Secrets of the City

It should be noted that Al and Franni Franken did pay tax on every cent of income… it was just to the wrong states. They’ll be getting refunds from MN and NY when all is said and done.

Like Aaron said, it’s fairly simple and straightforward. Franken made money in several states through his corporation. Unfortunately, he paid those taxes to NY and MN, rather than to the states in which he made the money. So he needs to get his money back in NY and MN, pay it in the states he owes, and call it a day.

Of course, the Coleman campaign is having a field day with this. Rational thought and detailed explanations are never a substitute for a catchy campaign season flub. And I’m sure no one else out there, Democrat and Republican alike, has ever screwed up their taxes.

Personally, I think Franken’s biggest mistake was hiring those accountants. Between the incorrectly disbursed income taxes and the worker’s comp issues, they’ve demonstrated some significant incompetence. Should’ve hired a nice Jewish accountant. I’ve got a few uncles I could send his way.

Asked about the taxes before 2003, campaign manager Andy Barr said Franken was unable to reconstruct his tax situation prior to 2003 because those years’ financial records weren’t complete. Chanzis, Barr said, “had some stuff, but you have to have everything together and it just happens that [the accountants] were able to go back to 2003.”

I smell a rat, this thing is not over. Al is hiding something. Of course he gets a free pass because he is a limousine liberal who “just made a mistake” bullshit. Old Al is hiding something and it will come out.

Franken looks jewish enough that you’d think he’d have a better accountant, OY!

Actually Swandog, I think he’s been more forthcoming than most politicians would be about the situation. They’ll make some noise when NY and MN give the refunds, so going forward I’d say this story will stay fairly transparent.

Charlie Quimby had a post over at Across the Great Divide, emphasizing with Franken as a small business owner dealing with the tax laws.

Also, it’s hilarious watching Ron Carey hold forth on Franken’s accounting troubles. Ron Carey of the MN GOP, which has been under investigation by the FEC for its own accounting “irregularities.” The MN GOP which has been questioned about misappropriating employee retirement funds and tax evasion by its very own finance director.

I’m interested in a democratic candidate that can actually win against Coleman. Here’s a thought:

Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer (DFL) for US Senate.

Their list of issues are almost identical. Big difference : Franken can’t win.

Never elect an entertainer! Never!

Problem with JNP, is even myself, as someone who follows the news and politics fairly closely, say “Jack WHO?”

Problem with JNP, is even myself, as someone who follows the news and politics fairly closely, say “Jack WHO?”

»» Submitted by »»» mnblrmkr at 1:16 PM on April 30

So, go get some bumper stickers. His office is in Uptown.

Weigh the problem with Franken’s predictable loss to Coleman. It’s easier to get the word out about JNP than it is to erase all the tapes of Franken’s radio show that will provide Coleman with enough controversial sound-bites to bury Franken alive.

Don’t get me wrong, I like Al. I just don’t think he should be running for office.

I am still in the race for U.S. Senate… I am sure that I have made errors in the past in filing my personal income taxes, and I haven’t gotten around to dissolving a defunct corporation that was called “Missing Pieces Native Landscape Materials, Inc.”

Something like 1/3 of U.S. corporations do not bother to file. Many of those are defunct, but some owe real money.

I have been something of a tax protester, but by avoiding taxable income, not by evading taxes.

I have been something of a tax protester, but by avoiding taxable income, not by evading taxes.

I have a solution cut the marginal tax rate and cut programs out of the budget to pay for it. So you get to play games with your taxable income rate but the rest of us slobs get to pay, broken hypocritical government bullshit.

I would be happy to earn more and contribute more taxes if we hadn’t launched this illegal and immoral war/occupation of Iraq.

I am doing it simply by trying to live on a minimal income, but these folks might have strategies for people who have more: National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee

I would be happy to earn more and contribute more taxes if we hadn’t launched this illegal and immoral war/occupation of Iraq

Great idea get out of Iraq now, Oh but didn’t a bunch of democrats vote for the war. Humm useful excuse but weak.

Franken initially supported the war, so endorsing Franken doesn’t make as much sense as endorsing JNP, or myself. It has been a disappointment that the 2006 Democratic sweep did not result in serious efforts to prosecute war profiteers or end the occupation of Iraq.

Wellstone and Dayton voted against it and we can continue to elect Senators that will make unpopular stands for what is right, instead of getting swept up in the hype about celebrity candidates…

Even when Franken does get taxes back from MN/NY; he’ll still have to deal with the notion that he was incompetent in doing his taxes. Something that might score him a few more sympathy points, but in the long haul still hurts him.

I don’t expect Coleman and the GOP not to hit Franken hard with this any further. It’s enough to have planted the notion that Al is a tax-evader in the minds of voters. They won’t go further with this once the accounting is done and Al gets refunds from NY & MN; because that only lessens the effect of this blow.

Franken initially supported the war, so endorsing Franken doesn’t make as much sense as endorsing JNP, or myself. It has been a disappointment that the 2006 Democratic sweep did not result in serious efforts to prosecute war profiteers or end the occupation of Iraq.

What is disappointing is that we voted a bunch of democrats into office to protest the war and instead they did the bait and switch and raised my taxes and accomplished nothing. So why would I trust a democrat now to accomplish anything but creating more governmental intrusion and raise my taxes. I do not think the republicans are much better, they talk the talk but they like their pork too. Wellstone was a good man and I never liked his policies but I always voted for him because I trusted him. Dayton was the normal limousine liberal with a silver-spoon in his mount. He was a complete joke and proved that money does not buy brains.

The dems took over in 06. When did they raise taxes? Unless you’re talking about the gas tax here in MN, which is what, a couple of weeks old? And many of the dems elected in 06 were and are against the war, but you can’t change Washington overnight.

Sounds like you had your mind made up about democrats a long time ago. Or maybe this politics stuff is just too complicated for you.

And many of the dems elected in 06 were and are against the war, but you can’t change Washington overnight.

Not even with a majority in the house and the senate come on. They use the war as a tool to gain votes. If they wanted to cut funding for the war they could have, they did not. Furthermore, they have no vision or solution to solve the problems in Iraq, they just say leave and have no real plan.

Not even with a majority in the house and the senate come on.

You need a bigger majority. They *barely* have a majority in the grand scheme of things.

Furthermore, they have no vision or solution to solve the problems in Iraq, they just say leave and have no real plan.

I still see that working out better than showing up without one.

I still see that working out better than showing up without one

My point exactly no vision forward only backwards. I think we can all agree that we have some real morons in the white house right now but for god’s sake someone come up with a plan for the future.

I hate it when I agree with Swandog. Right now there’s the cut and run approach and the stay forever approach. Never shall the twain meet. The real answer is somewhere in between, but no one has a Marshall Plan for Iraq.

Granted, in the Democrats’ defense, coming up with a plan to address the ongoing clusterfuck that is Iraq boggles the mind.

Obviously Franken had no intention of avoiding taxes. He merely paid them in the wrong jurisdiction. Sadly, it has been a trivial scandal which has rocked a trivial campaign. The Franken frontrunner status has always been based on celebrity and fundraising ability, never on any core issues. So there has been a fragile sense of inevitability, which is now damaged.

A far better pick for the senate was always Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer, who has amassed a significant following, in spite of having a shoestring, grassroots campaign that has been ignored by the media. The appeal has been to those seriously interested in peace and sustainability, which is beginning to sound pretty good at this point.

Charley, you are everywhere, aren’t you? Jeez, neighbor.