Solyndra funder Kaiser paid zero taxes for years (Another Obama friend)

Wasington Examiner ^ | Thursday October 13, 2011

[Bigtigermike]

Oklahoma billionaire George Kaiser has been in the headlines in recent months thanks to his role as a major investor in Solyndra LLC, the now-bankrupt California solar panel maker hailed by President Obama as a model for America's "clean energy future."

Congress is investigating why the Obama administration gave Solyndra a $535 million loan guarantee despite multiple warnings from career bureaucrats and private sector investment experts that the company was a poor risk, lacked a realistic business model and was likely to go bankrupt as a result.

Because Kaiser was a campaign "bundler" - an individual who collects contributions to a candidate from others that are then simultaneously given to the candidate - who raised about $250,000 for Obama during the 2008 campaign, congressional Republicans and media analysts have speculated that the Solyndra loan guarantee was nothing more than using tax dollars to reward a political supporter.

But the Solyndra scandal is far from Kaiser's first brush with political controversy. As the Sunlight Foundation's Bill Allison reports today, Kaiser has become extraordinarily wealthy by taking advantage of the federal tax code in ways that some tax experts - including the IRS - believe to be illegal.

[bgill]

All these companies never paying for their fair share makes me vomit.

[goodnesswins]

Not JUST companies....LOTS of “foundations”, ie, the Gates Foundation.....or, the Billionaire’s Tax Avoidance Scheme as I call it.

[I am Richard Brandon]

Nothing to see here folks (certainly no punishment) Move along folks. Just another Criminal Lefty lost in the cloud of other criminal lefties.

[lodi90]

Most people will never hear about this because the GOP leadership is tiptoeing to Nov. 2012. They think they have the election in the bag and don’t want to appear “partisan” lest that cut down their cocktail party invites. Meanwhile barry and the dims pound us with outright lies and fabrications on a daily basis.

[bgill]

True.

[Brytani]

Guess this guy gets added to the list of those the left refuses to eat. You know what I’m talking about, millionaire and billionaires like Soros, Michael Moore, Bill Gates, etc who give to the right “causes” and are therefore immune from leftist hatred.

[Gator113]

Obama and his demon democrats could be sent to prison for 200 years and it still wouldn’t be long enough.

I am so damn sick of the runaway corruption. It is truly killing our country.

[heartwood]

If I were king:

No corporate income tax. No political contributions allowed, only from flesh and blood people.

Capital gains, salary and real value of perks to be taxed at same rate.

Or abolish all income tax and replace with a national sales tax.

[Atlas Sneezed]

Do you think Kaiser was one of the lenders to Solyndra at a rate of 14% interest, guaranteed by the US taxpayers?

[businessprofessor]

No political contributions allowed, only from flesh and blood people.

You mean that groups should not be able to donate to political campaigns. Labor cartels, professional organizations, non profit organizations are also groups that fall under your dictate. What is a political contribution? Can groups buy ads to influence public opinion? Who will police acceptable speech for groups?

[org.whodat]

No one ever wants to believe that, “only the little people pay taxes”. All the rest can afford CPA’s and tax attorneys, and estate planners.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Bigtigermike.