Robert Wexler, D-Palm Beach, Fl is this weeks horse's ass and shows strong promise for pulling down the monthly award. Competition for the annual title will be fierce given that Charlie Rangel, D-Bronx, NY has three rent-controlled apartments for his office and living arrangements in the Bronx.
Representative Wexler, a darling of the Loony Left, is best known as a Floridian sea-lawyer in the habit of channeling Maxine Waters, D-LA,CA on most issues. It can be supposed that the legal profession was a bit challenging for Mr. Wexler as he chose to abandon the most fertile feeding grounds for North American land-sharks, Palm Beach County, for elective office. all things considered, no more than a lateral move. Representative Wexler is currently tripping the lights fantastic with the attention his, and demented dwarf Dennis Kucinich's, plan to impeach the president and, especially, the vice-president is getting in front of Chairman Dingell's committee. Michigan sources tell me that Chairman Dingell has recently weakened in his resolve to not let the matter go forward. Apparently, "I'm too old for this shyte" was not a dissuasive statement to his fellow committee members.
Other than being the most noxious of gadflys to be found in the US Congress ( a fact only due to the departure of Green Party presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney, D-Outer Space & occasionally GA) Representative Wexler is apparently a skin-flint as well. Actually that's putting it too nicely; the guy is a scam artist with less intelligence than the average pyrotechnically-challenged Greek diner owner.
For those of you unaware that Nassau County, NY (Long Island) is the second largest Floridian county I would refer you to the archives of sailnet as to the lengths that New Yorkers will go to establish residency in the no-income tax state of Florida to avoid the rapacious tax man in New York. Boat owners who attempt to live in NY while maintaining a Florida residency are aware that the New York authorities have more resources devoted to them than Madonna's on-call gynecologist. But, if you're able to carry it off, the savings can be immense. One would like to think that this scam is beneath being attractive to our public servants.
One would be wrong. Representative Wexler maintains what is commonly described as a lavish house in one of the tonier Maryland suburbs which he occupies with his wife and three children. Most congressmen maintain two dwellings given the nature of the job. There are even a couple living on a boat or two upon the waters of the Potomac. Some, when confronted with the high price of real estate and a desire not to make a career out of the office, even live in their office on Capitol Hill. But I know of none who have no residence in their home state. Except one.
Both Florida and New York, and presumably other states, are well aware of the Florida residence scam. Florida, with no income tax, has a vested interest in not becoming the Cayman Islands of residency and generally takes a keen interest that you're not just renting their services without paying the rent. New York, on the other hand, expects you to pay them what's due and the square footage of that Florida place better be substantially less than what you're living in in New York-or you better really be living there. We haven't heard from Maryland on their policies.
Representative Wexler owns no house in Florida. He successfully resisted the entreaties of Rick505 and did not buy a condo. He does not rent a house or apartment in the high rent district that is Palm Beach. He does not even have a "suite" at Mailboxes, etc... His Florida residence is his mother-in-law's condo in a restricted retirement community. Florida has these communities where you can't have kids and you have to be a certain age to live. They used to do the same thing with the Jews but these days they mostly just pick on kids. Besides, most of the people living in these communities are Jews but that's another story. Suffice it to say that there's little danger of the kids showing up in any event. Bob, the wife, and the three kids "live" there. It's rumored that the place is a two bedroom unit as well. No, the Wexlers are not Cuban.
The law says that congressman need only pay taxes in one state, or the District of Columbia. Which state do you think Representative Wexler is not paying taxes in? Maryland, with it's hefty taxes? Florida, with no income tax? DC, because he works there? The answer is probably, none of the above. Just a reminder; this is one of 535 people who write laws that they really expect you to follow. We know that they expect this because, even though we've got more laws than there are stars in the sky, they keep re-writing our laws, chiefly to extract more of our income from us. So while you and I, and certainly the residents of Nassau County, can be expected to try to stretch the revenue code to it's limits we ought not expect that the guys writing it are doing so.
In fact, Congressman Wexler does not even meet Florida's requirements for residency. There's a link in the article below that explains what is considered characteristic of Florida residency. And believe me, it's not ambiguous-the matter has been litigated more than once. Now, last I checked, a state has you fill out a form when seeking office that kinda shows you live there. By now you'll perhaps be thinking that Palm Beach and elections sort of rings a bell. Well, Bunky! Ding, ding, ding! You've won a prize! This is the same county where all those poor people couldn't figure out if they'd voted for Patrick J. Buchanon, aka the Prince of Darkness, or sweet little 'ol Al Gore.
So how screwy is largely Democratic Palm Beach County? Well, about as screwy as their congressional representative. We've got a county, a very wealthy county, where 98% of the people work for the other 2% who happen to be some of the wealthiest people in the nation and there's a huge problem with a good number of the 98% figuring out a ballot, in any language. This might be due to the fact that the polls don't let employers enter the booth with voters any more, or employers aren't just what they used to be, or that English is a second language to many voters, or even to the fact that many voter's feet were metaphorically wet when they entered the polls-who knows? But what is obvious is that the plantation that is Democratic party headquarters for Palm Beach County is running things just the way they like and have just the man they want. Both give Florida real estate operatives a good name by comparison.
Oh, btw, FoxNewsChannel is composed of a bunch of ass***** because they think this is a news story. Don't think so? Google Wexler. There's more complaining about Fox and Bill O'Reilly than there is coverage of the matter.
"Courts have ruled over and over that a member of Congress is automatically a resident or inhabitant of their state," said Eric Johnson, Wexler's chief of staff.
So if I can somehow scam the voters in some state to vote for me as their Congresscritter, I automatically become a resident of that state?
Oh yeah, it worked for Hillary...
