Melissa Harris-Perry, who is opposed to tax reductions for the rich and the poor, and wants all of us to pay our fair share (and then some) as Americans, seems to have neglected to tell us an inconvenient fact: she and her husband owe the IRS $70,000.
I have friends on the political left, and friends on the political right, and following along with most of America, many friends who are smack-dab in the middle. If I were in the media and had the ambition, I might suggest to CNN, Fox, MSNBC and other programmers that they create a new network and call it something like: “Are You Kidding Me?”
It would be politically independent programming for most of the rest of us. As such a concept isn’t too likely to happen, most of my friends who are independent with a capital “I,” can just sit back and scratch our heads as I am currently doing with Melissa Harris-Perry.
In the world of the Progressives (definitely not “I’s”), MSNBC is about as Progressive as the mainstream media will allow. In the center of that Progressive storm is Ms. Harris-Perry. I should note that she comes to television with some pretty good credentials; Harris-Perry is a political professor and Presidential Chair at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem.
She is rather opinionated on many other issues; take tourism, for example.
“I worry about American tourists and the ways that we can sometimes be a plague” she said recently in regard to the U.S. opening up its relations with Cuba.
She has a problem with U.S., tourists swarming over tourist areas. I might point out that many other nations have tourists as well, but Progressive thought always seems to hone in on how ugly America may be while the rest of the world is just fine and dandy.
The professor has also lamented the fact that kids are too close to their parents; that the collective should raise kids. She doesn’t agree with tax cuts. In fact, she has a belief that most anything can be solved if enough tax money is thrown against it.
Now I may not agree with you or Ms. Harris-Perry politically, but I am open enough (I hope) to say, as long as you are consistent and truly believe in what you believe, that I can respect you. I think respect is always a good thing. By the way, it was Harris-Perry who decided to criticize Mitt Romney’s adopted black grandchild because, after all, Romney and his family are white. It was one of those cheeky things that many media types like to do.
There seems to be an inconvenient problem
In an article appearing in USA Today (April 17, 2015), it was stated:
“MSNBC weekend talk show host Melissa Harris-Perry said she and her husband have paid off about a third of the nearly $70,000 in delinquent taxes they owe the IRS and have a payment plan to deal with the rest…
Harris-Perry said personal crises caused her and her husband James Perry to pay off their debt slower than they anticipated. Harris-Perry said they paid $21,721 when they filed taxes Wednesday and are working with the IRS to pay the remaining $48,581, which according to the notice covers a tax period ending Dec. 31, 2013.” The government has put a lien on Ms. Harris-Perry’s estate as their tax indebtedness goes back to 2013.
Excuse me?
I am not a political professor or a Presidential Chair, whatever that means. I guess I am just one of those ugly Americans who pays his taxes on time. I too have had personal crises as of late, but I still managed to pay my taxes. Ms. Harris-Perry, speaking for all my fellow Americans who pay taxes (on the Left, Right and Independent), we would all like a little tax relief, thank you.
I have no problem with Mr. Romney’s grandchild or the parents I know who have closely bonded with their children (I think it is called love) or those of us who want to visit Cuba. I do have a major problem with hypocrisy, and you, Melissa have more than enough to spare.
The ethical nerve behind this Progressive telling me to pay more in taxes, while she owes $70,000 in back taxes, is much more than my dull little ethical brain can comprehend. The entire situation could easily be a stand-up routine, except no one is laughing.
Ms. Harris-Perry, “Are You Kidding Me?”
Thanks Chuck.
Jeff