Joe the Plumber Will Tackle Tax Reform If Elected to Congress
Samuel Wurzelbacher (aka Joe the Plumber) is running for Congress. Yep! The man who became a hero to uncounted conservative Americans for having a slightly contentious driveway moment with then-candidate Barack Obama wants to represent the citizens of Ohio's 9th Congressional District. Despite his claims to be an outsider, JdaP has a pretty sophisticated campaign going […]
Former KPMG Partner Wants a Job That Is Worse Than Being a KPMG Partner
I kid, I kid. There are plenty of KPMG partners who couldn’t be happier if they were PwC partners. ANYWAY, that’s beside the point. What is the point is that former House of Klynveld partner Leslie Coolidge is running for U.S. Congress in Illinois’ Sixth District. Why would a seemingly normal person CPA opt for a career in the dungeon asylum hellhole that is the House of Representatives? Well, she has her reasons:
“Like many of us, I have become increasingly dismayed by the apparent unwillingness of our current Congress to address the critical issues facing our country today,” Coolidge, 52, said. “As I watched the brinksmanship this summer as Congress actually considered letting our country go into financial default, I knew I could no longer sit on the sidelines. As a CPA, I can delve into and understand complex financial matters and create innovative solutions that make sense. In addition, much of my career was spent negotiating among parties with divergent views to find ways to successfully move forward, something Congress is not doing.”
An agent of change! A uniter, not a divider! All that crap! How could it go wrong?
Don’t Think You Can Just Go Around Lying About the Taxpayer Protection Pledge and Not Expect Americans for Tax Reform to Have Their Feelings Hurt
A large portion of the populace probably thinks that Americans for Tax Reform president and co-founder Grover Norquist – and by extension, all of ATR – is an ideological, tax-hating, meanie. Sure, he tracks the bagels and coffee consumption at meetings and sure, he might let terrorists have their way with our grandmothers if the chips are down but that’s just holding true to his principles of austerity. Plus, he’s down with Elmo and gives the green light to cheeky blog posts, so you know he’s got a soft spot and a sense of humor.
So when someone says something mean about ATR or the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, it cuts. It cuts deep. And when someone running for public office has the audacity to lie about the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, that’s when things have simply crossed the line to the point of no return.
Case in point – Kate Marshall, who is running for Congress in Nevada’s 2nd District said the following about her opponent Mark Amodei:
“He signed a tax pledge which basically says no tax loopholes shall be left behind,” Marshall said. “He shall never turn down a subsidy, shall never close a loophole.”
Well, this little statement got a few knickers in a twist over at ATR and they pulled a quote from Factcheck.org to prove Marshall wrong:
ATR’s tax pledge does protect corporations in general — but only from an overall increase in taxes. It says nothing about jobs at all. More important, it does not rule out an overhaul of the tax code. Signers agree to oppose any “net” reduction of deductions or credits “unless matched dollar for dollar by further reducing tax rates.” […] That leaves ample room for elimination of any number of special tax breaks so long as the overall level of taxation is not increased. To claim that this “protects” any particular provision of the tax code is simply untrue.
So now, Grover and Co. would like Kate Marshall to apologize for this blatant disregard for the truth. This can be made in the form of a written apology, public statement, sending Grover a bouquet of flowers or – here’s a wild idea – how about SIGNING THE PLEDGE? That would probably smooth things over.
Kate Marshall Urged to Apologize for Lies About Taxpayer Protection Pledge [ATR]
Four special election candidates spar over taxes [LVS]