Rangel: Fat Cats Get Perks, Write Laws They Won't Obey

Charlie Rangel - poster boy for the Democrat's "most ethical congress in history". Remember the mantra of Nancy Pelosi - the "culture of corruption" charge against the Republicans, which helped the Dems take back the majority of Congress 2 years ago?

Now, Pelosi will not remove Rangel from his Chairman position on the Ways and Means committee.

The Ways and Means committee, the most powerful in congress, is in charge of writing pretty little laws like "imputed income". I have a personal example - did you know that you get taxed for having life insurance? Somehow, those wonderful lawmakers think that you are getting "imputed income" if your employer allows you to buy more life insurance through them, more then their standard coverage. That's right, you still have to pay for it, as I do. It's just that the IRS will TAX YOU ON THIS. Let me get this straight - I pay for extra life insurance in case I die, and receive no income from it right now (in fact, I'm out money), but the government taxes me on it.

Back to today's story, Rangel has had his Mercedes parked for free in a government parking spot - it's been sitting there apparently in a non-op condition (I bet that means he doesn't even have to pay registration fees!). The problem is this parking spot is a free perk, and therefore imputed income of $100 a month. But Rangel hasn't paid taxes on it.

Just to recap - the most powerful lawmaker in terms of writing tax laws does not follow the laws he keeps on the books. Remember, when liberals want to prop up an all-powerful, far-reaching government it's not because they want to share power with you. Quite the opposite.

Rangel has now called out the big guns - Lanny Davis. No one covers better for a liar than Lanny Davis - just ask the pathological and documented serial liars, the Clintons.

HAS ANY MAJOR MEDIA OUTLET COVERED THIS STORY??? Yep, they've got Republican Ted Stevens all over the news as his trial starts. He's accused of not reporting hundreds of thousands in gifts.

Rangel has admitted to not reporting at least $75,000 from his posh vacation rental alone. Where's the trial?

What does it take to get Rangel's story into Big Media's news cycle?

Here are a list of potential crimes he's committed recently:

• Did not disclose at least $75,000 in rental income from a vacation rental he owns
• Did not pay income tax on free parking space
• Violated Congressional rules by leaving his car on federal property for 4 years, getting free parking, saving thousands on a parking space
  
• Had 4 rent-controlled apartments, using one of them as a campaign office, which is not allowed. Also his high income level should preclude him from ever being able to have a rent-controlled apartment, but he's combined 3 of them into one huge luxury flat.
• Has admitted to so many "errors" on his tax returns for the last 2 decades, he's hired a forensic accountant. He's gotten away with so much, only a few years worth of crimes could be investigated, since most fall out of the window of the statute of limitations.
• There are likely lots of other real estate profits for which he's not reported the income

Only the NY Post is on top of this. See these stories:

TOW-NAILING CHARLIE 'PARKER'

WAGING WAR ON CHARLIE

Some quotes from these articles:

According to his congressional disclosure reports, Rangel paid $3,894 a month in 2007 for four apartments in Lenox Terrace, a 1,700-unit luxury complex often described as Harlem's most prestigious address.

The market rent for such units is between $7,465 to $8,125, according to the Web site of the building's owner, the Olnick Organization.

Although Rangel gave up the unit he used as an office, the other three are used as a sprawling residence by him and his wife, Alma.

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There's sure plenty to look at.

Start with his four rent-stabilized apartments in Harlem and his failure to report $75,000 in apparently taxable rental income from a Caribbean beachfront villa.

Then there is his apparent failure to report income from the sale of:

* A home he owned in the District of Columbia.

* A Harlem apartment (though its value had allegedly doubled over two years).

* And a condo in Sunny Isles, Fla., apparently at a $60,000 profit.

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BELEAGUERED Rep. Charles Rangel holds one of the most influential jobs in America - chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.

Mere membership on Ways and Means is one of the most sought-after slots on Capitol Hill - and with good reason. The committee has the near-exclusive power to block or initiate any change to the tax code - in other words, it chooses who will pay how much in taxes and what income levels deserve tax credits.

In 2007 alone, that gave its members oversight over nearly $2.6 trillion in federal revenue.

In a wonderful show of how only liberals are tolerant and care for people, Rangel said this of Sarah Palin (full story here):

Rep. Charles Rangel yesterday slammed GOP veep nominee Sarah Palin as "disabled."

Asked by Channel 2's Marcia Kramer if Democrats are afraid of Palin, Rangel said, "You got to be kind to the disabled."

"You got to be kind to the disabled?" a surprised Kramer pressed.

"Yes," Rangel answered.

Kramer asked, "She's disabled?"

"There's no question about politically," Rangel said. "It's a nightmare to think that a person's foreign policy is based on their ability to look at Russia from where they live. It is insulting to Americans."

Palin, 44, the governor of Alaska, has a baby son, Trig, who has Down syndrome.

Throw out the corrupt Fat Cats at The Pantheon Journal.

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