EDITORIAL: Rangel’s Wrangle

In seeking to take over Congress two years ago, Democrats campaigned with justification against the culture of corruption that Republicans had brought to Capitol Hill. But one party never had a monopoly on virtue (or vice) and in recent days Democratic Rep. Charles B. Rangel of New York has provided a stunning reminder.

Mr. Rangel is head of the House Ways and Means Committee, the panel that writes tax legislation. And what has Mr. Rangel been up to? Over 20 years, he failed to report some $75,000 in income from a beach rental property he owns in the Dominican Republic. Now that’s chutzpah!

The amount he owes the Internal Revenue Service is estimated to be at least $5,000. His total tax bill might be as much as $10,000 when figuring in state and local charges. This is not a king’s ransom, but the affront is more than the dollars. As Ways and Means chairman, he should have known better and he has admitted that the omission was “irresponsible.”

Read more: (Editorial, “Rangel’s Wrangle; The House Tax Chairman Should Quit His Post,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 9/13/08)