Last week, a billionaire Republican active in New Jersey politics committed suicide. At first it seemed like a terrible tragedy. Now it appears that he was an epic tax cheat, and the feds were closing in.
Suicide is always a terrible thing, and in the case of Finn Caspersen, we must extend our sympathies to his family and friends.
At the same time that I feel badly about the suffering he must have endured, and the pain his family now feels, I cannot suppress my utter rage that this billionaire, it now appears, was a major tax cheat. According to the New York Times, this guy had stashed huge amounts of money in secret accounts in Lichtenstein, which like Switzerland is a notorious tax haven. And the feds were closing in on him, which apparently explains why he took his life. It's not clear how yet, but somehow he got caught up in the UBS dragnet.
Most Americans could never make in 500 lifetimes even a fraction of this guy's worth. We honestly and dutifully pay our taxes, recognizing it's our obligation in a free society. And it hurts us a lot more than it hurts the rich, who never have to worry about paying the phone bill or the utility bill. We struggle to get by, pay mortgages, and finance our children's education. And yet, here's this incredibly wealthy guy, a benefactor of private prep schools and Ivy League colleges, scamming his own government and the rest of us because he didn't feel rich enough. He pledged $30 million to Harvard Law School last year (as if they need it), and even has a rare book room at Harvard Law named after him. Because nothing needs money and protection like rare law books. Now, it seems, this guy might have cheated the government out of as much as $100 million.
Wouldn't you know this guy was a Republican and high dollar donor to Republican candidates? And that he came by his riches the old-fashioned way -- he inherited them.
I apologize if I seem hard-hearted. I'm sure some of the comments will call me that. I've been through some tough times emotionally, so I feel for anyone in the same spot. But I cannot contain my outrage at people like this. I'm sorry, I just can't. I also can't wait to find what other mega-wealthy tax cheats are outed before the UBS story is all over.