It's so really very sweet and nice that the city of Blytheville and the IRS have agreed on the mechanics through which the IRS will so graciously accept the city's money owed from unpaid back payroll taxes. But there is still the question is, "How much money?"
A popular number is $3.8 million, of which about $1.6 million is penalties and interest.
The IRS hasn't announced yet whether they'll lighten up on the penalty and interest, but I assume they will -- to some extent.
Let's just say for the sake of arguing in round numbers that the IRS decides they'll reduce the $1.6 to an even $1 million. That's close, I'd guess.
So in that case the bottom line is: Those in charge of passing along city employee payroll deductions to the IRS held on to $2.2 million of the employee/IRS money for whatever reasons and thus incurred a $1 million IRS penalty. This incompetence should be explained in detail to the taxpayers of Blytheville.
I don't care if it ends up $2 million or $100,000, somebody should be held responsible for that amount of penalty and interest money essentially purloined from the city's already-stretched money supply. Such outrageous irresponsibility can't be allowed to go unpunished.
Problem is, who made the decision to withhold IRS payments?
That's what the FBI and State Police investigations are supposed to ferret out.
So far, not much has been revealed.
Nothing, actually.
But I maintain hope.
Maybe the obvious answers aren't playing out, but still, somebody needs to go to jail or come up with some big cash.
Why should the citizens of Blytheville have to pay back money frittered away by incompetent city management?
It just ain't fittin'.
And it just ain't right.
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My Dear Sweet Sainted Wife returned Wednesday night from about a week with the granddaughters in Columbia, Mo., during which time she managed to recreate the Thanksgiving dinner she missed when the girls and their mother and Grandma B went to Morrillton to spend Thanksgiving with Aunt Leah.
She might have stayed a little longer, but she got to missing her dogs.
Yeah, the same old dumb dogs we had since Jake the old Yellow Lab died going on two years ago.
It's kind of hard for me to take them out to the old Air Base bunkers for their afternoon run when the Lights of the Delta kicks in at 5 p.m. ... I've got to get out there at least by 4 or I've got to drive against the traffic flow of Lights of the Delta and that's a little weird.
But anyway, she's back now, so she can get them out there early enough without me having to disappear from the office early.
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We had a very interesting 3-man golf match Wednesday in temperatures that never got above 50 degrees. But there was no wind at all and it was actually quite comfortable with just a pullover and a golf glove to keep me warm.
Dr. Jones and Robby Minyard and I played the "nines" game, a way to bet when there are only three guys playing. After 18 holes, the score was 55-54-53, so there was a total exchange of $3.
We all three shot the same score.
A very strange outcome, actually.
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I poked a little fun at John Ed Regenold in a recent column, but I haven't run across him since. Maybe that's for the best.
But if you're interested, John Ed, the only people I've directly heard from about it thought it was pretty funny ... that would be Edward, Bruce and Lyman Henson.
Actually, Lyman thought it was quite hilarious, but then again, Lyman is about your age, after all, John Ed.
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I wonder when I'll start my Christmas shopping this year.
Fortunately, My Dear Sweet Sainted Wife is pretty efficient at getting the bulk of the shopping done and that really only leaves me to figure out something to get for her.
Arrrrgh.
dtennyson@blythevillecourier.com