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COLUMNISTS
TODAY'S STORIES
14.04.2008
Feel Bill's Pain

I am still marvelling over the joint federal income tax returns of Mr. and Mrs. Clinton. Of course, what is most surprising is that he made roughly $50 million talking about himself. Which, first of all, if you can judge by his speaking during the campaign about both himself and her, the truth quotient must have been very low. Well, ok, the Gulf Arabs were cheated. 

Which suggests perhaps a more important topic right out of their tax filings. What if she, by the most unlikely of circumstances, actually wins the nomination and then wins the election? Surely, Bill won't behave like Dennis Thatcher did and simply leave the limelight to her. Can anyone imagine that? So on whose payroll will he remain? And for whom will he speak at $250,000 a talk?

But the rest of my meditation is not speculation. And it's actually just a postscript to the Clinton 1040.

Still, it has a lot to do with the Clinton pension, twisted into something so much more than was ever intended. Then the payments by the feds for his lavish expenses and his lavish pension.

This is not just my pencil calculations on a notepad.

All of this was calculated by Edward A Zelinsky, an eminent professor of tax law at Cardozo School of Law. In many ways, it's more outrageous that even Bill's income. Take a look.
 

Posted: Monday, April 14, 2008 9:14 PM with 11 comment(s)

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blackton said:

Marty, you are lucky to have had a President like Harry Truman in your lifetime. My only early memory of him was his dying the day after Christmas. Since then Democrats have been saddled with Jimmah and a man who he has "exploited the presidency for unseemly financial gain" as the article succinctly puts it.

I have said it before and I will say it again, the baby boomers have been the worst generation America has ever produced, and the Clintons and George Bush epitomize all that is reprehensible about that generation. Well, at least the clock is ticking, and before my very young children reach the prime of their adulthood the vast majority of that crew will be in the grave. Perhaps this next generation, who are growing up in the shadow of decline, will lack the sense of certitude and set things right.

April 14, 2008 10:13 PM

blackton said:

The Clinton's can't hope to spend all of their money in their lifetime, yet he still seeks for more, ever more. I think ultimately he hopes to endow a perpetual Clinton memorial machine, one that will forever crank out useless papers attesting to his greatness. Bill Clinton's ego will reach out beyond the grave, attempting to still effect the course of events.

April 14, 2008 10:20 PM

thejauntyboulevardier said:

blackie...

peretz is the last person on earth who should be criticizing anyone about where they get their money and how they spend it. The gall of this old fart is simply staggering....

April 14, 2008 11:44 PM

jkolic said:

Bill Clinton has made money for the simple reason that plenty of deep-pocketed individuals and institutions desire to hear him speak. Thus, the fact that he happens to be a popular ex-president has translated itself into numerous engagements that have amounted to a hefty income.

Should he have refused opportunities to speak and make good money to satisfy the inner Marxist in Marty? Will somebody please explain to me where his fault lies and how is it that, in the context of capitalist America (out of all places!) his earnings and the manner in which he has attained them amount to some sort of atrocity?

Did he pay his taxes fair and square? If not, I will be the first person to denounce him. If so, however, then good for him and the government in whose interest it surely is to have wealthy citizens whose tax payments enrich its treasury.

April 15, 2008 12:06 PM

lymon1 said:

What Jaunty said.  Where's Marty's tax return?  Unless he can match the 10% figure (or for that matter the younger-with-kids-and-student-loans-so-I-cut-them-slack Obamas' 1% figure) he should STFU.  

April 15, 2008 1:41 PM

emcgargle said:

Give Bill a break! Do you know how hard it was to find a building site for his presidential library that was also across the street from a Hooters?

April 15, 2008 2:12 PM

thejauntyboulevardier said:

how about peretz revealing the financial records for the dismal time that "he" owned tnr?  I would love to see the trail on those dollars...whose dollars were they EXACTLY and how well he, as the custodian, spent that lucre...

April 15, 2008 2:30 PM

mollysimon said:

Jaunty:  So you're saying that owning a money-losing political opinion journal is the same as raking in the dollars from, as Marty puts it, the Gulf States?  Those wonderfully oppressive regimes where rule of law ain't exactly big?  

Furthermore, my guess is that Marty took his wife's dinero and multiplied the value through shrewd investments.  Heiress money from back then ain't the same as used to be.  Speaking of which, inherited lucre based on a sewing machine fortune, as rumor has it, ain't got quite the filth-factor as some of the buckage raked in by the Abu Dhabians, who never met a dollar they didn't want to launder.  

What can I say, Cookie Boy, but I find your annoyance at Marty annoying.  At least in this situation.  Otherwise, if your former handle is any indication of how much you love small, round, baked goods, have I got a choco-chip recipe for you.  To die for if you're interested.

April 15, 2008 5:52 PM

thejauntyboulevardier said:

molly...

love choco chip....

I seem to recall that tnr lost money every year and as for marty himself, I also seem to recall that he lost a bundle in bad investments about 5 years ago.

My main point is that marty's obsession with the Clinton wealth, which as smarmy as it may be at least qualifies under the title of "earned" , is something that cannot be applied to peretz.

April 15, 2008 6:45 PM

basman said:

Peretz has got to get some new issues to ventilate. I have seen this discussion almost semi annually for the last few years, with the ususal complaints about how Peretz got his money etc etc.

When do we get another post about Pete Seeger, that no-goodnik?

April 15, 2008 9:15 PM

thejauntyboulevardier said:

hee, hee...

about the same time we get another Julie Christie post from kirchick...

April 15, 2008 10:07 PM

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