The Rangel Rule

I don't know about you, but I am tired of the political and business elite getting different treatment than we do and now Congressman John Carter of Texas is presenting a plan that I can really get behind. Recently, Representative Charlie Rangel of New York admitted on the House floor that he has not paid taxes on some property he owns for years. He, of course, has since made the back payments but, as Representative Carter notes, he did not have to pay any interest or penalties. Even more recently, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner admitted to not paying back taxes. He also did not have to pay interest or penalties. Now, if this were you or I, we would have to pay more in interest and penalties than the taxes themselves. And yet, these two and other elites like them get preferential treatment as if they were some sort of aristocracy. It's an outrage.

Representative Carter is presenting a bill to allow what he calls the "Rangel Rule". Anyone who receives a past-due tax bill can pay it and write "Rangel Rule" on the bill and have all interest and penalties waived. This is a plan that I can support because everyone is treated equally. Plus, we would be able to stick it to the IRS. Who wouldn't want that?