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Politics : Liberalism: Do You Agree We've Had Enough of It? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: puborectalis who wrote (45794)	9/10/2008 2:53:48 PM
From: Ruffian	2 Recommendations Respond to of 224750

Read This Crock Of Shit Explanation; WASHINGTON — Representative Charles B. Rangel said on Wednesday that “cultural and language barriers” prevented him from understanding the finances of his Dominican Republic beachfront house, and vowed to repay several thousand dollars in federal taxes he owes after failing to report $75,000 in rental income from the villa. At a Capitol Hill press conference during which he seemed to take turns being remorseful and defiant, the congressman said he was not aware of the unreported income and unpaid taxes, in part because he had trouble getting detailed financial statements from the resort’s managers in the Dominican Republic. “Every time I thought I was getting somewhere, they’d start speaking Spanish,” Mr. Rangel told reporters. But the 78-year-old congressman, a Democrat from Harlem who has been in Congress since 1971, brushed aside calls that he step down as chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, which writes the federal tax code, and accused Republicans who have called for him to do so of politicizing his financial issues. “I really don’t believe making mistakes means you have to give up your career,” Mr. Rangel said. At the press conference, Mr. Rangel also said that he had asked the House ethics committee to investigate the matter — the third separate inquiry Mr. Rangel has requested since his personal finances began coming under intense public scrutiny in July. He called his failure to report the income on his taxes “irresponsible,” but also said, “I personally feel I have done nothing morally wrong.” He said his accountants were still calculating the total amount he owes in unpaid taxes over the past five years, but it was unlikely to exceed $5,000 to the Internal Revenue Service, and another $5,000 to New York State and New York City. The congressman also said he will be eager to see the findings of ethics investigations into his other dealings — accepting four rent-stabilized apartments from a New York city real estate developer, and using his official stationery to solicit financial support for a City University educational center that will be named after Mr. Rangel — and pledged to apologize to the public and fellow members of Congress if he is found to have violated any rules. Mr. Rangel has owned the beachfront house at the Punta Cana resort and club since 1988. On Tuesday, Republican leaders in Congress demanded that he be replaced as chairman of Ways and Means. In a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Representative John A. Boehner of Ohio, the minority leader, said the accumulation of ethical concerns involving Mr. Rangel had grown to a point where he “cannot effectively carry out his duties as chairman.” Ms. Pelosi’s office responded that the Republicans should let the ethics committee proceed with its inquiry. In July, The New York Times disclosed that the New York developer, the Olnick Organization, had allowed Mr. Rangel to lease four rent-stabilized apartments at prices far below market value. He used one as a campaign office, which violated state requirements that rent-stabilized apartments be used solely as a primary residence. Mr. Rangel agreed to relinquish the campaign office, but he asserted that there was nothing improper about keeping the others, and pointed out that two of the units were combined by a previous tenant who had a wall removed. While there is nothing illegal about landlords allowing a tenant to lease multiple rent-stabilized apartments, some government ethics experts said that the tens of thousands of dollars in rent savings Mr. Rangel got each year could be considered a gift and a violation of the $100 annual limit on gifts to House members.