JohnH

Well, the Barack O'Carter administration was humming along pretty well with Joe Biden channeling a very good Billy Carter. Now that it's morphing into the Richard Mihouse Obama administration, it remains to be seen who will play the role of John Dean.

There are a host of people on the left desperately HOPING this was limited to the officials at the Cincinnati office. Or that maybe a few of them will fall on their swords in the interest of the "greater good". I think the underside of the bus is going to get pretty crowded.

But we have people in this country stupid enough to suggest we should emulate the French.

Looks like they are afraid of their own program.

For most workers comp audits, I get the auditor's email address and email them the relevant info. Then I ask what else they might need. About 80% of the time that closes out the audit. I think the other 20% are either inexperienced or else the W/C provider mandates a site visit. Don't know if that would fly with a NY provider but it's worth a try. Most of the time, after they get the job description and verification of the payroll amounts through payroll reports, the only other issue is whether the employer is using any independent contractors.

Some of my clients deliver documents to me looking like they were left in that drain line just before a huge storm.

Don't expect that to be the end of it. I've seen many corrected 1099 forms wind up duplicated, primarily because the issuer doesn't handle it properly. They issue a second one rather than a corrected one, then they compound the problem by just sending the IRS copy on in. This doesn't delete the first one in the system, so he will now show two in the system with identical amounts in different boxes. Or else they issue a corrected, properly marked 1099 to the taxpayer with the info in the right box but they don't file the corrected one with IRS at all. This will also cause problems and probably an AUR notice a couple of years down the road.

I don't know the technical aspects of how it does what it does. But whenever you are working in Drake, there is a "Notifications..." window in the lower-left corner. It shows "Update status:" and to the right it will say "Up to Date" in green. When you first sign on, the status will show "Update Needed" in red if you aren't up to date. It will also flash the red warning while you're working in Drake, which enables you to quickly exit, get the updates, and return to what you're doing. With all updates, you must close Drake to get them, but they rarely take more than 30 seconds. Then you simply sign back on and go back to work.

This sure made me laugh out loud, so maybe it belongs under "Joke" rather than "Tax" Rangel: ‘This Is Wrong to Abuse the Tax System’ http://freebeacon.com/rangel-this-is-wrong-to-abuse-the-tax-system/

Drake probably doesn't think they need one. Or else they can tell you how to do it within 2-3 minutes if you call them... (I'm just guessing here...)

Everything the rep said had been borne out by my experience. I switched from ATX to Drake in early February of this year and have had nothing but positive experiences with the program and with their customer support. I doubt the person in the audience was a plant - Drake doesn't do business like that because they're an honest, highly-principled company. Switching between forms view and data input is a simple Contol-key toggle back & forth. Takes about 2 seconds each direction. As I've said repeatedly, forms-based entry is vastly overrated and it consumes lots of time. Program updates are lightning-fast. Drake is all about speed and service. Speed when using the software and excellent customer service on the phone. So far the company and product have equaled or exceeded all my expectations. And I'm definitely not a plant :)

Throughout the past 5 years, I've been fascinated by the parallels between the Obama presidency and the Carter presidency. Similar failures of style; similar failures of leadership. And unfortunately for all of us in the long term, similar projections of weakness on the world scene. But I never contemplated that there might be parallels between the Obama presidency and the Nixon presidency. I'll bet Jimmy Carter is the one most pleased to see these latest developments since they somewhat take the spotlight off his miserable tenure in office.

Just a clarification or two here. Moveon Civic Action is hardly new - it was formed in 2001. I think the Statute of Limitations on the word "new" has long ago expired after 12 years. The organization has always blurred the line between its two arms, projecting an illusion of a single organization to those who don't know (or don't want to know) the difference. To me it's just another example of the cynical way Left-leaning organizations manipulate well-meaning but clueless Liberals with their particular brand of "openness and honesty." I agree this happens on both sides, but it really fascinates me to observe the reaction when Liberals tie themselves in knots trying to defend this nonsense if it fits their political leanings.

Tom: You're right. I should have been more careful with my wording and I agree about Joan being a stand up person.

" Together, we can change who has influence in politics — from a few big-money donors to millions of small donors. Make a contribution to help take back our democracy from corporate special interests, build a progressive economy to restore the American Dream, elect progressive leaders, and fight on critical issues for our country. You can also make a monthly contribution or contribute by check, or you can donate to MoveOn.org Civic Action, our 501©4 affiliate. " So did you really not know abut Moven.org Civic Action, or is it just convienient to ignore certain subterfuges when the organization's goals line up with your own?

Like moveon.org for example? (501 ( c) (4) affiliate or Russ Feingfold;'s ProgressivesUnited? No problems there, I assume.

They're unreasonable partly because these organizations are not applying for 501 ( c )(3) status.

Well, it took a little longer than I expected, but we finally got to the tired old "Blame Bush" refrain.

The standard of proof for fraud is much higher than you (FTM and Taxed) are imagining. The iRS can't just "say" it's fraudulent - they have to document it. The most common situations in which IRS does an assessment outside the 3-year SOL is when they develop reliable info through 3-rd party examinations (as KC has already pointed out), and in situations in which a client is already being audited for a 2-year-old return but there is still time remaining on the prior year's SOL. If the auditor develops info which causes them to step back and open the prior year's return, they will ask the taxpayer to voluntarily consent to an extension of the SOL. Sometimes it's wise to consent and other times the best course of action is to refuse - it's all about making a wise decision in that given situation.

I got my dog "fixed" a long time ago. But he just never was the same...

I don't hate President Obama, but I have a tremendous dislike for incompetence.

Yes, you have a valid point. This president has proven himself to be much more adept at avoiding responsibility than any of his predecessors. Amazing how one can get elected President and yet continue to vote "Present" just like he did in the Senate.

Yes, the controversy is quite different. Nixon was trying to use the IRS to cause trouble for his political enemies; Whereas the Obama adminstration is just using the IRS to cause trouble for those pesky conservative righwingers. Definitely quite different...

That would be Baghdad Bob - he is still around, I think. "My information was correct, but my interpretations were wrong..."

If I were Jay Carney, I'd resign immediately I'd announce my resignation is a matter of principle. I'd do it even if I agreed with the administration's actions. This is an administration that will throw anyone under the bus, and Carney will be a prime candidate as the facts keep coming out. If he cares about his career, he'd better get out in front of these latest allegations. If he keeps digging the hole, he's going to wind up like his counterpart (Ron Zeigler) in the Nixon administration 40 years ago.