Jeff Immelt

I know it’s easy to call-in plays from the cheap seats (is that even an expression?), but is anyone else remotely amused by the fact that Jeff Immelt, CEO of General Electric and recently appointed Chairman of the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness has announced that the “theme” of one of the half-dozen working groups is tax-reform?

Who knew they were talking about their Accounting Department?

I mean, who better than the chief executive of the largest corporation in America?  Who better than a man who drove that corporation to a profit of $14.2 billion in 2010 ($5.1 billion of that, domestically)?  And who better than the man who hired the accountants who prepared the filings for that company, saying that GE needn’t pay a dime in taxes for 2010? 

Now, I don’t claim to be an accountant.  I choose not to let my pretty little head get filled with things that make my brain hurt.  But one would think that somewhere in that $5.1 billion, there are a few dollars that should go to building highways and schools, or cleaning-up the Gulf.  I’m sure, for instance, that GE manages to keep its lobbyists’ coffers full.

Furthermore, what’s this nonsense about the story getting completely swept under the rug by NBC Nightly News?  Okay, so GE is your parent company, but failing to comment on the story while every other news outlet is making a whole big deal about it just makes the omission even more glaring.

Roseanne Roseannadanna (portrayed by original Not Ready for Primetime Player, Gilda Radner) remains my mother's all-time favorite "Weekend Update" correspondant

Now, unlike Jacob, who devours his news daily from such outlets as The Huffington Post, CNN, and MSNBC; I rely on a combination of “Weekend Update” on Saturday Night Live, my subscription to WWD.com, and the occasional episode of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. 

And thank God I do, because were it not for Mr. Stewart, I would’ve had no idea that instead of talking about the GE tax thing, last Friday night, that the Brian Williams-helmed Nightly News devoted a segment to a breaking story about such new additions to the Oxford English Dictionary as “muffin top” and “OMG” (which, I’ll admit, is a damned compelling bit of news-casting).

So, what the Hell point am I trying to make in this?  I’d have thought that was pretty clear: I’m wondering if anyone reading this has the number for GE’s accountant!

Tax Day 2011
Monday, April 18th

Get into it!