Saturday, March 28, 2009

Let's Make a Case and Impeach Obama

If you've ever looked at my blog, you'll quickly learn I am no fan of Obama. The country is going to pieces around his ears, and he's doing everything in his power to help tear it down.


I want Obama impeached. Which is a good place to start, but liberals said the same thing about Bush, so I'll need a good case before I can get anywhere.

Federalist Papers #69

The President of the United States would be liable to be impeached, tried, and, upon conviction of treason, bribery, or other high crimes or misdemeanors, removed from office; and would afterwards be liable to prosecution and punishment in the ordinary course of law.

High Crimes and misdemeanors. I don't know; someone out there help me with this: Is attempting to turn the U.S. into a socialist nation a high crime or misdemeanor? I think it is.

Thinking, however, is not enough. I'll have to prove it. Ladies and Gentlemen of the ... blog, I move that in everything Obama has done in his first sixty days in office, Obama has done nothing short of disservice to America. I move that Obama has failed in office and abused his powers.

In the past, Congress has issued Articles of Impeachment for acts in three general categories:

-Exceeding the constitutional bounds of the powers of the office.

-Behavior grossly incompatible with the proper function and purpose of the
office.

-Employing the power of the office for an improper purpose or for personal
gain.


I move that Obama has failed in the duties of his office, and used his powers for improper use, frankly, he has used them to turn this democracy into a socialist nation. Here I give you a shortened list of the powers of the President:



Powers of the President
- Serve as commander in chief of all U.S. armed forces

- Commission officers of the armed forces

- Grant pardons and reprieves from Federal offenses (except impeachments)

- Receive foreign ambassadors

- Take care that Federal laws are faithfully executed

- Wield the "executive power"

Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to call your attention to number four of that list. Recieving foreign amdassadors. I move that Obama improperly recieved a foreign ambassador, the Prime Minister of Great Britian, Gordon Brown. The President failed to hold a state dinner or a press reception the leader of our very important ally. Was there no one in the state department who understood how to recieve foreign dignitaries? And if there were, did Obama ven ask for thier advice? This was not only extremely insulting to our ally, it was very embarrasing for America as a whole.

I also move, Ladies and Gentlemen, that Obama is abusing his executive power by flippantly spending money most American put in 40-hour work weeks to earn. With his $3.6 trillion dollar budget and and the combined price of the stimulus bills, which comes out to $1,197, 000,000,000.00, Obama has saddled our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren with nearly $4 trillion in debt. His flippant spending has caused the dollar to drop in value in a way not seen in twenty-five years, ladies and gentlemen, and I quote:

The dollar dropped the most against the currencies of six major U.S. trading partners since the Plaza Accord almost a quarter-century ago as the Federal Reserve’s plan to purchase Treasuries spurred speculation that it’s debasing the greenback.

...The U.S. currency weakened beyond $1.37 per euro this week for the first time since January as the central bank’s decision to increase its balance sheet by $1.15 trillion lowered yields, making American assets less attractive. The Norwegian krone and the New Zealand dollar rallied as the Fed’s move spurred advances in commodities.

The dollar depreciated 4.8 percent to $1.3582 per euro yesterday, from $1.2928 on March 13. The U.S. currency touched $1.3738 on March 19, the weakest level since Jan. 9. The dollar also fell 2.1 percent to 95.94 yen from 97.95. The euro increased for a fifth week versus the yen, gaining 2.9 percent to 130.29 after touching 130.49 yesterday, the highest level since Dec. 18.


Due to this developemnet, the United Nations is recommending that the rest of the world dump the U.S. dollar in favor of other currency. Ladies and gentlemen, I believe this would have a disatrous effect on our country.

President Obama has also isolated us from our allies, not limited to Great Britian, but also slighting our ally against Russia, Poland, by promising Russia we would not help Poland build a missile sheild.


"President Kaczynski [the president of Poland] raised missile defense, but President-elect Obama made no commitment on it. His position is as it was throughout the campaign: that he supports deploying a missile defense system when the technology is proved to be workable," McDonough said.

And also...



"During the discussion, both sides emphasized that relations between Russia and the USA are priority ones for both parties and that their positive development is crucial not only for the peoples of the two countries but also for the wider international community," a statement from the Kremlin said.

