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February 05, 2009

Den of Thieves

Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained by a righteous life. Proverbs 16:31

Yes, I am feeling mighty righteous this morning. Gary Imhoff, publisher of themail@dcwatch.com, had this tidbit for his readers. Did it set me off? You bettcha!

I was surprised that in this debate no one mentioned that this was not the first time Daschle had creatively reduced his tax burden, and that there was a local DC tax angle to the story. In 2004, opponents of Daschle in his last Senate race discovered that Daschle and his wife had sworn that their house in Washington was their primary residence in order to get DC's real property Homestead deduction. As a Senator from South Dakota, of course, Daschle's primary residence would have to be in that state, and it became an effective minor issue in the campaign not only that Daschle was evading paying his full property taxes, but also that he had become such a Washington insider that he was no longer a true South Dakotan. I brought this up at one of Mayor Williams' press conferences, and asked whether DC knew whether any other members of Congress were illegally claiming the Homestead deduction for their houses in DC. Williams bristled at and brushed off the question, and as far as I know nobody in the tax office ever decided to alienate Congress by exposing its property tax cheaters. Last November, in the course of investigating Congressman Charles Rangel's other questionable property deals, it was revealed that Rangel had been claiming a Homestead deduction on his Washington house for years (Rangel Dirty Deal$).


Now the rational person would say that I'm only upset because they, and others, found ways around the system. No harm; no foul. That I'm only upset because I try to do the right thing and am as poor as dirt. Darn tootin'!!! I've been around long enough to know that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer but, GOOD GRIEF!

For my friends living outside of the DC area, the homestead act was designed to help homeowners' lower their property tax bill. A lot of swearing and attesting and paper to file is required. Been there; done that. So to learn of this, on top of everything else the "fat cats" are doing and prospering, has my "silver crown of splendor" on fire. Time to chase the money changers out of the temple. Rangel...I love you...but step down.

So to more pleasant things. Was it ever cold down here, yesterday. But not as cold as where you are. One degree in Pittsburgh??? It took forever to warm up Serendipity, which means that every heater was going full blast and two pairs of socks still didn't do the trick on my ice-cold feet. Made another round of tests yesterday; one routine, the other not. Still no word on the transfer. Hurry up, please! I received the doctor's bill which I am afraid to open. And the electric bill will bring tears to my eyes. I need those extra hours.

Here's your history lesson:

February 4th was Rosa Parks' birthday. Rosa Parks died on October 24, 2005. On October 30th, and 31st of that year, she became the first woman to lie in honor in the vast circular room under the Capitol dome. Wouldn't she be proud of 44?

Minnie M. Geddings Cox was born on February 5th. In 1891, President Benjamin Harrison appointed Cox postmistress of Indianola, and she was reappointed by President William McKinley; becoming the first Black postmistress of the United States.

There you have it. Wally calls. Be Blessed.

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