Taxable Talk

My friend Scott reminded me that I should let everyone know that Jim Traficant has thrown his hat in the ring. He’s running as an independent in Ohio’s 17th Congressional District. Tim Ryan, a Democrat, currently is the Congressman in that district. The district includes Youngstown, Niles, Warren, and Kent.

Mr. Traficant has stated that he has no money or campaign staff. One thing he likely won’t lack is name recognition or publicity; there were 210 stories on his running for Congress.

James Traficant is leaving the Democratic party. He is now planning on running as an independent in the May Ohio primary. The Associated Press noted that he doesn’t like the Congressional leadership of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

It’s been a month since I’ve written about James Traficant, the once and possibly future Congressman and convicted felon. Mr. Traficant has been in the news in the last week, though. First, he announced a location for his proposed Indian Casino. Mr. Traficant’s company, Traficant Co. LLC, has an option to purchase a 72-acre parcel in Lordstown (in Trumbell county, near Youngstown).

There are a few obstacles standing in the way of Mr. Traficant’s casino. There are no recognized native American tribes in Oho. And the casino will have to be approved by lots of levels of government. But Mr. Traficant has never let obstacles bother him.

Meanwhile, tomorrow is the deadline for Mr. Traficant to file papers and run as a Democrat or Republican in the Ohio Congressional primary. Mr. Traficant is apparently considering running in the 6th and 17th congressional districts in Ohio. The primary itself is schedule for May 4th. If Mr. Traficant announces tomorrow, I’ll let you know.

Convicted felon and former (and possibly soon-to-be) Congressman James Traficant hit the airwaves. Mr. Traficant was on the radio in Cleveland. While he still hasn’t decided which Congressional race he’ll enter, he did call himself a “bitter man.”

CQ Politics said his targets included everything from the current administration and Congressional leadership, the Federal Reserve, foreign aid, and the Tax Code. Mr. Traficant would like to abolish the IRS and replace our current Tax Code with a flat tax.

As my friend Scott, a resident of Youngstown, continues to state that Traficant will win, we’re likely to hear his trademark “beam me up” in the future. There will be at least one very entertaining Congressional race in Ohio this year.

When I last wrote about James Traficant, the former Congressman who went to ClubFed after being convicted on ten counts of tax evasion, bribery, racketeering, and obstruction of justice, Mr. Traficant was debating whether or not to run for Congress next year. Well, the wait is over.

Yesterday, Mr. Traficant attended a meeting of the Biz Society in Youngstown, Ohio. He told the meeting, “I’m going to run.” The only question is which of three districts he will run in: the 17th, 16th, or 6th Congressional Districts (in Ohio). The 17th encompasses Youngstown and surrounding areas in the Mahoning Valley; the Akron/Canton area is in the 16th District; and Poland, Boardman, and Columbiana County are in the 6th District. Mr. Traficant is circulating nominating petitions in all three districts.

Mr. Traficant hasn’t decided if he’ll run as a Democrat, Republican or Independent. He doesn’t plan on raising much money (that’s probably a good thing given his prior legal troubles).

Scott Harker, who has co-authored two books with me, lives in Youngstown. He believes that Mr. Traficant will win if he runs; Mr. Traficant is still extremely popular in Youngstown. “I want to get these suckers!” Traficant thundered. “You are being addressed by a very bitter guy.”

I’ve written about James Traficant before. Mr. Traficant is the former Congressman who represented the Youngstown, Ohio area for more than 17 years. He was known for his bombastic style. He’s also known for spending eight years at ClubFed for convictions on ten counts of tax evasion, bribery, racketeering, and obstruction of justice. And he wants to run for Congress again.

I could comment that perhaps Congress deserves Mr. Traficant. After all, we’ve had William “Cold Cash” Jefferson with his cash in the freezer. Mr. Traficant still maintains he’s innocent. He wants to bring an Indian casino to the Youngstown area…even though there are no recognized Indian tribes in Ohio. Well, a little thing like laws didn’t stop him during his first 17 years in Congress….

Bertram de Souza of the Youngstown Vindicator thinks that Mr. Traficant should follow Ashley Dupre: “Just as Ashley Dupre, the hooker who brought down New York Gov. Elliot Spitzer, has become an advice columnist for the New York Post, Traficant should offer to write an advice column — about political corruption.”

If Mr. Traficant does run for Congress it will certainly be entertaining.

Last year residents of Ohio who made estimated payments sent their payments in the second half of the year to San Francisco (the Fresno IRS Service Center). Well, Ohio has been moved (again), now to the Kansas City Service Center. On the bright side, it’s now much more difficult for your returns to fall into the San Francisco Bay.

This is just one of many changes the IRS announced. So check the label on your IRS package. Of course, if you efile this is irrelevant.

Also, don’t forget that it’s possible that the address you send estimated payments to has also changed.

Many cities in the Eastern U.S. have city income taxes. One of these is Loveland, Ohio. Deborah Combs did not pay her $1.16 city income tax bill.

Loveland decided to press criminal charges. For $1.16.

Ms. Combs, who said she has “…been down on [her] luck…” will no longer face late fees of over $200, possible fines up to $4,000 and potential jail time. Loveland will no longer look like the Grinch.

Coverage available here.