Tea Party Fiscal Hawk's Finances Stink

Rep. Joe Walsh is known for a few things: Being a Tea Partier, calling President Obama an "idiot," and talking—a lot—about how badly Democrats and Republicans are handling the economy (earlier this month he claimed GOP leaders are "afraid to fight for this country"). In fact, the New York Times calls him "perhaps the most visible when it comes to televised economic exposition" of all the freshmen in the House. But the Times found that Walsh may not practice the fiscal restraint he preaches.

First, there's the much-ballyhooed battle over the $117,000 his ex-wife says he owes in child support. The Chicago Sun-Times reports that Walsh told a judge last week that the couple verbally agreed three years ago that he could stop payments. The Times reviewed documents filed as part of the case and found the following: He has $3,000 in his single IRA, has no savings or investment accounts, had his condo foreclosed on, had his license suspended after he failed to pay his auto insurance on time, and has tussled with the IRS. Still, Walsh doesn't seem concerned. "I told people, 'If you want a building full of millionaires who all have perfect credit scores, then Joe Walsh is not your guy.'" Plus, "I didn’t go to Washington to manage anybody’s money. What I want to do is limit what they take from you, so you can manage your money." (More Joe Walsh (politician) stories.)