| This is the season for Harpo "Christmas Give Away" | | | | Well, you say, they could give the gifts away as |
| Shows. Today it was Dr Phil and his family giving | | | | Christmas presents! OK, then who will be responsible |
| away oodles of gifts to an audience filled with | | | | for the gift tax? Remember, these audience |
| disenfranchised California Fire families. I always watch | | | | members' names and social security numbers are on |
| these shows thinking the same thing: | | | | file for IRS to come after! They don't leave the |
| Are these shows really blessing these poor people? | | | | studios without giving out that information! |
| If I had lost my home to Katrina or California fires, or | | | | When Oprah started her 19th season, she wowed |
| any other catastrophe, what would be my biggest | | | | the world by giving away new "fully-loaded" Pontiac |
| need? Would it be a huge LCD HD TV, or the latest | | | | G-6 midsize 2005 sports sedan to each of the 276 |
| camcorder? If I don't have a house to live in, what | | | | members of the studio audience. What caught the |
| am I going to do with this huge television? | | | | eye of Michael Kirsch (Notre Dame) was this |
| I was on a television show once and was "blessed" | | | | statement by a spokesperson for Pontiac (which |
| with a wonderful Conn organ. It was three layers of | | | | donated the cars) in an AP story: "Pontiac will pay for |
| push a button and get a trumpet section; push | | | | the taxes." |
| another button and get a harpsichord sound. Since I | | | | What "taxes" was Pontiac talking about? If federal |
| am a musician, it was a wonderful gift ... until April | | | | income taxes, how would Pontiac value the car? |
| 15th! I knew nothing about "gift tax" so was totally | | | | Presumably it would be valued at something less than |
| unprepared for the additional money I was told I | | | | the $28,400 MSRP, but how much less? How would |
| owed IRS. It didn't take any time at all for that organ | | | | Pontiac figure out the appropriate tax rate for each |
| to turn into my worst nightmare! | | | | individual audience member? |
| Harpo (Oprah spelled backwards) Productions gets | | | | After much discussion it was ascertained that Pontiac |
| big ratings boosts for every "give away" show they | | | | would pay only the sales tax for each car, not the |
| put on the air. Doesn't matter if it's The Oprah Show, | | | | federal gift tax! Wow! What a big surprise each of |
| Dr Phil Show, or The Rachael Ray Show. All of the | | | | those 276 families had on April 15th! They owed |
| manic screaming and distorted faces thrill their | | | | $6,000 - $12,000 extra federal tax, depending on |
| television audience, and these celebrities come off | | | | their individual tax brackets. |
| looking like Santa Claus himself. They are also a great | | | | I'd like to see a Christmas Give Away Show where |
| time for participating companies to get FREE | | | | food, clothes, toys for the kids, and money for |
| advertising and, hopefully, increased sales in the last | | | | apartment rent and utilities given to these poor |
| month of the year. | | | | people! You know, like on Extreme Home Makeover |
| I picture these people going back to where ever | | | | where a mortgage company representative hands |
| they're living temporarily, loaded down with thousands | | | | the new home owners a statement saying their |
| of dollars' worth of posh items they would have | | | | home is paid for? |
| never bought before the catastrophe took their | | | | Naw, I guess that wouldn't work. Wouldn't be glitzy |
| homes. A cell phone from ATT with two months' | | | | enough for all of us to watch. It wouldn't give all of |
| free service? What happens after the two months | | | | these companies a chance to wow us with their |
| are up? Expensive bath products to use, even | | | | chosen high-end Christmas gifts. It just wouldn't be |
| though they may not have a bathtub of their own? | | | | "good TV". |