The answer to yesterday's Who Am I is Florence Farmborough.
Have you ever been a whistleblower? I have and I earned a bad reference for it. I kind of wished I would have earned what the accountant in the following story earned:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110408/ap_on_re_us/us_irs_whistleblower_collects
Do you think that is a good use of government? Do you think it is an OK way to become a millionaire?
I never did like the baggy pants fashion and I hated the wearing them lower than your shoes. However, I may have been to quick to judge since they can save a life:
http://www.aolnews.com/2011/04/07/baggy-pants-save-florida-teen-kendrick-williams-from-gator/
He was one lucky young man.
Are you tired of good dog stories yet? The last story came down between uses of empty paper towel rolls or a good dog story. The dog won:
http://www.aolnews.com/2011/04/08/family-dog-helps-with-everyday-chores-video/
Would you rather have had the empty paper towel roll story?
Enjoy the day.
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8 comments:
Wow, that's some whistleblower award! For that amount, I'd sure rat on anybody I knew was cheating, though I don't know anyone who even might owe enough to make it worthwhile. And there's no way I'd know if anyone was cheating unless they told me, which is unlikely, so it's all kind of moot for me. Do I think it's OK? Sure, why not? Everybody should pay their taxes, even GE.
Funny about the baggy pants' lifesaving qualities. Not something I would have considered in my dislike for the fashion. Actually, I don't mind baggy, what I really dislike is wearing them so low they are practically below the butt. I consider that totally stupid-looking.
I like the dog, but wouldn't mind knowing what to do with empty paper towel rolls. I just stick them in with the recyclables.
Given the whistle-blower received about 20% of what the government would never have seen otherwise, I don't have a big problem with the award. I do think 10% would be better, given they don't touch any low-dollar evaders or cheaters. Then again, the IRS also got a bit out of the reward.
Not a fan of baggy pants and, like Pat, especially when they're hanging so low you wonder what purpose they serve (wry s). I didn't watch the video, but if the kid was walking through a posted area...
Enjoyed the dog story. It appears he's a well trained chow. I wish I could learn to like chows, but I just don't trust them, based on experience with the one my middle sister had.
As to the paper towel cardboard -- I do know they can be quite if cut to the size of toilet paper cardboard rolls. Use them to store electrical appliance and extension cords.
Hi Pat
I might rat on someone but what concerns me about the whistleblower story is whether or not the accountant violated his ethics. We bound to confidence until we are called as a witness in a court trial, then the legal protection goes out of the window. The accountant may have violated a client's privacy and that is lose your license stuff. However, four million and you can have my licence.
I hate the low rider pants and they often go a lot lower than the put. I want to pull them down.
Tommorow the paper towel story comes out of the wordwork.
Bill
Hi DR
Aside from what I wrote to Pat about the accountant possibly violating his ethcis I agree that 10 per cent would have made more sence to me.
That makes three of us that hates the the wearing the pants low thing.
I was surprised how much the dog was willing to do.
We will share the empty paper towel story tomorrow.
Bill
Ah, I didn't think about confidentiality, but of course that's a factor in whether to blow whistles. I somehow never think of accountants having to hide things, as mine always have told me what I could deduct and what I couldn't. But if this one let his client get away with something that big, perhaps he should be culpable, too?
Hi Pat
All but seven states offer full client confidentiality. There are many financial crimes and therefore is the reason. Just like attorneys in all but those seven states if a client confesses a crime such as financial fraud or embezzlement you can't say anything or you lose your license.
In the seven states you can't fink until you are under oath. What happens (and it has happened at least three times in my career) in those seven states (Oregon and California are two of them) is a new client comes to you and you stop the conversation before he says anything. You refer him to an attorney and the attorney hires you. Then you are covered by the attorney's confidentiality.
In case you think it is rare, just little ole me during my career have discovered a loan shark, two frauds, two embezzlements, and a low member of the Hawaii mafia. I'm one person just think what that translates too.
Oh and there is an exemption to the protection for accountants. Publically held companies are required to be audited by CPAs once a year. In those instances the CPAs client is the public not the company they are auditing. Think Enron and Arthur Anderson. Arthur Anderson had an obligation to out Enron on the fraud and didn't. They are no more because they didn't protect their client, the general public.
Bill
I just read the whistleblower article and was wondering how on earth he got around the confidentiality rules on that one. Glad I'm not the only one with concerns on that.
We take privacy very seriously too. I currently have a guy who knows I did his ex-wife's return, and he's threatening to sue me to get a copy. He's going to have to do that, and I'm pretty sure my lawyers are better than his. It's funny, though, if the tables were turned, he'd be outraged if I just handed over a copy of his return.
My goal this week is to uncover a Hawaiian mafia person!
Hi Mary
I read the article again because I was kind of thrown off by the privacy issues. However, it didn't really say the accountant worked for a tax practice or a CPA firm, do maybe he was just a an employee in a private industry and was just turning his boss in.
And the mafia member almost cost me a friend. I did what the ethics said and referred him to an attorney after telling him I couldn't work for him because he had told me to much. The attorney called me that night really upset and told me never to send a member of the mafia to him again.
Bill
PS
Good for you for keeping the husband at bay, it is the right thing for you to do.
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