Ladies and gentlemen, Russia is a communist country. They are and have been our enemy for many, many years. Why is it a priority that we fix relations our enemies?

President Obama's Secratary of State, Hillary Clinton, has insulted Israel, another of our allies, and scolded Tibet.

When he is not insulting our allies and charming our enemies, he is busy seizing the private sector:

I urge you to consider this extremely disturbing developement (emphasis mine):

The Obama administration is considering asking Congress to give the Treasury secretary unprecedented powers to initiate the seizure of non-bank financial companies, such as large insurers, investment firms and hedge funds, whose collapse would damage the broader economy, according to an administration document.

The government at present has the authority to seize only banks.

Do you understand the implications here? This means that the federal government can come out and whip up panic about any company, saying it's 'too big to fail', and then simply take over it in the interest of protecting the 'broader economy'.


I wish someone would tell me how this is beneficial to America. Need I remind everyone what happened to the USSR? From Conservative blogger 2cents:


What happened to the idea that failing businesses should fail? This is everything that American capitalism fought against when it was first formed. This is classic socialism, and a giant step toward outright Communism, where the State controls everything. This is what the Obama administration has been doing: whipping up panic, then swooping in and taking over.

This is the first leg of a complete government takeover of America. If the financial industry -- including investments and the stock market -- falls, you can count on energy and health care coming next. When that happens, America as we know it -- and as the Founders designed and intended it -- will cease to exist. When the government controls your savings, your income, your investments, your ability to travel to/from work or leisure locations, the cost of all goods (through energy), and every decision about what medical treatments you can or cannot obtain, what is left?

Nothing. You have become a slave to government, and America has become transformed into a communist state.

Ladies and gentlemen, do we really want this to happen? Everything Obama has done in his first 67 days in office has been little more than a gross misuse of power with the intent to turn this country into a socialized nation. It would take more time than I have to point out everything Obama has done wrong. There are 1393 days until Obama leaves office but, ladies and gentlemen, we can impeach any president for treason, bribery, or other high crimes and midemeanors. I move that everything Obama has done this far has been nothing more than a high crime against America as we know it.

Perhaps, ladies and gentlemen of the blog, you will look at this evidence and decide that there is not enough evidence to warrant impeachment. Perhaps there is not. But I do not doubt that at some point, undeniable evidence of President Obama's misdemeanors will come to light.

The prosecution rests... for now.

See also:

-What Kind of President Thrives on Chaos?

-60 days, 64 mistakes

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

9/11 Syndrome

I can tell what you're thinking: "Oh come on T.A.R.N.S., September is six months away, you're not supposed to be up in arms yet."

Yeah, well, I'm archiving this now so I can get it out again when I need it. I am here to define 9/11 Syndrome.

What is 9/11 Syndrome, you ask? Well, I'm glad you asked. Let me tell you.

9/11 Syndrome: The act of denying that 9/11 was a terrorist attack on the United States perpetrated by Islamic terrorists. Usually seen by people pointing and shrieking "It's all President Bush's fault!" Also, the act of denying 9/11 ever happened.

See also: 7/7 Syndrome.


Can you tell I'm kind of sick of the conspiracy and political correctness?

Nancy Drew Manga series: Book #8 - My Review

I was at the local library today when I noticed a book I hadn't seen before: a volume a the Nancy Drew manga. I'd heard about this, but never seen one, so I decided to check it out.

First, this is an "American Manga", which is a slightly redundant term. This is shorter than your average Japanese manga, and done in full color. Graphic novel, by the way, is nothing more than a different term for 'manga.'

Now, for the record, this is just based on the Nancy Drew books, and really isn't anything like those books. They tell you this write on the cover. I was still disappointed, though. This book is so littered with environmentalism it's not funny. Tokyo Mew Mew gave up by volume four and became a well loved kemonomimi shojo heroine manga, but if volume eight and the previews for volumes 9, 10, and 11 are any indication, this whole series is littered with it, and the author and illustrator make no point to be subtle about it, blatantly changing everything that wouldn't find the new cares-about-the-environment Nancy Drew.

At least the movie had the decency to leave some things alone; Nancy drove a convertible both in the original series and the movie, but in this manga, she drives a "smart little hybrid".