Were I one of Wexler's constituents, my concern would be more one of how he could possibly represent me when he lives in an entirely different state. He's not a resident of his Congressional district and hasn't been since he was first elected. Not really. Him owning a garden apartment in FL, or even a full-blown residence, won't make any difference. This is probably true of most Congresscritters. What we need is a non-professional, non-career, part-time Legislature in Washington. That's the way it was intended to be.
Jim
__________________
"If fifty million people say a stupid thing, it is still a stupid thing." - Anatole France
1976 Pearson P30 #914 - s/v Abracadabra
Jim,
Odd that that method of establishing residency doesn't show up on Florida's list of ways to prove residency, eh?
Let's see. I'm a resident now, but I don't plan on continuing to live here, how do I keep my residency? If I run for Congress and get elected I can go anywhere and still be a Floridian? Sign me up!
__________________ The brain is merely a knot that keeps the spinal cord from unraveling.
When I got my Florida D/L, i had to show proof that I lived where I said I did, If I falsifed the info, the statement was pretty plain, it said I would be commiting fraud. plain and simple.
Same thing for the voter registration.
his D/L is a problem, as well as his auto registration and car insurance (florida rates a little cheaper the MD's.)
That being said, heres the deal.
Bobby says he lives with his inlaws, no big deal by itself.
Except, according to sub-divison covenants, no one under the age of 55 can be a resident for more that 2 months a year. (takes care of family, vacationer, spring breakers, la-de-da ers) so thats problem.
His FIL gets a 100% property exemption due to being a 100% disabled Korean War Vet. No sweat there, but its not clear if the exemption is allowed if someone other than spouse lives in the domicile.
Taxes... Maryland doesn't collect income tax from "transient" residents, meaning you claim residency in another state and are just in MD working or visiting.
He bought the home in MD less than one year after his election. No property owned, rented or leased, in Florida other than father in law.
His kiddos go to a private school there that costs 22k a year, each, don't tell me he's got money woes.
Based on what he says about his residency, his own kids don't qualify for "in-state" tuition at any Florida public university.
This is the same whack-nut that tried to introduce legislation thru the EPA to get "Livestock" banned from palm beach county due to pollution of ground water.
Sounds good, eh??
Yea... but
Tommy Lee Jones, 8 horses, over 4 million
Lou Dobbs, 4 horses, about 2 million
Celine Dion, 4 horses, 2 million
Donald Trump, 8 horses, 4 million
Tiger Woods, 4 horses, 2 million
Tom Brokaw, 6 horses, 3 million....
Ralph Lauren 12 horses, 8 million
Those people have horses boarded, bred and stabled at the U.S. Polo Assoc. compound in Wellington.
oops. legislation withdrawn.
One other thing, he's the only one of the 25 washington wonks from florida that don't have at least a brick and morter tent camped in the state!
Florida law doesn't require you to be a resident of the district, just the state!
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We are not primarily on earth to see through one another, but to see one another through
Some people are like slinkies: not really good for anything... but you can't help laughing when you push them down the stairs
Last edited by cardiacpaul : 07-27-2008 at 01:27 PM.
Unless I'm mistaken (I guess I could check) residency requirements for federal office are a federal matter, not a state one. Ah heck, guess I'll check.
__________________
John
Ontario 32 - Aria
Free, is the heart, that lives not, in fear.
Full, is the spirit, that thinks not, of falling.
True, is the soul, that hesitates not, to give.
Alive, is the one, that believes, in love. JCP
Upon further review, residence within the district is not required, only that one is an inhabitant of the state at the time of election.
__________________
John
Ontario 32 - Aria
Free, is the heart, that lives not, in fear.
Full, is the spirit, that thinks not, of falling.
True, is the soul, that hesitates not, to give.
Alive, is the one, that believes, in love. JCP
yup, just hang out at disneyworld, you too can be a resident.
What brought this to a head for me was at the IHOP on Friday morning.
Right after the lady brought me my rooti-tooti-fresh & fruity, I hear a table of bluehairs (no cracks, I know some salt is peppering my noggin and we ain't gunna talk about thecuban, we ain't stoopid) talking about "Well, Ann Coulter changed hers to be in a different district..."
I couldn't stand it.
I said, yup, she did, she changed it from her office address on her drivers Lic. to one of the 2 homes she owns IN THE DISTRICT where she wears her she-devil suit at night."
then one lady at the table says, "Bush used a hotel room in Houston..." I cut her off mid-spew.
"Yup, sure did. Only it wasn't a room, it was the entire floor, where he HAD HIS OFFFICE, did that because he'd just sold his house in Midland Texas, and his home in the Live Oaks subdivision hadn't closed yet. And before you tell me about Cheney changing residences, He owned, and maintained residences in Wyoming for DECADES before he rented a house in Dallas while he ran Halliburton".
Now, please tell me WHY its alright with you that your elected rep, the guy thats supposed to look out for YOUR interests in DC is using his mother inlaws restricted home for a mail drop while he lives and breathes in another state? "....
blank stares and silence.
"and while I'm here, I've got a brother that lives in North Carolina. He wants to use my address to get his cars registered, get his Geico from here, cuz he lives on the coast there, rates are pretty high, get a Florida Drivers Licence, and vote in palm beach county too.... Did you know the North Carolina has a federal income tax? He wouldn't have to pay that either, That'd be ok with you wouldn't it? "
I went back to my newspaper, no more was said.
A few minutes later the girl brought my tab. It had been taken care of by the people I was talking to. I don't think I changed anyones mind, but please, come up with an original thought, or at least be right about the propaganda, willya?
__________________
We are not primarily on earth to see through one another, but to see one another through
Some people are like slinkies: not really good for anything... but you can't help laughing when you push them down the stairs
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