing support to her race, they have demeaned and marginalized her and the Tea Party...Sarah Palin's endorsement pushed her over the top...Comments by Krauthammer, Rove, and Dana Perino were all negative...I'm voting for a triple POP award to these three sour grapes...
Speaking of grapes, I'm bringing a case of Jordan Cab to the tavern tonight...let's have a nice, mellow discussion about what these Tea Party victories mean for the future...Larry
Good morning Robert,
I agree with you. I always found it to be true of the way the school system operated as well. In my girls' school it was the norm to go after the honor student who was late to class because she was just told she won a scholarship. The kid who smoked dope in the parking lot got a pass. See you at the bar.
Dear Lily,
As I told Hmrjmr, of course this isn't about all federal employees. That would be unbelievable, but it is still too much money that is owed and some of those that owe this money write the laws that we have to live by. Now that's insane. See you at the bar.
pop, if they paid theirs maybe ours would not be so high.
Dear taxlarry,
I agree with you 100 percent because it really is just common sense, isn't it. Maybe they all have other holdings that the IRS knows nothing about. See you later.
Good morning maven,
Responsibility? What's that? As for the O'Donnell victory, I too would like to meet later and talk about it. See you later. Pizza and drinks are on me.
Dear gr82bme,
My thoughts exactly! See you at the bar. I'm buying drinks and pizza.
BPop I was aware of this and was thinking about writing a hub about it myself. Because like many here in the good ole USA I am getting tired of one set of rules for us regular folk and another for the carpetbaggers who reside in our nations capital. This is another example of why people are getting pissed off. And slowly but surely the anger that people are feeling is starting to manifest itself into concrete results O Donnells win in Deleware and the guy in Alaska are proof.It is time for an overthrow of established career politicians. I am still repulsed that in spite of his obvious corruption people still let Rangel win in New York , what a bunch of fools !
Dear tony,
Rangel's win is repulsive. His constituents don't give a fig about his corruption. They are like the OJ Simpson jury. It is sickening to realize that people like Rangel make the rules that we have to live by, while spitting on the laws that cramp their style.
Pop, this is a subject of federal hierarchy, that dodge taxes do to their ability to build their own little regimes off the money they get by hook or crook, mostly crook. They get under the table bribery dollars and fail to find a way to launder it clean and sooner or later it is detected and when convenient, like at election or appointment to office it's used against them. I don't know for a fact but I'll bet there exists a group of other federal employees that are used to scour the financial condition of any official to bring out "dirt" just for the blocking of election or appointment.
Those folks who claim they owed 3 million and got away with only paying a small portion, don't really get away with anything they cannot negotiate themselves. Are they running TV ads like ambulance chasers for that type of help? After filing exempt for three years, '80 through '83 as a member of a group that was challenging the legality of taxation. I found the wrath of the IRS. I received notice of checks I had written red stamped "insufficient funds", I knew better and thought the bank erred and on investigation I found that all my assets had been frozen with out warning, when I say all I mean all, my checking, savings, liens on my home, vehicles and other toys like boats and RVs and on and on. They made sure I could not access a dime, then finally I received a phone call telling me to be at the southern office in California. The amount I owed was a 6 digit figure, largely over half was penalties, and interest and all they could tack on. I was pissed to see on paper the things they had done and billed me for the cost of their labor and fees for filing liens on all that they found I owned under a title. I got up in the face of the three accusers in the office and they shut me down cold, telling me to make an agreement or they would set me on the curb with the clothes on my back by the weeks end. They said that with an order from the court that they could and would have law enforcement put me out of my home and all my rolling assets (cars, trucks etc.) would be moved to their impound yard and auctioned off toward payment of the money due. So a $100.00 dollars and a trip to an attorney I was told flat out, I was screwed. No due process, no trial, no judge, just guilty of "Tax evasion" and a prison sentence of 7 years at "Club Fed". So with a new attitude and request for a different agent, I sat down and agreed to pay then worked out a deal where the penalties and way over half of the interest was waved and I payed up about a third of the original amount. In the middle of all that a letter from the central office arrived telling me all the stuff the southern office started with all over again. So I pulled a credit report and found that there had been 6 digit tax leins filed twice making it appear as though I owed close to 3/4 of a million dollars. Simply one hand didn't know what the other was doing and both offices refused to remove the liens from my credit report, stating they didn't report them in the first place, so as a matter of public record somebody else must have. So there it sat for 7 years on my report.
