Obama's Nominee for U.S. Trade Representative has....(wait for it)....

...Tax Problems.

[Audience: "Ooooooo!"]

Tax Problems Surface for Trade Rep. Nominee Kirk

"Former Dallas mayor Ron Kirk, who is President Obama's nominee to be the U.S. Trade Representative, failed to pay almost $10,000 in taxes during the past three years because of a series of mistakes, the Senate Finance Committee announced today."

I think this demonstrates a progression of gained-experience on the part of Barack Obama.

After all, that mere $10,000-tag makes Mr. Kirk the least eggregious tax-cheat nominated to a Presidential Cabinet position in the history of this administration!

When taken within a properly-nuanced context, it's almost as though he wasn't breaking the law at all!

....you know - when compared to those other tax-cheats favored by The One.


Hmmm... I am suddenly reminded of that old addage about "If you say "dog" enough times, the word ceases to have meaning."

Could that be it?

Could it be that Obama's hoping that if we hear the phrase "Tax-Cheat Cabinet-Appointee" enough times, it will just eventually stop bothering us?



... I think he's going to need a bigger cabinet.

- MuscleDaddy

And now for a quick game of...

"Where is Your Tax Money Going?"

Now, of course, this is sort of a trick question - since the Great Generational Theft Act of 2009 assures that we will never really know the entire answer to that question.

But for the purposes of this post, the answer is: "Gaza"

U.S. plans "substantial" pledge at Gaza meeting

"The United States plans to offer more than $900 million to help rebuild Gaza after Israel's invasion and to strengthen the Western-backed Palestinian Authority, U.S. officials said on Monday."

"Rebuild Gaza after Israel's invasion"

You know, I'm having a bit of trouble with that part of the statement, but I can't seem to put my finger on exactly why.... maybe if they'd used a more "nuanced" phrasing - like:
"Israel's retaliatory strike in response to un-ending rocket attacks from Gaza"

... yeah, that might have worked...

Oh, and don't worry that nearly a Billion dollars of your money will go to buy more rockets, bullets and Semtex for cafe-bombers to slaughter Israeli children & grannies - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has already thought of that:

"The money, which needs U.S. congressional approval, will be distributed through U.N. and other bodies and not via the militant group Hamas, which rules Gaza, said one official."

There, see? The U.N. will be distributing the $900MM of your tax-money!

Of course, I guess that means that Madame Clinton has somehow forgotten about how many of the Paletinian rocket attacks seem to have come from U.N. facilities...

And, I suppose it also means that she's managed to overlook the ... issues ... that the U.N. has had with hanging onto aid 'Not Intended For Hamas' in the recent past...

And I'm sure that the U.N.'s history of supporting a "Middle East Without Israel" narrative wouldn't make their administation of $900MM in US tax-dollars in any way ... suspect... of course - right?

So there we are - nothing to see here, folks!

I'm sure that this re-stocking of the Palestinians isn't really just the Obama administration giving Israel something more 'immediate' to worry about than their (ahem) larger concerns.

(apparently, the IAEA - they're UN too, no? - "missed" an additional 209kg of enriched uranium in Iran which means that, along with Pakistani-acquired tech, they can now make their own nuclear device to perch atop one of those new, farther-reaching missles they have)

- particularly given that Israel recently acquired a PM with... well... a spine?


Something to think about, next time you look at that ol' pay-stub and note the difference between the "Gross" and "After Tax" numbers.

- MuscleDaddy

Intern for a Day?

This in from the NY Daily News...

So there's Chelsea, suporting her mom through confirmation hearings...
(which, according to Michelle Malkin, involve only softball questions - if any - from GOP members).

When Committee Chairman John Kerry, known for his warmth and excellent comedic timing...
...er, no, wait...

Anyway, he comes across with this gem:

“Since your father served as an intern on this committee, maybe we can make you an intern for a day, chairman’s prerogative,” Kerry said to laughs. “So if you want to come up here later and look out, we’re happy to welcome you.”

Ok, so I was bored & on my way to work when I heard that one on the radio (delivered straight and strictly as part of the story coverage) ...

So I understand that it's completely on me that my mind tossed up an image of Lurch leering down from the podium, uttering the words...

"Your father served..."

"...an Intern..."

"...we can make you an intern for a day..."

"...if you want to come up here later..."

Even now, a couple of hours later, I'm still torn between flinching, laughing and checking to make sure my cup is sympathetically in place against the inevitable kick, delivered to Lurch with such force as to be deemed the new "Shot Heard 'Round The World".

If Chelsea's expression is any indication:

... she may have heard it the same way.

OhMyDamn.

- MuscleDaddy


P.S. - it's not just me - Chelsea is looking hotter than she has any right to?

....right?