Please forgive me, for this is not really a diary, but I want to make a proposal here in hopes we can see some good discusion.
I think Geithner should withdraw from Treasury for two reasons. He appears to be a tax dodger - no other way to put it. A man of his intelligence and position would not have acted out of "ignorance" of
those taxes. Come on folks, give us a break! He got caught.
But far more important than the back taxes is the fact that Tim Geithner is not a good choice for Treasury for this reason: He is from Wall Street, and he is from the New York Financial Establishment. We need a sea change from that.
Where is Harry Truman when we need him to tell the American public in plain language the plain truth about Obama's ties to Wall Street? -- at least Rubin has had the decency to disappear and withdraw both as advisor to Obama and from active association with CitiGroup. Good! May many follow him. In Truman's words, "when will the American public realize what is good for them and kick those Wall Street bankers in the seat of their pants?" (I have cleaned that up slightly.)
While a younger generation than Rubin, and cleaner-seeming, Tim Geithner is tainted with the same tints of banking greed that have thrown the entire New York/national financial community into disarray - taking much of the U. S. Congress with them, and alas, seemingly some part of Obama.
I don't want Wall Street running Treasury, do you? I want a smart financial person without Wall Street background in that Washingiton leadership position, and advising Obama. Maybe from academia? Maybe from general business? From the MidWest or West Coast? NOT from New York and not from Yale Law. Forgive me, but those dogs have had their day and they've pissed all over us.
It may be a mercy that Geithner did not pay his taxes and got caught. Just maybe we'll come out ahead if he leaves as he should, and if Obama picks a clean person with a better background.
How about it? Anyone thinking the same way?