Now that's a hub to say.... Why the hell don't these federal people with so much to loose get hammered by the IRS with all their power like they hammer the working man? Seems to me, this country is upside down, hell bent on crushing us, like we are a diseased, low life, scum they want rid of?
With that I have to go to the bar and drink it back to forgotten memories, see you there, 50
Pop,
Amen, I find it quite interesting that these Gov’t employees owe more in taxes than many “regular” people are receiving in unemployment insurance benefits for an entire year, which, in many States is below subsistence level. Yet these tax delinquents argue against continuing to pay these rather meager “insurance benefits” to those that have worked diligently for decades, paid their taxes and the mandatory unemployment premiums.
The recent announcement that more people than ever are now considered poor, 1 in 7 Americans, is less than heartening and demonstrates just how far downward their policies have driven us all. With their refusal to extend the Bush tax cuts I wonder have much more damage will be done to the economy.
Ah, and one other question, given these employees owe so much, they are more than likely being paid considerably well, without the Bush tax cuts extended, how much more will they owe next year?
Dear 50,
Going after you was easier I suppose. I also think that so many in Washington feel somehow above it all and don't expect the IRS to pursue them the way they did you. There is a double standard and there probably always will be. Charlie Rangel, crook that he is knew he would get the nomination because he is one of the "chosen" ones. The ordinary guy is well, just the ordinary guy who is dispensable. You have certainly led an interesting life, 50. Let's talk more at the bar. I'm buying everything.
Dear ready,
They have to be making a hell of a lot more than the average guy. When they get their paycheck, Uncle Same has already taken its share. They must owe more than what the government already took, so I would say they are doing quite well. See you at the bar. I'm buying.
POP, this issue especially infuriates me because a few years back my employer had a glitch and quit taking out taxes. Since I had direct deposit, I didn't get paper checks or stubs. When I went to file my taxes I owed $3,700 dollars. I set up payment arrangements, but the one time I was late, they sent me a letter that they were going to garnish my wages, and then charged me over $200 in interest. I finally paid it off, but the IRS goes after the little people while , like you said, those who write the laws seem to be exempt. We should call them out by name and continue with the embarassement untill they all pay up!
Dear jiberish,
It's an old story. It is easier to go after the little guy because chances are the IRS is going to win. Going after the big guys takes a lot of time and effort. Just wait and see what happens when the IRS starts running health care! See you at the bar. It's on me.
You'll understand if I don't hold my breath waiting for an answer to your question! Your statistic, "Forty-one employees at the Executive Office of the President owe $831,000," is nothing short of repulsive. Why are we carrying these people? Why are their names not broadcast throughout the nation?
It's true as someone once said, the only things certain in life are death and taxes. And don't we wish they occurred in that order? :)
Dear pcoach,
They are the elite, I suppose. What else can it be. If you and I owed this kind of money we'd be locked up in a cell with bread and water. See you at the bar. I'm buying drinks and pizza.No deadbeats allowed!!
Dear drbj,
Now your comment put a smile on my face and I thank you for that. Come to the bar . Drinks and pizza are on me.
Sorry I'm late. Just got in and went to Blue Street first. If I ever get here early, I'd like to invite everyone to a party. We'd probably have to make it a bring-your-own-bottle party and the landlord can provide the set-ups. How does that sound? Gosh, I'll try really hard to get here for breakfast and tell everybody!
Dear sheila,
I think it's a great idea! I'm having a seafood dinner for the building. Little necks, cockles, sausage and pasta. Thick crusty bread and of course, wine!
Greetings pop, this is a thorn in my side. I totally agree with you - I really do not understand how they can get away with not paying their taxes. Lets hope that bill passes that the Republican from Utah is supporting, and make them pay those taxes. The average person certainly wouldn't be able to get away with it. But the average person has morals and scruples - I forgot that is the difference. Cheers!
It's suppertime but I am just arriving for breakfast. Never had a pizza omelette - sounds good, in fact just as good as O'Donnell's win yesterday.