Even if I ignore the obvious, blatant environment worshipping, the plot was weak. I figured out who the villain was by the time I began the first page of chapter 3. (it's not like it was really that hard to figure out, I was suspicious by the middle of chapter two. And wouldn't you know, I was right.) Plus, this book was printed in China. This stuns me the most, because the translated Japanese mangas I read are printed in the United States.

If you're considering buying this book, my advice is: don't. I give this book one and a half out of five stars, and strongly recommend you skip this whole series and read the original Nancy Drew mystery books.

And the same company that makes these books want to give the Hardy Boys and Zorro a makeover, too. Heaven help us.

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Duo Post: Obama's First 50 Days & The Gitmo Saga

Dial R 4 Infinity Productions is proud to present you a duo post on Barack Obama's first 50 Days in Office and the never ending Gitmo saga, both courtesy of Gateway Pundit.

First, Obama's first 50 days. We're actually a little over that at the time I quote this, but still.

50 Days That Changed the World

...It's hard to imagine we're only 50 days into the Barack Obama Presidency.

** Obama is on track to spend more money than any person in the history of the planet.
** Obama and Pelosi's stimulus bill was the largest spending bill in the history of the planet.
** Obama and democrats have already saddled America's children and grand children with massive debt. Not that this bothers them.
** He's lost at least 3 administration nominees due to tax fraud.
** He's promoted a tax cheat to run the IRS and Treasury.
** He's insulted America's greatest ally, Great Britain.
** He's reneged on missile agreements with allies Poland and the Czech Republic.
** His administration has already met with the murderous Assad Regime from Syria.
** Obama signed legislation to close Gitmo.
** Obama freed a dirty bomber from Gitmo to Great Britain.
** Obama told US soldiers and marines in Afghanistan, "We're losing."
** Obama's VP told US soldiers and marines that US deaths will rise in Afghanistan.
** Obama has already discussed holding peace talks with the "moderate" Taliban members... The Taliban had to remind him there was not such a thing.
** The Obama stock market had its worst January in 113 years.
** The stock market had its worst February since 1933.
** The Dow dropped faster under Obama than any other new president in 90 years.
** Obama's budget more than doubles the national debt held by the public, and adds more to the debt than all previous presidents -- from George Washington to George W. Bush -- combined.
** Obama managed to spend more than the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan combined.
** Obama will quadruple the deficit this year.
** Cap & trade was introduced that will cost America 4 million jobs and cost Americans at least $700 per family per year.
** Team Obama announced easing restrictions with communist Cuba.
** Meanwhile, democrats further restricted free trade with ally Colombia.
** Obama signed legislation to fund foreign abortions.
** Obama signed legislation to fund embryonic stem cell research.
** Democrats already banned offshore drilling.
** Democrats scrapped oil and gas leases in Utah for energy development.
** Obama's party permanently banned drilling in ANWR.


In the entire history of the U.S., has there ever been a president who has been so debilitating to our country? We are being destroyed, not by an outside enemy, but by what these idiots in office are doing. I recommend you go over and have a look at the list, there are all sorts of links to back up all of these claims. And here's another good list. Oh, don't forget this one.

And the other story brought to my attention by Gateway Pundit: Obama administration is considering freeing terrorists into the U.S.


Some of the Guantanamo Bay prisoners could be released into the United States while others could be put on trial in the American court system, Attorney General Eric Holder said on Wednesday.

...About 240 terrorism suspects, including suspected planners of the September 11 attacks, are being held in the prison. Many have been detained for seven years without charges and some were subjected to interrogation techniques denounced by critics as torture.

Cry me a river. Other countries do far worse to their prisoners.

The administration faces intense political resistance to the idea of bringing the prisoners to the United States as part of closing the detention camp. The administration seeks to transfer some detainees to Europe or other countries while freeing others.

...Holder told reporters at the Justice Department that the administration's review, made on a case-by-case basis, would determine whether the prisoners need to be put on trial or whether they can be released.


Whether they can be released? They were put in Gitmo for a reason. But wait, it gets better.
"For those who are in that second category, who can be released, there are a variety of options that we have. Among them is the possibility that we could release them into this country," he said.

Sure, let's free them into the U.S. What could possibly go wrong?

1402 days before we can tell Obama to hit the road. Will there be anything left of this country by that time?


America, you okay?
Are you okay?
Are you okay, America?

