http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2009/09/17/2003453772
I wonder how much time SHE will spend in jail between now and the resolution of HER trial!
Wow, not so much about the fraud charge (that I can understand) but for Christ sake she made 100 million NT for 11 years of public service, hell I’m in the wrong industry… Forgery I can understand to, she did it on purpose, I don’t think you can miss that box if you have a dual citizenship. But to say that the salary she earned during her term was “gained via illegal means” that is a bit strong. Does she belong in prison, I think so, but should she have to repay the salary, come on she did her work during that period of time it is not like she was at home doing nothing. You can’t miss a thing like this she did it on purpose and as such she belongs in prison.
Diana Lee deserves it. She was one of the worst Taiwanese politicans, her 3 pillars of political work:
- scolding
- insulting
- lying
What she has done wasn’t any real political work. Persons like her in the KMT (and of course in the DPP or PFP too) have destroyed any poltical culture in Taiwan. A few years before, there was a nice editorial in Taipei Times: “Time the clowns leave the ring” or so. One clown was forced to leave.
Regards
So you’d allow a Tai Da doctor who faked his medical degree to keep his salary? I wouldn’t. I’ve paid millions in taxes over the years just to have this shower of bastards from Chen Shui Bian to Diane Lee steal it.
Astonishing the amount of money these people pay themselves. You wouldn’t mind if Taiwan actually had a government. But for a Taipei City councillor to get twice the salary of a British MP is astonishing. Taiwanese democracy? Rob the Taxpayer. Plain and simple.
Speaking of Taipei City councillors… I see our favourite porn star Chu Mei Feng is back in town. Getting paid nearly ten thousand quid a month to screw her way through a selection of Taipei’s married and unmarried men was a hell of a gig and it has spurred me on to trying to find a job in the “public service”.
I can’t imagine how stupid Diane Lee must have been to think she could get away with this; she also had plenty of time and opportunity to renounce her US citizenship, even after rumors started circulating. That said, while I agree that she should pay back her gains from her time in office, I think the money paid to her staff, who might not have known about the scandal, shouldn’t need to be taken back.
How can a public servant make so much money?
That is over 8 million a year–about 700,000 a month. It doesn’t mention that the money came from any other source.
Even real foreigners know that you can’t be a dual citizen in these positions. And I think the US government should look into the circumstances surrounded her acquisition of US citizenship. If she became a US citizen in 1991, but was elected in 1994, there might be a rebuttable presumption that she knew at the time she acquired US citizenship she would have to give up her US citizenship if she was at the same time seeking office in Taiwan. Or does the US allow “temporary” US citizenship? The UK doesn’t, and to naturalise you have to avow that you intend to reside permanently in the UK.
A government of the government, by the government, for the government.
Give me back my taxes!
[quote=“Lord Lucan”][quote]I can’t imagine how stupid Diane Lee must have been to think she could get away with this; she also had plenty of time and opportunity to renounce her US citizenship, even after rumors started circulating. That said, while I agree that she should pay back her gains from her time in office, I think the money paid to her staff, who might not have known about the scandal, shouldn’t need to be taken back.[/quote]Give me back my taxes![/quote]Taxes! Yes. Good subject to bring up. Diane Lee is an American citizen as well as her husband. As American citizens, she and her husband are required to file annual income tax returns and report ALL of their income earned in Taiwan. Although she could be considered a non-resident US citizen, only approximately $87,000 USD per year could possibly be considered non-taxable. She would be liable to pay taxes on anything over this amount which also includes interest from any bank savings or capital gains from stock investments.
Do you think that she filed her annual tax returns faithfully and honestly reported all of her income since 1994? Doubtful. Did she and her husband make less than $87,000 USD per year? Public records show she made considerably more than the amount that is considered tax exempt. The US IRS should look up her ass with a microscope. If she has been found to have intentionally evaded US taxes, being nailed for election fraud and forgery in Taiwan will be the least of her worries. :no-no:
Sometimes the US gov is slow to release you from your US citizenship if they think you owe back taxes…which I’m quite sure she accurately reported and paid each year.
[quote=“Elegua”]Sometimes the US gov is slow to release you from your US citizenship if they think you owe back taxes…[color=#FF0000]which I’m quite sure she accurately reported and paid each year[/color].[/quote]Good one! :roflmao:
But they have to pay their staff/run their office out of that salary-at least I think that is the case in the Legislative Yuan.
why do they even need staff??? To do what?
To keep them in power of course!
I used to know an assistant to a long-standing KMT legislator. Brief job description:
Handling requests for special favors, and payments for those special favors.
Influence peddling.
Liaison with the cops where those special favors need special law enforcement or the turning of blind eyes.
Digging up dirt on opposition figures / enemies and handling the media that the message goes out the right way.
Looking for / filtering business opportunities by which the legislator could further enrich himself.
And so on.
A good assistant will pay for himself, and then some. A really good assistant will be noticed and get to run for office himself.
[quote=“Northcoast Surfer”][quote=“Lord Lucan”][quote]I can’t imagine how stupid Diane Lee must have been to think she could get away with this; she also had plenty of time and opportunity to renounce her US citizenship, even after rumors started circulating. That said, while I agree that she should pay back her gains from her time in office, I think the money paid to her staff, who might not have known about the scandal, shouldn’t need to be taken back.[/quote]Give me back my taxes![/quote]Taxes! Yes. Good subject to bring up. Diane Lee is an American citizen as well as her husband. As American citizens, she and her husband are required to file annual income tax returns and report ALL of their income earned in Taiwan. Although she could be considered a non-resident US citizen, only approximately $87,000 USD per year could possibly be considered non-taxable. She would be liable to pay taxes on anything over this amount which also includes interest from any bank savings or capital gains from stock investments.
Do you think that she filed her annual tax returns faithfully and honestly reported all of her income since 1994? Doubtful. Did she and her husband make less than $87,000 USD per year? Public records show she made considerably more than the amount that is considered tax exempt. The US IRS should look up her ass with a microscope. If she has been found to have intentionally evaded US taxes, being nailed for election fraud and forgery in Taiwan will be the least of her worries. :no-no:[/quote]
Is there a way we can speed this process up? I mean isn’t there some place where you can possibly report to the IRS? A tattle box?
I mean come on, everyone here pretty much agrees that Diane Lee is a scum bag. Lets have some justice shall we?
Edit: Apparently hearsay says its being done. Anyone have any more info?
stupidness is maybe her most serious crime
Should a legislator answer his own phone and keep his own diary?
Of course Redwagon is right, staff can do a lot more than that. But the actual fact of having staff is quite normal and is no different to any other parliament.
[quote=“hiker”]
stupidness is maybe her most serious crime[/quote]
So fraud is no big deal, right?
FYI - Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan is not technically a Parliament.
FYI - Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan is not technically a Parliament.[/quote]
You are right of course, the correct term is legislature. I am used to talking about parliaments because I am from the UK.