By Jeffrey Lord on 9.23.08 @ 12:08AM
Will the Senator duck Treasury rule that allows him to raise his own taxes right now?
So what's with Joe Biden not paying more taxes? Is he
unpatriotic?
With all those 36 years in the United States Senate behind him,
surely Biden knows of the 1843 law that lets American citizens
increase their own taxes by simply sending in a higher amount of
money than they were officially taxed. A quick trip to the web page
of the U.S. Treasury Department states the facts:
Citizens who wish to make a general donation to the
U.S. government may send contributions to a specific account called
"Gifts to the United States." This account was established in 1843
to accept gifts, such as bequests, from individuals wishing to
express their patriotism to the United States. Money deposited into
this account is for general use by the federal government and can
be available for budget needs. These contributions are considered
an unconditional gift to the government. Financial gifts can be
made by check or money order payable to the United States Treasury
and mailed to the address below.
Gifts to the United States
U.S. Department of the Treasury
Credit Accounting Branch
3700 East-West Highway, Room 622D
Hyattsville, MD 20782
The Obama-Biden campaign has been kind enough to put out the tax
records for Senator Biden. According to the
New York Times: "For 2007, Mr. Biden and
his wife, Jill, paid taxes of $66,273 on an adjusted gross income
of $319,853, which included $71,000 in royalties from his book. The
couple, who file jointly, claimed $62,954 in deductions, including
$995 in gifts to charities and $38,712 in interest payments. They
earned $99 in interest on savings accounts and nothing in
dividends."
$66,273???? That's all? How unpatriotic! Then again, there was
that munificent sum of $995 for charity.
Remember the story about John McCain as prisoner of war? How,
once the enemy discovered he was an admiral's son, they offered
their already much tortured captive early release from prison? How
McCain, knowing that others had been held in captivity longer than
he, refused -- thereby condemning himself to a total of five and a
half years in that hell hole of torture and abuse?
This is called leadership. Doing first yourself what you are
asking of others.
Now.
Joe Biden has made much of the fact that people making more than
$250,000 should pay more in taxes. In 2007 the Bidens earned more
than $250,000, quite specifically $319, 853. Biden says of his
fellow earners in the $250,000 and above tax range: "It's time to
be patriotic...time to jump in, time to be part of the deal, time
to help get America out of the rut."
Well, OK then. There's no time like the present for Joe Biden to
lead by voluntarily raising his own taxes, to "be patriotic....jump
in...be part of the deal...help get America out of the rut."
This is Joe Biden's tax equivalent of John McCain's POW moment.
For one moment in time, the 2008 presidential election -- when
everybody is watching -- Joe Biden can take the lead, personally,
on taxes. He can call a press conference. Have his advance guys
find him a good, dramatic visual like a Mom & Pop deli in
Scranton. Summon the TV cameras. Stand behind the counter with an
apron on. Then dramatically take out the Biden personal checkbook
and write a check made payable to "The United States Treasury" and,
with that great Bidenesque flair, sign it right along that bottom
right hand line. At a minimum one would expect a staunch tax guy
like Biden to up his own contributions to America by at least, say,
5%. Then again, Biden is a liberal on tax policy so why not 10%?
Come to think of it, we all agree Biden is a patriot so why not a
real patriotic 15% or 20%? Once he's signed the press can accompany
him as taxpayer Joe walks through the streets of Scranton to the
nearest mailbox and drops his patriotic gesture in the slot.
THEN LET'S HAVE a little dialogue on exactly where that extra Biden
tax money will go. Starting with Biden's own requests for almost
half a billion (that would be billion with a "b") dollars worth of
earmarks, maybe Treasury could use Biden's check to help pay
for:
* The $1 million he has requested for the ever vital "multi-use
trail, linking the historic City of New Castle and the Christina
River."
* Or maybe the $1 million Biden wants for an "upgrade" to
"systems" in Wilmington's Grand Opera House.
* How about that $250,000 "to continue construction of a
3.9-acre waterfront park in downtown Lewes"?
Let's not leave the earmarks of Biden's running mate, Senator
Obama, out of the bidding for Biden's patriotic tax dollars. Obama
is no piker, either, and the Biden dollars could surely help the
almost $1 billion in earmarks Obama has requested. Worthy of
consideration for Joe's tax dollars on Obama's list?
* The $1.6 million to study the genes of pigs. (No word on
whether that includes the lipstick.)
* The $2, 499,400 that Obama wants to increase access to the
food stamp program.
* The $550,000 for "highlighting the incredible world of aquatic
biology" to Obama's constituents.
* The $5 million desperately needed for " highlighting the
impact that individual men and women can have upon a civil
society."
This kind of use of your taxpayer dollars surely gives you that
warm feeling of wanting to "jump in" and be "patriotic" no? What
about Joe? Ya gotta believe, folks, that ole Joe -- he who, with
Obama, voted a couple hundred million plus to fund that famous
Alaskan Bridge to Nowhere that Governor Palin killed, would be
thrilled -- thrilled! -- to have his check put to use studying pig
genes.
SHOULD YOU HOLD your breath here? There are 40-some odd days left
to this campaign and Joe Biden has America's undivided attention.
Isn't it time to ask the question directly of Senator Biden? To say
that we have no question of his patriotism? To say that now is the
time for Joe Biden to demonstrate the same kind of leadership and
self-sacrifice to his fellow Americans with his persona l checkbook
that Senator McCain once demonstrated with his very life to his
fellow POWs?
Isn't time to ask of Senator Biden when he will pony up?
Just in case, so there's no mistake, once again here's the
address where the Biden check raising his own taxes, made out to
"The US Treasury" can be sent today:
Gifts to the United States
U.S. Department of the Treasury
Credit Accounting Branch
3700 East-West Highway, Room 622D
Hyattsville, MD 20782
Isn't time for Joe Biden "to be part of the deal"?
Say it's so, Joe. Say it's so. And don't forget to let us all
know.
Jeffrey Lord is a former Reagan White House political
director and author. He writes from Pennsylvania.
topics:
Taxes, John McCain, Joe Biden, Earmarks, Law, NATO, Alaska
