UNDER OUR FORM of government, even the devil is required to have an advocate before being found guilty and having sentence passed. So, somebody’s got to stand up to the public-opinion lynch mob howling for the devil’s blood — the devil allegedly being state legislators who don’t pay taxes, employees of faltering financial giants who get million-dollar bonuses even as some of their outfits not only are getting federal bailout money but are delinquent on millions of dollars in taxes.
Being an advocate for even a mass murderer of common sense and decency doesn’t mean the lawyer condones the actions. It only means that, putting it in the best light for a cool, calm, rational jury of peers — plainly missing at the moment — a case for justifiable stupidity can be made. Besides, not only should most be presumed innocent as well as actually being so, but they’re more victims than culprits having been led astray by poor examples — namely, those who now make up the lynch mob and have long condoned if not encouraged such behavior.
Let’s face it, if those now toting the flaming torches and pitchforks were themselves offered a million dollars to simply sit down and shut up, how many would turn the offer down?
It was a general American attitude of recent years favorable to “getting while the getting is good” that led to the current difficulties, including their more attention-grabbing details. If granting of subprime mortgages, for example, was a big part of the current difficulties then would it be safe to say that darn few prospective homeowners, offered such deals, turned them down?
THAT 22 MEMBERS of the Georgia General Assembly missed tax filing deadlines — almost a tenth of all legislators — really shouldn’t shock anyone. Very few have had public legal claims made against them meaning the rest received extensions or are fighting the taxman’s viewpoint. That’s no novelty at all. Not rolling over and playing dead for the IRS if one believes it to be wrong is what one should hope all ornery Americans in similar circumstances would do. Heck, one wishes more politicians showed that much backbone as regards fighting lousy legislation.
Besides, if those legislators even potentially owed any taxes that may make them more a part of paying for government than some now out after their hides. Actually, it would be more interesting to learn who among state legislators did file their income taxes but didn’t have to pay.
According to the Tax Foundation, in numbers based on a 2004 analysis, a record 42.5 million returns — a third of all those filed — had no income tax liability after available deductions and credits. Another 15 million adult Americans didn’t earn enough to file meaning, in total, some 58 million U.S. households didn’t have to pay a thing. Why pillory 22 out of those who did wind up with an obligation? Anger at the tax code in general would seem more in order. As for the retention bonuses at AIG and similar, these are actually quite common in those rarified financial ranks. They are simply the superstars whose feats do not appear on the sports pages. They have skills and talents that make them highly desirable and are rare or even unique. It’s actually no different than what occurs all the time in professional sports ... and often with the same results (the team still doesn’t get to the Super Bowl or World Series).
THE NEW YORK Yankees payroll is actually more than the AIG retention bonuses for the year. Count the Yankees’ long-term contractual obligations (which are like retention bonuses) for their stars and the numbers approach federal bailout figures — the three new pitchers in their starting rotation are costing them more than $400 million. And the Yankees still haven’t gotten to the Series since 2003 (and lost then). It would seem that AIG is not the only outfit that hires superstars and still winds up a loser.
As for a number of AIG executives pocketing the retention bonuses (owed for last year, not this one) and then jumping ship anyway — well, the government (you) now owns 80 percent of AIG because of the bailout money. Ever hear of a government-owned anything making a profit? Perhaps those jumping ship have higher hopes for their careers than a dead-end, pay-capped government job.
As for the revelation quite a few companies that got federal bailout funds haven’t paid tax bills they’re not challenging — at least two for more than $100 million — instead of jumping to the obvious “bunch of thieves” conclusion how’s about pondering another, but unmentioned possibility.
Those firms are in trouble. Bad trouble or they wouldn’t need to be bailed out. If they go belly up, the tax collector is first in line to be paid in full before any others ... not only suppliers but also employees. Perhaps those firms preferred to let the taxes slide, even though they knew penalties would be added, and instead use the cash on hand to meet payroll in the hope of keeping going until things turn around and profits return. Maybe the job thus saved, the stock investment thus not rendered utterly worthless, was yours.
If you had just enough money to stave off foreclosure on your family’s home or pay your taxes, but not both, which would you select knowing how long it takes the government machinery to actually come after you?
GRANTED, A LOT of this sounds like making excuses. It’s not. Being a devil’s advocate commonly involves trying to add perspective more than it does making saints out of sinners. Little is as black-and-white as the emotions of the moment seek to portray.
Given the avalanche of “hang them high” opinion that’s been expressed, this seemingly minority viewpoint probably should be expanded to book length — and could. On the theory that the public has heard too much already, and tends not to listen to whispers of rational thought while sitting in the front row of a hard rock concert (the kind that throws rocks, not plays it), we’ll spare readers that. There are currently so many maligned devils in our media-driven world that their advocates must of necessity spread themselves thin.
Indeed, there’s little to hope for other than knowing such things always run their course. Public opinion has increasingly become much like a cattle herd stampede. All the cowboys of reflective thought can do is stay out of the way, trail along as best they can, and pray that the herd drops from exhaustion before encountering a cliff.
|
No Related links found
|