America, you okay?
Are you okay?
Are you okay, America?

You've been hit by,
You've been struck by
A smooth liberal.

Monday, March 16, 2009

Barack Obama: "This economy is not my Fault."

America, you okay?
Are you okay?
Are you okay, America?
America, you okay?
Are you okay?
Are you okay, America?
You've been hit by,
You've been struck by
A smooth liberal.

Okay, so the record, I don't think Obama's actually said that in so many words, he just blames Bush, which in itself is starting to rub me raw. But get this: Obama is now worried that he might face a backlash. No kidding:

The Obama administration is increasingly concerned about a populist backlash against banks and Wall Street, worried that anger at financial institutions could also end up being directed at Congress and the White House and could complicate President Barack Obama's agenda.

The administration's sharp rebuke of the American International Group on Sunday for handing out $165 million in executive bonuses — Lawrence H. Summers, director of the president's National Economic Council, described it as "outrageous" on "This Week" on ABC — marks the latest effort by the White House to distance itself from abuses that could feed potentially disruptive public anger.


Yep. Being forcibly dragged out of office could sure screw up his agenda. And did you see that? He's trying to distance himself from the anger. Someone oughta inform this guy that we're still ticked off at him for spending money we haven't even made yet. But wait - it gets better:

Beyond that, a shifting political mood challenges Mr. Obama's political skills, as he seeks to acknowledge the anger without becoming a target of it. A central question for Mr. Obama is whether his cool style — "in a time of crisis, we cannot afford to govern out of anger," he said in his address to Congress last month — will prove effective when the country may be feeling more emotional. .....

....Still, aides acknowledged the risks of a backlash as Mr. Obama tries to signal that he shares American anger but pushes for more bail-out money for banks and Wall Street.

For all his political skills and his capturing of the nation's desire for change in the 2008 election, Mr. Obama, a product of Harvard Law School who calls upscale Hyde Park in Chicago home, has shown little inclination to strike a more populist tone. The danger, aides said, is that if he were to become identified as an advocate for the banks and Wall Street, people could take out their anger on him.

"The change now is you have a free-floating economic anxiety that has expressed itself in a kind of lashing out at those being bailed out and people who are bailing out," said Michael Kazin, a professor at Georgetown University who has written on populism. "There's not really a sense of what the solution is."

"I do think there's a potential for a 'damn everybody in power' kind of sentiment," Mr. Kazin said.


Another problem is the fact that Democrats don't care how much tax money they spend, and they don't have to since they don't pay taxes. But, moving on...

Govern out of anger? We were angry before this started, okay? You're trying to keep yourself out of trouble by distancing yourself as you hand over more of taxpayer's money.

Yeah, it belongs to the taxpayers, and they are not happy that every time these idiots come slinking back to Washington, you fork over more money. When is this madness going to stop?!?

It's odd. The media helped him create this crisis - just like they did for Clinton - and now everyone's feeling real nervous, wondering what the American people are going to do, or how long it will take for America to tell them to put a sock in it.

Do the whole economy a favor, Obama. Put a sock in telling us how bad it is. And stop giving losers our money.

America, you okay?
Are you okay?
Are you okay, America?

America, you okay?
Are you okay?
Are you okay, America?

You've been hit by,
You've been struck by
A smooth liberal.

Hat tip Michelle Malkin
Song lyrics are a parody of Alien Ant Farm's version of 'Smooth Criminal.'

Thursday, March 12, 2009

The Obituary of Common Sense

Cross-posted from There's My Two Cents:

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as: Knowing when to come in out of the rain; Why the early bird gets the worm; Life isn't always fair; and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.

It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an Aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife, Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son, Reason.

He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers;

I Know My Rights
I Want It Now
Someone Else Is To Blame
I'm A Victim

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you
still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do
nothing.


So sad, and true. If you remember Common Sense, pass it on.

Monday, March 9, 2009

Seira's Mirror

No, I did not mistype that title. Seira is the proper spelling of the Japanese name, and it is pronounced the same as "Sarah."

Anyway, another peice of companion art for another story.

Hopefully, this time you can click to enlarge. It didn't work so well last time I tried.

The text in the box reads, "Seira's Mirror... When the twelve Heart Orbs are gathered, Michel's dormant memories will be awakened..."

