An IRS office was keeping a close eye on a small company with only a few employees.  The income reported by the small business on its annual income tax form seemed to the IRS to be more than could be expected by the company’s limited number of employees, unless there was a lot of overtime.  The problem was that the small business reported no overtime being paid to its employees.  Hence, an IRS agent was sent to look into the matter.

When he arrived, he introduced himself and explained to the owner that he wanted to take a look at his books.  The owner responded by laying out his books on his desk and inviting the agent to spend as much time as he wanted looking over all the figures.  The agent confirmed that no overtime was being paid, yet the income was more than seemed reasonable for the number of employees.  He decided to interview the owner. Read more…

IRIf I were the CEO of a company and was employed six years ago to clean up the problems attributed to my predecessor, how would the Board of Directors react if the company was still having problems and I was blaming my predecessor for them?  Would the directors say, “Oh, yes, the problems were so great that we could not expect you to have fixed them in six years”?  Or would they say, “We hired you to fix things, and you should have had them fixed by now or at least be well on your way to having them resolved”?  

With the companies I am acquainted with, the board and the stockholders would not put up with a CEO who was blaming his predecessor of six years ago for the continued loss of money and the value of the stock still going down.

It bothers me that President Obama and his administration so frequently blame others for problems and the bad news coverage that go along with them.  For example, Read more…

What would you think if the owner of a Ford dealership always purchased General Motors cars for his family to drive?  Or, what would be your reaction if the owner of a McDonald’s franchise always took her family to eat at a Wendy’s?  Although there is no written law that people have to be loyal to the products they are selling, we naturally expect them to be. 

It seems to me that we as taxpayers have a right to expect this same type of loyalty from people who are employed to conduct the business of the federal government.  But according to statistical reports published by USA Today, as of last September 3.9% percent of all federal employees owed back taxes, and the percentage is on the rise. Read more…