Charlie Rangel……......Just the mention of his name is probably enough for me to have lost 8 or 9 readers……so to the other 3 of you who are still reading, let me say "Thank you". Charlie’s been making a lot of news recently….particularly since multiple charges of ethics violations have been brought against him by his fellow congress-people. (Which could possibly be the ultimate example of “pots calling a kettle black”) Most of the charges against Charlie, primarily deal with personal finance disclosures and paying taxes.....and if Charlie was just another run-of-the-mill crooked Congressman, that in and of itself, would be bad enough......but that's not the case....because he is the former chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. (Just in case you were wondering what this committee does, I looked it up, so you wouldn't have to) The following paragraph is from their web site http://waysandmeans.house.gov/ ....and it details one of the specific responsibilities of that committee……
“(1) Federal revenue measures generally.--The Committee on Ways and Means has the responsibility for raising the revenue required to finance the Federal Government. This includes individual and corporate income taxes, excise taxes, estate taxes, gift taxes, and other miscellaneous taxes.”
That means that Charlie Rangel was the chairman of a committee, whose primary responsibility was that of writing tax laws.…….Specifically laws applicable to “individual and corporate income taxes”. Now…one would think that if you are on the committee that is in charge of tax issues….that you would probably want to make sure that YOUR taxes were done in a correct manner…..right? Well, not if you’re Charlie Rangel. The “ethics violations” that have been brought against him are related, in part, to taxes that he didn’t pay, and assets that he didn't disclose. Of course in his defense, Charlie has said that he “made some mistakes”. Ok Charlie….I’ll bite….what were the "mistakes"?
Well first of all, there was that villa in the Dominican Republic…..you know the one that’s just like the one YOU own there……well, except on his….he “forgot” to report $75,000 in rental income. (that's easy enough to do….). It also seems that the interest charges on the loan, that was used to purchase the villa…..were waived. (which again, I have creditors calling me ALL the time, asking if they can waive interest charges on loans that I have….so that’s no big deal either). In addition to those minor details, it seems that Charlie also “forgot” to disclose somewhere between $500,000 and $1,000,000 in assets….much of which was in his checking account. (AGAIN….before you cast any stones….you ALL know that you have mis-figured your checkbook…..maybe not to the tune of a million dollars…..but certain 7 or 8 hundred thousand dollars.) It seems that in addition to those teensie little mistakes.....Charlie had previously stated that his net worth was only around a million dollars…..and then after these new details were discovered…..it’s STILL only around 2 million dollars…..so my question is "what’s the big deal?" Of course some of those nasty Republicans are also complaining because of a few letters that Charlie sent out on his official Congressional letter head. All he was trying to do was to raise 30 million dollars in contributions to build the Charles B. Rangel School of Public Service at C.C.N.Y……(it was for the children....and again….we’ve ALL been there, done that whole "mailing letters out on our Congressional letter head" thing)
These are not the only ethics violations that Charlie has been charged with…..the list goes on and on. In fact….back in September of 2008, Roll Call newspaper said the following…..“The inconsistent reports are among myriad errors, discrepancies and unexplained entries on Rangel’s personal disclosure forms over the past eight years that make it almost impossible to get a clear picture of the Ways and Means chairman’s financial dealings.”
My question is this: Is Charlie Rangel that stupid….or does he just think that the American people are that stupid?.....After all, he helped to write some of those laws that he "allegedly" broke. How can you help write specific laws....and then claim ignorance of those laws? (simple answer…you can’t) There is no excuse for this type of behavior. Plain and simple….he should go to prison. One thing for sure, if it were you or me….we would already have our toothbrush packed and be headed off to a 5 to 10 year vacation as a guest of the federal government.....and he should be no different. Actually, let me rephrase that….since he helped to write the laws…..he should get at least double the punishment. STILL....with all that said…….based on the laws of our great country....Charlie Rangel is innocent until proven guilty.
Right about now someone is saying……”Well David, you have certainly enlightened me on the role of the House Ways and Means Committee……and I certainly understand the charges against Mr Rangel….and the whole “innocent until proven guilty” part of your title……but what about the rest of it?”......Oh yeah…I almost forgot….there was that whole “Stupid Until Proven Otherwise” thing.
Last night…August 12th, 2010….there was a birthday party/campaign fundraiser held for Charlie in the Grand Ballroom of the Plaza Hotel…..Now this was not just any birthday party/campaign fundraiser (like the ones you and I have)….NO......this was a sold out event to which those in attendance paid between $250 - $2500, just for the opportunity to wish Charlie a happy birthday.....And then there are those loyal constituents in Charlie’s district, who will probably vote for him in the next election……because they all know (just like you and me) that these charges against Charlie have only been brought up….because he is black. (I actually heard a woman say that in an interview).....
So...to ALL of the people at the birthday party last night…..and to all of those who will probably vote for this idiot, in spite of the evidence that he is a crook (sorry....alleged crook)…….let me read you YOUR rights….”You are hereby notified that you are Stupid Until Proven Otherwise”….Then Again….That’s Just Me
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