This Is The Post In Which I Come To The Defense Of...
Fair Warning note for all readers, right and left...grab your duct tape. I am about to post something that will make your head explode. Ready? Here goes....
This is the post in which I come to the defense of...AL FRANKEN. Yes, I am going to attempt to defend Mr. Franken and give him a few ideas that he might be able to use on the campaign trail to make this a positive event. You can mail the residual checks directly to me Al....
In defense of his not paying approximately $70,000 in taxes in 17 different states, candidate Franken has said that he is the "victim" of an overly complex tax code and he is CORRECT! As the Logical Husband reminded me last nights, the states in question all have tax laws on the books that are designed to soak wealthy performers (like baseball players, football players and artists like Mr. Franken). Minnesota has one of these laws as well. These laws were proposed and passed by legislatures that are predominantly controlled by Democrats. If Candidate Franken really wanted to make lemonade out of the lemons of his own sowing, he could stand up in front of the press and pledge to propose legislation to make these laws illegal should he become the next Senator from Minnesota. He could further pledge to work across the aisle to get real tax simplification and reform passed in the Senate. He could also pledge to advocate for either the Flat or Fair tax (yes I understand that there are issues with both proposals but stay with me here). If Franken did that, he would appeal to a broad spectrum of independents and Republicans for whom tax reform is a major issue. He would also brand himself as his own man and not a shill for the "progressive" wing of the Democrat Party.
Second, he could take the advise of fellow True North poster, Pat Shortridge:
This could be the tough one. One of the few things that Team Franken knows about their candidate is that he has a hair trigger temper. This is one reason why they keep their candidate as far away from the press as possible. However, the only way to make this GO AWAY is for Candidate Franken to answer these questions. Until Candidate Franken sits down for as long as the press wants him to answer these questions, the tax problems will be a lingering issue for Team Franken!
The ball is in your court Al. What's your next move?
This is the post in which I come to the defense of...AL FRANKEN. Yes, I am going to attempt to defend Mr. Franken and give him a few ideas that he might be able to use on the campaign trail to make this a positive event. You can mail the residual checks directly to me Al....
In defense of his not paying approximately $70,000 in taxes in 17 different states, candidate Franken has said that he is the "victim" of an overly complex tax code and he is CORRECT! As the Logical Husband reminded me last nights, the states in question all have tax laws on the books that are designed to soak wealthy performers (like baseball players, football players and artists like Mr. Franken). Minnesota has one of these laws as well. These laws were proposed and passed by legislatures that are predominantly controlled by Democrats. If Candidate Franken really wanted to make lemonade out of the lemons of his own sowing, he could stand up in front of the press and pledge to propose legislation to make these laws illegal should he become the next Senator from Minnesota. He could further pledge to work across the aisle to get real tax simplification and reform passed in the Senate. He could also pledge to advocate for either the Flat or Fair tax (yes I understand that there are issues with both proposals but stay with me here). If Franken did that, he would appeal to a broad spectrum of independents and Republicans for whom tax reform is a major issue. He would also brand himself as his own man and not a shill for the "progressive" wing of the Democrat Party.
Second, he could take the advise of fellow True North poster, Pat Shortridge:
If Al Franken REALLY wants to take responsibility ….he will, along with his lawyers, accountants, financial advisers, et al, hold a press conference and answer the many lingering questions about this mess. I’m sure the press corps, both local and national, would welcome the opportunity, as should Franken if he really wants to get out from under the cloud hovering over his campaign and put it behind him.
Some questions that quickly come to mind include:
How did Team Franken decide on $70,000 and 17 states?
Does the $70,000 include penalties and interest?
Who told him he had no tax liability in the first place?
Who signed off on the termination process for Al Franken, Inc. in California?
How come the stories out of the Franken Campaign kept changing?
Does this settle all outstanding legal and financial issues for Al Franken, Inc?
This could be the tough one. One of the few things that Team Franken knows about their candidate is that he has a hair trigger temper. This is one reason why they keep their candidate as far away from the press as possible. However, the only way to make this GO AWAY is for Candidate Franken to answer these questions. Until Candidate Franken sits down for as long as the press wants him to answer these questions, the tax problems will be a lingering issue for Team Franken!
The ball is in your court Al. What's your next move?
Labels: Al Franken
posted by The Lady Logician at
9:29 AM
4 Comments:
What advice would you give to an endorsed legislator seeking re-election that a county shows he or she is "delinquent" in paying property taxes? Would you advise him or her to say that this legislator "is the "victim" of an overly complex tax code and he (or she) is CORRECT!" Would you further encourage this legislator to "pledge to work across the aisle to get real tax simplification"? Is it relevant for this legislator to "also pledge to advocate ... the Flat ... tax"? Or has this "firebrand" taken a strategy to lower taxes into his or her own hands by simply not paying them?
By
Anonymous, at 11:11 AM
Nice to see somebody else gets the big picture. Good post.
http://www.mnfmi.org/current-topics/commentaries/44-commentaries/176-if-franken-is-a-victim-so-are-the-rest-of-us.html
By
Craig Westover, at 4:04 PM
"Would you advise him or her to say that this legislator "is the "victim" of an overly complex tax code and he (or she) is CORRECT!"
Um....I have news for you my snarky anonymous friend. I have not said that Franken is the victim of anything. HIS CAMPAIGN were the ones that said that HE was the victim of the complex tax code. If you don't believe me, read the link in the comment right below yours...
Craig - thanks for the compliment. The funny thing is that you and I have been of "one mind" as it were on a couple of issues lately.
LL
By
The Lady Logician, at 5:08 PM
I agree with Craig. This is a good post. If Franken were to grasp the nettle he'd have a chance to help make some real changes. I'm not holding my breath, of course.
By
Mr. D, at 9:45 PM
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