Always tell the boss

LITTLE ROCK — THE STORY of state officials who never paid their taxes on the use of their state-provided cars never seems to end.

At this point, our copy desk must be tempted to begin each story with the warning, One of Series, and end it with To Be Continued.

Not only does this series seem to have no end but, to borrow a phrase from little Alice in Wonderland, it keeps growing curiouser and curiouser, too.

In Thursday’s installment of the continuing story, it turns out that, though our secretary of state says he didn’t know he was supposed to pay taxes on the personal use of a state car (a 2008 Chevrolet Suburban), eight of the employees in his office did-and paid their taxes. As if they were taxpaying citizens like the rest of us. And yet their boss didn’t.

The moral of this story, or at least one of the many that have come out of this series, is that, if you’re doing the right thing, for gosh sakes tell your boss, who may not be.

The boss will have reason to thank you-instead of being as embarrassed as Charlie Daniels must and ought to be at this point.

Sure, the boss might be irritated at the moment you mention it, perhaps mainly with himself for messing up, but he ought to be grateful. You might save him a lot of trouble down the road.Literally. As he drives along it in a car owned by We the People.

Here’s something else curious, or maybe not so curious, about this ever unfolding saga of taxes unpaid. Have you noticed, Gentle Reader, the size of the state cars supplied our public servants?

Consider the models these tax-paying employees in Charlie Daniels’ office drive: A 2009 Buick Enclave, a 2009 Chevrolet Trail Blazer, a 2008 GMC Envoy, a 2008 GMC Sierra, a 2006 GMC Sierra 1500 4WD Crew, a 2006 Chevrolet Z71, and a 2004 Z71, and a Chevrolet Silverado.

We can’t claim to have checked out each one, but they don’t sound like small, compact, economy models.

And the fleet has grown. All in all, Mr. Daniels’ office accounts for 29 vehicles, more than it did under Sharon Priest, his predecessor as secretary of state. All the vehicles are needed, it’s explained, because the federal Help America Vote Act meant a lot more instate travel for the staff.

It’s enough to make you wonder how many other state offices maintain such impressive and extensive fleets and why. The folks who are paying for all this transport-including the working stiff out there who doesn’t get his car or pick-up supplied by the state-might like to know.

Doubtless to be continued.