Tax check: Before another nominee picked, open up his or her IRS files

Another day, another tax problem.

Today, it is the nominee for the position of labor secretary. Hilda Solis' husband's business's more than $7,600 tax debt was miraculously paid just recently.

That's right -- the nominee for the position dealing with employment in this country was part of a family that did not pay its taxes on time.

Doesn't exactly make you brim with confidence, does it?

Before President Barack Obama utters another name or picks anyone else to be a member of his Cabinet, he should enlist the help of the Internal Revenue Service. He can do that. After all, he is the president.

He needs to run their Social Security numbers and those of their immediate family to make sure there is no funny business going on before he stands up in front of anyone and asks for confirmation hearings to begin.

And if there isn't an "all-clear," he should move on to the next name.

The reality is that the Obama administration's vetting process for nominees has been nothing short of rushed and incomplete.

Call it inexperience or an overzealous desire to get the show on the road, the result is a disappointing distraction for a nation trying to haul itself out of a recession.

And, really, a more than a little surprising revelation that there might be more than a few people in government who do not understand or care about the tax code.

So here's a message for all those people out there who might be interested in a Cabinet post or public office someday -- follow the rules and pay your taxes.

You never know who might come calling.

Published in Editorials on February 6, 2009 10:34 AM