I have a question for you: is there anyplace online that posts the names of our congressional "leaders" who are tax dodgers?
Pop, I am also irritated that they think that don't have to pay taxes like the rest of us. I wrote a hub about the increasing poverty level due to socialism and in there I wrote that all these new federal jobs which are numerous are making twice as much money as the private sector and I linked the prove.
I got slammed by some libs again which happens everytime I write something political but my pal Patriot came by and straightened them out. These stupid libs think that all these stimulus programs are just fine. I wish they would stay off my hubs.
Good evening Whidbeywriter,
I know it is infuriating. I can only imagine the at the iRS gives federal employees a pass because they are brothers so to speak. I wonder how many IRS workers owe back taxes.
Dear Wife Who Saves,
I don't know if this information is available. The IRS released the figures I discussed without breaking them down. I will look into it. Maybe if we find out who they are you can educate them as to how to manage their money and act responsibly!
Dear Pamela,
I know exactly how you feel. I was attacked by certain liberal hubbers who are disgusting but always very vague in their remarks. The one thing I noticed, across the board is that they never answer any questions. Could it be that they simply don't have any answers?
Yet another outrage from an outrageous government.
Dear Austinstar,
If you or I didn't pay up the IRS would be on our case in a minute!
Yet more reasons the IRS should be abolished. And thanks for alerting me to the latest lunacy of Michael Moore, which LaWanda and Moonbeam have duly commented upon.
Good morning garynew,
The IRS is a bloated inefficient organization that is now supposed to take on health care. Good luck! I just red your hub and loved it!
You are right about one law for the common man and one for the people who make the laws. Everyone should be made to pay their taxes.
But corruption seems to be normal to those at the top. Like the politicians in the UK. They have been ripping off the system for years and they think they are entitled. But if some poor person struggling on benefits earns a few pounds a week cleaning someone's house they want to hit them with the full force of the law. They are the same as each other. It just seems to be that if you steal large amounts of money from the taxpayer you have a right. But the small fry should go to prison.
Both are wrong. The only difference is that the poor man might not eat if he does not have the few pounds extra and the rich man does not need what he steals.
But this problem with the tax not being paid will not be a new thing in the US. I bet it can be traced back to many other presidencies. It has not just popped up. Who is to do the shaking up? Maybe you should write a hub about how to rid the world of corruption. I look forward to hearing your ideas.
Good morning Hummingbird,
It is a pleasure to see you at the breakfast table. I don't imagine there is a country in the world that doesn't have it's share of corruption. The situation here is no different from anywhere else, but something has to be done. In the first place I think the tax laws have to be revised and simplified. Almost have of the population here doesn'teven pay taxes, and a heavy burden falls upon the rest. The government is complicit in the mess because they take our money and squander it. Witness all these stimulus plans that stimulate nothing. We also have a big problem with people who simply don't report their earnings. Many, certainly not all, self employed business people under report their earning. Maybe people are inherently corrupt, I don't know.
I believe that people have to be given an incentive to comply and that the IRS should go after everyone equally.
It is TIME for a change and I think it's blowin' in the wind Pop! We can't rest, I'm not saying to become complacent, but I do believe that a change, a revolution has begun and it's because of Patriots like you and so many who come here that this revolution will bring this country back to the Constitutional roots it was founded upon! Great work Pop! You are super great! Carol
Dear cjv,
Your praise blows me away. Just look at all you do and all your husband and son have done for our country. I am in awe of all of you. My fear about this "revolution" is that chaos will rule and screw things up for the future. I hope I'm wrong.
I have my own opinions about taxes and everything. But I'm so loving a good pizza omelette.
Good morning hubpageswriter,
I'd love to hear your opinions and please know you don't have to agree with me to sit at the breakfast table. I'm happy you enjoyed the omelette.
SheriSapp Level 3 Commenter 20 months ago
Thanks so much for telling me some new information. I thought the tax cheats were all the members of BO's cabinet!! The IRS NEVER hesitates to destroy the lives of "average" Americans who owe a tax debt. I agree that these jerks who work in and around the fed--WHICH TAXES US ALL-- DO have a higher standard, and frankly, they should be the FIRST folks to file. Seems to me that since they WORK (ha ha) for the fed, if they don't pay, the fed should be garnishing their wages!!