(Dang, I love that. Sorry, I really do. It's really cryptic.)

This is for my Mermaid Melody story, Kyrie. Here's a summary of the story:


Set 8-10 months after Pure. Michel has been sent to Earth to escape a mysterious force that is after him. However, there's one little problem: he doesn't remember anything before he showed up on Earth. Seira's determined to help him, but that may be harder than she thinks. With no memories and no powers, how's he gonna get back home? And what's hunting him down, anyway?

Do you want to find out?


Click here if you want to read the story. Chapter 2: Tsubasa wo Daite.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Money Problems Everywhere...

And more than you might think!

Let’s start with the top kingpin: one Barack Obama. His impressive resume includes sliding into the White House mostly on the race card.

Well, it’s no wonder he picked tax cheats for his cabinet. You see, he owes the city of Philadelphia $24,000, he owes Springfield Illinois $65,000, and he owes Chicago $2 million.

That’s a lot of zeroes, but give me a minute… alright. The combined final cost of all these bills comes to $2,089,000.00.

And I thought he was rich.

Next, we have Joe Biden, who is also being fraudulent. Cross-posted from There's My Two Cents:


The Bidens' 2006 purchase of Paradigm has sparked litigation. In December, James and Hunter Biden settled a lawsuit brought in New York state court by a one time business partner, Anthony Lotito Jr. Mr. Lotito alleged the Bidens owed him money from the Paradigm purchase. In court filings, he also contended that James Biden asked him to help Hunter Biden, who had been a Washington lobbyist, get into the hedge-fund business. Mr. Lotito alleged that Joe Biden was concerned about the impact his son's lobbying could have on his planned 2008 run for the Democratic presidential nomination. Mr. Biden did run for president but dropped out of the race.

More here, if you want the full article.

Rahm Emanuel is also cheating:

Gawker first reported that Emanuel rents a basement apartment last week, mostly to make fun of the chief of staff for sleeping on a futon under a blacklight poster of Bob Marley. Which is an important part of the story, but it turns out the residence in question isn't zoned for rentals.

That sent Emanuel's colleague and alleged landlord out to deny the charges. Rep. Rose DeLauro (D-Conn.) told her hometown paper, "Hey, it's cool. He doesn't rent from me. He lives there for free!"

"I wanted to make clear: we have no separate apartment in our DC house, no rental apartment; all our bedrooms and living areas are part of the house and accessible. They are often used by close family and friends. In
mid-November, I got a call from the DC zoning office indicating that somebody had lodged a complaint and asked to inspect the property, which we welcomed. My husband was there for the inspection, which was uneventful and we did not hear again from the zoning office."
...Hospitality between colleagues is not prohibited by House ethics rules, but a gift of this size would have required a written waiver from the Standards Committee, which neither party has yet produced.

But, let's not stop there with the questionable ethics. DeLauro is married to one Stan Greenberg, a Democratic pollster who has made quite a pile of money off work supplied to him by none other than his semi-permanent house guest. Living for free in the home of a Democratic pollster whom you employed as both a Congressman and as chair of the DCCC might run up against the ethics rules of the "most open and transparent" administration in history. That revolving door Obama keeps talking about is actually the private entrance to Emanuel's digs.


Dude, I'm not even done yet. Let's keep going...

Of course, who can forget Tim Geithner. I won't go into detail here, but let me give you the highlights. He failed to pay $34,000 dollars he owed in taxes. He paid the back taxes and interest the day before his nomination. And this guy is the head of the IRS. Good grief, they should be the ones putting him in jail.

Bill Richardson, nominee for Secretary of Commerce, was accused of giving a state contract to one of his contributors. Whoops.

Tom Daschle cheated on taxes:


The controversy deals with a car and driver lent to Daschle by a wealthy Democratic friend -- a chauffeur service the former senator used for years without declaring it on his taxes. ...

...The Cadillac and driver were never part of Daschle's official compensation package at InterMedia, but Mr. Daschle -- who as Senate majority leader enjoyed the use of a car and driver at taxpayer expense -- didn't declare their services on his income taxes, as tax laws require.

During the vetting process to become HHS secretary, Daschle corrected the tax violation, voluntarily paying $101,943 in back taxes plus interest, working with his accountant to amend his tax returns for 2005 through 2007.


