Obama Labor Secretary Appointee Latest to face Taxing Questions – In One Week Polls Begin To Give GOP an Edge!

Hilda Solis , Obama’s choice for Labor Secretary, is the latest in a series of nominees who are facing questions regarding unpaid taxes. Apparently, Sam H. Sayyad, Solis’ husband, had tax liens placed on his business, which were paid off this past Wednesday. The liens, dating back to 1993, were placed on Mr. Sayyad’s business by the county of Los Angeles, and totaled approximately $11,000, a small amount in the greater scheme of things. Solis, is the fourth in a series of appointees who have unpaid taxes in their closets (or in Solis’ case, her husband’s closet). First came Timothy Geithner Treasury Secretary, who erroneously claimed his child’s summer camp expenditures on his taxes. Chucking that up to a simple mistake (and frankly, individuals who trust their accountants normally just sign on the dotted line, so one could give Geithner a pass on that slip-up. Enter Tom Daschle, legendary Speaker of the House who lost his seat and standing while pontificating on the evils of the Bush administration. Apparently, Daschle also had problems with his tax returns, which alone, were possibly not enough to keep him from an appointment, however the connection to lobbyist was culminating in a quick withdrawal of Daschle’s nomination as the Head of Health and Human Services. Daschle was followed by Nancy Killifer, nominee for Chief performance officer – once again, taxes were at issue, or the failure to pay.

There are several questions that come to mind, but first and foremost: “Who is vetting these positions?” After reviewing the lengthy and invasive employment review instituted by the current administration, it boggles the mind that those who are tagged for high level positions, are being passed through without thorough examination. One must also consider that the media has played a pivotal role in bringing these tax questions to light – not the administration. Who then, is responsible for keeping the proverbial egg off of President Obama’s face? It appears as if the President has been apologizing for appointees on a daily basis, when he is not pleading with Congress to act fast on the economic crisis (something which, without tax relief to those who are bearing the brunt of the Fannie/Freddie crisis (thank you Barney Frank), will be doomed to failure. Of course, keeping tabs on Congress at this point, may or may not prevent further revelations regarding tax evading government appointments or current members of Congress.

Which begs the question; Do these high-profile members of the party in power find taxes to be such a minor issue or non-issue, that non-payment isn’t considered abnormal? Most citizens fear the IRS (and their State equivalents) more than any other organization – and make it a point to avoid taxes, penalties, fees and the like by filing early and in concert with a double check by an accounting firm (incurring further costs for the pleasure of paying the Federal Government or the State). In conversations with “average” citizens (i.e. those who are not in the Congress, the Senate, the White House or possible appointee), it is noted that (paraphrasing) “If I didn’t pay taxes, I’d be in jail”. Good point. Now that the focus is on the Party in Charge, and the media is doing its due diligence (about time), the public has lost its initial zeal – President Obama’s job approval rating fell 15 points in one week, while support for the Stimulus Package has dropped to 37%, all of this resulting in a shift in popularity for the minority party as support for the GOP is up 3 points in a week on the Generic Congressional Ballot. In review, taxing Revelations regarding appointments, growing unrest over the “Stimulus Package” and a general drop in popularity in only one week’s time has given a boost to the GOP. With the addition of Michael Steele at the GOP helm, one can only imagine what those numbers may look like in three months should the present trend continue; at the very least, the GOP has been given enough material to wage competitive campaigns in 2010, at the most, 2010 may turn out to be much more interesting that originally anticipated.