Thursday, June 6, 2013

The IRS Gone Wild

Last week your outraged Peasant commented on
the IRS harassing Tea Party and other conservative
groups which applied for 501(c)(4) status. These
organizations' applications have been held up for
months, in some cases upwards of two years,
while being subject to the most inappropriate
questions --- these included:

"What are the names of the members in your
organization?"

"What are the names of your donors?"

and ...

"What is the content of your prayers (if your
organization prays during your meetings)?"


Shocking, isn't it? This is the kind of treatment
that statist governments routinely subject the
citizens of their countries to when those govern-
ments suspect groups of citizens may be trying
to stand up to it and stand up for their rights.
Whoever thought that such a thing could ---
would --- ever happen in the USA? If a
body would have told me thirty, twenty, ten,
even five years ago, I would have asked him
if he was smoking anything illegal. Now,
it has come to pass. It is a clear and present
danger to us and to our freedom. It's no joke;
this is for real.

This week, the IRS faced angry, passionate
testimonies before the House Ways and Means
Committee by the heads of organizations that
were targeted by the nation's tax collection
agency. Among these groups were pro-life
advocates, Tea Party groups, and various other
right-of-center organizations, all having been
bullied by the IRS for their political stands.
One witness stated that the IRS' actions were
"unconscionably chilling".

Becky Gerritson, president of the Wetumpka,
Alabama Tea Party, gave her thoughts on the
IRS giving her and her outfit a grilling:

"This was not an accident. This is a willful act of
intimidation to discourage a point of view!"

But this is precisely what the IRS claimed it was.
They at one point claimed that it was a few
"rogue agents" who were responsible for the
intimidating tactics unleashed upon these groups.
Lois Lerner, a director with the IRS office in
Cincinnati said before Congress that she was
pleading the Fifth (Amendment) so as to not
say anything. She would not even corroborate
the aforementioned weaselly excuse, let alone
offer an alternative one. Investigations have
begun to trace the origin of the idea and
accompanying orders to go hell bent for leather
after the conservative groups, and it should
prove to be quite a climb. Some are speculating
that the White House may have a role in all this;
that might prove true. Obama and his pals have
no love for the Tea Party movement, nor any for
pro-life groups and such. More will be discovered
in due course.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Gerritson was just one of many
leaders of conservative organizations telling their
horror stories of illegal inquiries, extensive application
delays, bullying, oppression, and arrogant disdain
for these people and their rights. Some group heads
were warned not to talk to their congressmen any
further regarding the IRS' treatment that they
received! Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI)
gave his own assessment of the IRS' witch hunt:

"At its core, this investigation is about how and why
the IRS was empowered and allowed to use a broken
tax code to abuse individuals based on their beliefs
--- and seemingly only based on their beliefs.

"While their life stories are different, what they all share
in common is that they are Americans who did what we
ask people to do every day --- add thier voice to the
dialogue that defines our country, and for pursuing that
passion, for simply exercising their First Amendment
rights --- the freedoms of association, expression, and
religion. The IRS singled them out."

One Tea Party group chieftan admonished the committee
members that these abuses took place on their watch, and
that they MUST take action!

Many of the committee members, along with the other
members of Congress present, openly sympathized with
those who had given testimony as to the brutal treatment
given them by the IRS. However, one House member
blamed the vicitms for their troubles with the IRS;
Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA) mentioned the witnesses
for their opposition to President Obama's health care
reform and restrictions on abortion in stating that "taxpayers
have a right to know which side" of the political issues of
the day "that (they) fall on." Methinks Rep. McDermott
is merely crying crocodile tears for the taxpayers in his
quest to brand these conservative activists with the
"they had it coming" tattoo. Perhaps he would like to
explain how is it that left-wing groups have not had to
wait inordinately lengthy periods of time to get their
applications for 501(c)(4) status, nor have not been
required by the IRS to provide confidential information
regarding their membership and their donors? And
how a member of Presidnet Obama's family was able to
apply for and receive tax-free status within 30 days?
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

It must be noted that, in receiving this tax-free status, a
group would not have to pay any taxes on the donations
sent them by donors; however, the donors cannot claim
their donations for tax credits or exemptions on their taxes
as they can with donations to charitable organizations.
The stalling on, or refusals to approve the applications for
this status by the aforementioned conservative groups have
negatively impacted their ability to raise money to fund their
functions, including consequentially affecting their ability to
raise money for conservative candidates for public office.
Some people are even saying that this has affected the
last national election itself, the presidential race included.

This is but one of the scandals embroiling the Obama
administration. Your faithful Peasant shall comment on
the others in the weeks to come. But my closing comment
on this tragic story is this: it should now be as clear as
Waterford crystal just what President Obama's "Hope
and Change" plan is all about. This misbegotten joke
of a president hopes to change our country into a statist,
totalitarian husk of what was once a vibrant, shining land
of freedom and promise of a better life for downtrodden
people from other nations.


MEM

No comments:

Post a Comment