Perhaps it's a good thing he was nominated for health and Human Services Secretary. Now he can feel good about paying back all that money he owes. But still. He was using this car - payed for with tax money - without paying taxes for using it.

And then we have Nancy Killefer, who got in trouble for ...... cheating on taxes!

And how did we not see this coming?


Nancy Killefer, who failed for a year and a half to pay employment taxes on household help, has withdrawn her candidacy to be the first chief performance officer for the federal government, the White House said Tuesday.

Killefer was the second major Obama administration nominee to withdraw and the third to have tax problems complicate their nomination after President Barack Obama announced their selection.

The White House said Obama had accepted Killefer's decision and that the 55-year-old executive with consulting giant McKinsey & Co., would explain her reasons for pulling out later Tuesday.

When her selection was announced by Obama on Jan. 7, The Associated Press disclosed that in 2005 the District of Columbia government had filed a $946.69 tax lien on her home for failure to pay unemployment compensation tax on household help.

Since then, administration officials have refused to answer questions about the tax error which she resolved five months after the lien was filed.


Yep. They refuse to let it blow up in Obama's face. My, wouldn't something like this be an embarrassment to the "most transparent administration in history"? Actually, that should be the "most corrupt administration in history". You're not as bad as Clinton yet, Barack, but you're getting there.

And then we have the Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton. I kid you not. She is involved in a pay-to-play scandal.


On top of all this, the second porkulus (AKA "Onmibus") spending bill has earmarks in it for Obama, Emanuel, Clinton, and Biden, along with Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, and Labor Secretary Hilda L. Solis. (Here, here.)

So your money is going right into their pockets. These cheats, all of whom either owe someone money, or have cheated on taxes, are going to take your money. They've already taken $787 billion, they're coming back for $410 million more (Unless that bill has already been killed - we can only hope).

And if that wasn't enough, Obama's budget calls for $3.6 trillion dollars. You can read about it here.

One final thing: as of today Geithner has announced that Obama team will crack down on tax dodgers. I suggest he start with himself.
___________________________________________________________

3-4-09
Just when I think I'm done, wouldn't you know I'm not! Apparently Apparently we have a new one: Ron Kirk. Guess what he's in trouble for... Tax dodging!

Another Obama administration nominee has tax troubles. This time, it's Ron Kirk, the president's choice to be U.S. trade representative.

Kirk owes an estimated $10,000 in back taxes from earlier in the decade and has agreed to pay them, the Senate Finance Committee said Monday. The committee said the taxes arise from Kirk's handling of speaking fees he donated to a scholarship fund that he set up at his alma mater, and for his deduction of the full cost of season tickets to the Dallas Mavericks professional basketball team.

Kirk also agreed to make changes in his accounting of charitable deductions, including reducing the claimed value of a donated television from $3,000 to $1,500.

The former Dallas mayor is the fourth nominee by President Barack Obama to run into tax problems.

Well isn't this just lovely. More tax problems. The only question now is, was anyone really surprised?
__________________________________________________________

4-1-09
And just when you think it's over, you find it's not. No, this is no April Fool's Day joke:

Kathleen Sebelius, President Obama's nominee to become Health and Human Services secretary, said in a letter obtained by the Associated Press that she made "unintentional errors" on her taxes and has corrected her returns from three different years.

In the letter, which was sent to senators and dated today, Sebelius wrote that she had made changes related to charitable contributions, business expenses and the sale of a home, according to the AP.

The wire service reports that she and her husband paid just over $7,000 in back taxes, along with $878 in interest, for the years 2005-2007.

... CBS News has obtained Sebelius' letter to the Senate Finance Committee. She writes in it that she and her husband hired a Certified Public Accountant to review their returns after her nomination and that the CPA uncovered the errors, after which they amended their returns.

On the charitable contributions front, she writes that she could not locate three acknowledgment letters out of her 49 charitable contributions in excess of $250, and thus eliminated those three deductions.

She also writes that she had "insufficient documentation" for some of her tax dedications for business expenses, though because of the Alternative Minimum Tax they did not affect the amount owed. She also said she mistakenly paid off a home loan that included deductable mortgage interest.

Oh yeah, most transparent administration ever. Yeah right. Maybe she did make an "unintentional mistake," but she was nominated for the Cabinet, so we can't help but wonder...