There aren't two sets of rules...

After news yesterday of Tom Daschle withdrawing his bid for secretary of health and human services, President Obama said the following in an interview with NBC news:

“I’ve got to own up to my mistake, which is that ultimately it’s important for this administration to send a message that there aren’t two sets of rules,” Mr. Obama said in an interview with NBC News. “You know, one for prominent people and one for ordinary folks who have to pay their taxes.”

I think it's important for Mr. Obama to send this message because he's really pressing for ethics, openness and accountability in Washington right now.  You've got to practice what you preach.

Also see this article in today's New York Times: How to Avoid a Tom Daschle Tax Problem

Pay your taxes!

Today, I am thoroughly disappointed in some of Obama's Cabinet appointees.  My anger has been brewing since it was revealed that then-Treasury Secretary Nominee Timothy Geithner had failed to pay some taxes.  

Let's be honest people, at a time where money is one of our biggest problems, you'd think you could trust that the nominee to oversee the TREASURY could manage his own fiscal responsibilities.

Then today, our own midwest-grown cabinet appointee, Tom Daschle had to step down as a candidate to head HHS because he failed to pay taxes for a private car and driver provided to him by a donor...this from the man who actually put out a political ad highlighting the fact he "still drives his own car to work" everyday.

Now here's what gets me. I make a very modest salary (we're not talking Daschle's $5mil/year) and pay my taxes, file tax returns, ask questions when I don't understand something etc.  I don't employ any tax or financial advisors, but each year, I get it right. I'm not breaking any tax law that I know of.  But, these rich, powerful, Washington insiders -- our political leaders -- who employ people to get this stuff right fail time and again to do so.  It's simply unacceptable to have these public figures - our leaders -not setting a good example at this simple level of paying taxes just as everyone else does (or at least SHOULD).  

Why do the rich keep asking for tax cuts if they just create their own tax cuts by failing to pay what they owe?  And here's another question: if everyone who failed to pay their taxes last year, would do so this year, could we make a dent in our national defecit? Could we pay for the stimulus package?

(And don't even get me started with bailed-out companies that still handed out multi-million dollar bonuses!!)

 

::: Friday afternoon fun :::

I just found the Web site http://www.stuffjournalistslike.com/.  Yes, it's modeled by the book/Web site of a similar name: http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/.

Written by two "recovering journalists," their blog entries polk fun at the cliche things that journalists love.  Hilarious, yes.  Right on the money? Of course.

Things like NPR (check), drinking (of course), scandals (always looking for a juicy one), weather stories (cue CNN hurricane coverage) and of course, the AP Style guide (yes, we spell website "Web site").

It's a good read...

Do you have 5 hours?

Now this is cool:  Starbucks is partnering with the Corporation for National & Community service, asking its patrons to pledge 5 hours of their time to a community service project.  If you do so, Starbucks will give you a free cup o' joe.  

At the site, http://pledge5.starbucks.com/, you can search your zip code for available service projects, find something that interests you and find the contact information for that organization.

I'm on the whole "let's join together and make the country a better place" wagon right now, so sign up. Do something positive. Let's help each other out.

Movie Update

Academy Award nominees were announced today, and during this season of great movies, I've been vigorously trying to see all of the hot movies (The Wrestler, Gran Torino, Ben Button, Dark Knight, Doubt...).  I'm a bit surprised to announce that I've only seen one of the five movies nominated for "Motion Picture of the Year."  The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

That said, I've still got a couple to see:

-Slumdog Millionaire

-Frost/Nixon

-Milk

-The Reader

And, I'm also interested in:

-Revolutionary Road

-Rachel Getting Married (I think it's on DVD now though...)

-Changeling

-Vicky Christina Barcelona

Why do all of the must-see movies of the year come out at the same time? I guess I shouldn't complain, there aren't many good places to spend frosty weekends in MN during the winter months!  

"For a long time now there’s been too much secrecy in this city."

On his first full day as President, Barack Obama announced that his administration would be "doing business in the light of day."  This is an important departure from the Bush administration's policies of the past eight years.  

After taking office, Mr. Bush and Attorney General Ashcroft instructed White House Staff that information should be kept private unless there was a good reason for the information to be made public -- a presmption of secrecy.  Mr. Obama announced immediately, while swearing in his senior staff, that the Freedom of Information Act was meant to be followed -- in its letter and spirit.  So, after eight years of secrecy, Mr. Obama has once again opened doors, and is inviting people in.

One more sign that Obama is serious about the need for transparency in Washington:  on the new White House Web site (www.whitehouse.gov), non-emergency legistlation will be posted for five days, open to public comment, before the President will sign the bill. And, there's a blog.  Mr. Obama is keeping up in his committment to new media and online communication strategies, even though the campaign has ended.

I need to start updating again...

I lost steam after the election, but I would like to start updating Policy Wonkish again.  I'll start today with a arecap of some of my top news items of the day:

1. On the hilarious news front, MinnPost's David Brauer finds disgraced Illinois Gov. Blagojovich's long lost twin:

http://www.minnpost.com/braublog/2008/12/11/5208/separated_at_birth_blago_and_

2.  It's never good when a child's remains are found, but I'm hoping today's discovery leads to the end of the Casey/Caylee Anthony saga:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/12/11/child.remains.found/index.html

Barack Obama Will Become the 44th President of the United States!

THANK YOU JESUS. Barack Obama will become the next president, and McCain-Palin are out. This is exciting stuff. I am literally speechless.



Some good images from tonight:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27545252/displaymode/1176/rstry/27531033/

UPDATE: The text of Obama's speech here.

Exit Polling in Minnesota

This just in: The first of hopefully not many reporters was told he's forbidden to conduct exit polling within 100 feet of a polling place.

On October 16th the Star Tribune reported:

A federal judge calls Minnesota's new exit poll law unconstitutional and says ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox News, CNN and the Associated Press will be allowed to conduct polls close to voting places Nov. 4. The news outlets sued over the law that bars non-voters from standing within 100 feet of a voting place. "There is no evidence that permitting exit pollsters close to the polling building will disrupt the electoral process," the judge wrote.

The election judge told the reporter the October ruling by Judge Michael Davis, calling the exit poll law unconstitutional "only applies to the news organizations who filed the suit."

That's bunk.

Here's the court's decision.

10:57 UDPATE: The court's decision only applies to "exit polling" (defined in the order as "approaching voters in a predetermined pattern as they leave the polling place after they have voted and asking them to fill out an anonymous questionnaire"). The journalist turned away was conducting exit "interviews," so apparently the 100-foot restriction still applies.

Starbucks Wastes Money on Illegal Advertising

Did you watch this somewhat touching Starbucks ad earlier in the week? They said get out and vote, and we'll give you a free cup of coffee!

Well, turns out it's illegal to reward voters for doing the deed.

From NewsCut @ MPR