Posted on 08/28/2009 6:00:29 PM PDT by Sockdologer
The Wall Street Journal says that Charlie Rangel has “won the personal lottery.” Rangel, Chairman of the Ways and Means committee, is now being investigated for failing to report up to $780,000 in income and assets. Those who defend Rangel claim that this was an accident. But Larry Kudlow wants to know how it is possible that someone does not know he has a $500,000 checking account.
It is, of course, possible that Rangel made a mistake (or rather, several mistakes). But even if that is all he did, his actions have serious implications for the healthcare debate. The Democrats and their supporters have been trying to convince skeptical voters that the government ought to be trusted with running America’s healthcare system. Some have asserted that the only problem with governmental authority has been that Republicans have had it. The Rangel case proves conclusively that neither of these things is true.
If Rangel made this sort of colossal mistake accidentally, he is incompetent. Rangel should be able to understand these things. He is a lawyer, who the Democrats have put in charge of one of the most powerful positions in congress. Was this wise? Not at all. And this is not the first time the Democrats have put someone tainted by financial improprieties in charge of critical financial decisions. No one has yet forgotten Timothy Geithner.
There is, of course, also the possibility that this was not a mistake. If Rangel purposely failed to report his income and assets, then he clearly believes in one law for the governors and another for the governed. Can we trust someone with that sort of view to make the best decisions for us? It would be hard to argue that we can.
And the Democrat lawyer was saying he was just a little “sloppy”. Amazing.
I’d love to see the day when this jackass is perp-walked right past Slick Willies office in Harlem and down to the pokey where he belongs.
Hey, they got Blago, it could happen!
What’s the story on this? I haven’t heard anything other than the rental property income and the condo in NYC. What else has happened? The article doesn’t say...
sw
Apparently Rangel was hiding so much from the IRS that he doubled his worth when he “corrected” his mistake. Among the things he failed to report were an IRA worth over $250,000, four mutual fund accounts valued between $365,004 and $750,000, and stocks worth between $16,002 and $65,000.
Yes...that will stand up in court, I’m sure.
Not if it was another elected Democrat!
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