Grapevine: Federal workers owe $3.3 billion in unpaid taxes

IRS claims delinquent employees include 714 Capitol Hill workers and 36 in the White House

Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine...

Coming Up Short

Federal workers are paid by you-- the taxpayers -- but they are $3.3 billion short on paying -- their own taxes.

The IRS says -- delinquent employees include 714 Capitol Hill workers-- and 36 in the White House.

Nearly 3.5 percent of federal workers and retirees owe back taxes -- which is a lower percentage than the public at large.
The civilian agency with the most unpaid taxes?

The much maligned Department of Veterans Affairs -- where 15,000 employees owe almost $150 million.

The VA's health care and administrative woes are all over the news -- but their fiscal decisions have earned plenty of criticism as well.

The Washington Free Beacon reports -- the Department has spent almost $500 million on furniture -- conference rooms -- and draperies over the last 4-and-a-half years.

Spending that Republican Texas Senator John Cornyn calls -- just one of many misplaced priorities.

Pay to Potty

A Washington state third grade teacher is in hot water -- for allegedly making students to pay to go to the restroom.

Local reports say -- the teacher gives out fake money to students for good behavior and performance -- which can be spent on toys, treats, and trips to the restroom.

Two parents complained after their children had accidents in school.

The school district says pay to potty is not district policy.

The teacher is suspended pending an investigation.

Hot Numbers

Finally -- Secretary of State John Kerry should have checked his facts --when citing dangers of climate change -- by using supposedly-record temperatures across the world.

Quote-- "34 degrees centigrade in Vietnam today -- in May. 29, 30, 32, 33 in places all around Europe. Unprecedented. Breaks every record that's ever been seen."

Not quite. 34 degrees centigrade -- or Celsius-- is about 93 degrees Fahrenheit.

That is well below the May record high of 108 in Vietnam's capital city of Hanoi -- according to its embassy.

All of the temperatures Kerry listed for Europe -- are well-below the record high in Spain of 122 degrees-- or 50 centigrade -- set in 1881.