Tuesday, May 21, 2013

The Cato Institute: The IRS Abusing Americans is Nothing New, Plus Harsh Words from Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) of My Home State, and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY)

Over the past three days, I have posted several articles about the joke the Obama administration has become due to the revelations that continue to come to light about the four scandals that have plagued his presidency: "Fast and Furious," Benghazi, the IRS, and the AP/Fox News reports.  The onus is bound to cripple this administration, as reports of his approval rating according to the recent Gallup Poll indicate to be happening, while the Left-leaning CNN service states that the president is actually growing more popular, and this latter report, which 923 from what is most likely a Left-leaning area of the nation must have been surveyed, is truly spurious.

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Here is a video from The Cato Institute detailing the sordid history of the IRS persecuting political groups:


The conservative-Libertarian site United Liberty posted an article of not just conservative pundits, but those from the Left, claim that these allegations are damaging to the Obama administration's institution of public policy:

Pundits Realize Broader Ramifications of IRS Scandal

Joe Scarborough

The IRS serving as a political tool isn’t exactly a new concept. The agency has long-been used by administrations to target political and ideological opponents. But the latest incident involving the agency and its target of Tea Party groups has made some pundits to have an epiphany — that government abuses lend weight to concerns over other areas of public policy where sensitive information is obtained.
Citing concerns that expanded background checks would eventually led to a national gun registry, Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Rand Paul (R-KY), and Mike Lee (R-UT) promised to filibuster a procedural motion to bring the gun control measures to the floor. While they were initially unsuccessful in filibuster, the trio was able to rally enough support to kill the Manchin-Toomey amendment.
Many talking heads slammed those who voted against background checks during last month’s gun control debate in the Senate, but a couple of pundits have realized that maybe opponents of background checks had a point.
Joe Scarborough, host of the MSNBC’s Morning Joe, conceded on Friday that his argument in support of background checks is “less pursuasive today due to these scandals.”
“My argument has been, ‘Don’t worry, background checks aren’t going to lead to a national registry.’ The government is never going to create a national registry. Right? And there is even something there that says its a felony,” Scarborough said to fellow pundits during a roundtable discussion. “My argument is less persuasive today because of these scandals. Because people will say, “Hey, if they do that with the IRS asking people what books you read then how can I trust them with information about my Second Amendment rights?’”
“This is devastating,” he added. “This IRS scandal is devastating.”
Sam Stein, a reporter at the Huffington Post, agreed. “I think you’re absolutely right,” he told Scarborough. “I think it feeds into this notion that government is either inept or it’s corrupt. And, you know, it’s hard for me to see how the White House gets out of this without coming off a little bit damaged in other elements of legislation.”
Even pundits from the Left on MSNBC cannot deny what is going on right now.  The presidency of Barack Obama is in serious jeopardy of entering a premature "lame duck" session some two and a half years before a president usually experiences this phenomenon.

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The official webpage of Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN), who is one of the two senatorial representatives of my home state along with Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), reports this:
"Update from Senator Bob Corker
May 18, 2013
IRS Actions Outrageous and Disturbing
In a letter Wednesday to President Barack Obama, Senator Corker joined Senate Republicans in demanding that the administration fully comply with congressional investigation requests on how the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) targeted conservative groups. The senators outlined concerns regarding conflicting responses from the nonpartisan agency and said it is imperative the administration work with Congress to restore public confidence.
Last week, Senator Corker called initial reports that the IRS inappropriately flagged conservative political groups for additional reviews “outrageous [and] disturbing.”
“As I said last year, all nonprofit organizations seeking tax-exempt status should be treated fairly and equitably by the IRS,” said Corker. “The IRS’s admission that its employees were specifically targeting conservative groups – including groups in Tennessee – is outrageous, disturbing, and will further erode Americans' trust in the federal government. Swift and decisive action should be taken to punish those responsible and to assure the American people that these actions will not be tolerated at the IRS or any other federal agency.”
Last March, Corker joined Senate colleagues in asking the IRS to treat all nonprofit groups seeking tax-exempt status fairly in the designation process. In a follow up letter last June, Corker and colleagues asked the IRS to clarify what authority allowed them to request confidential donor information from organizations applying for tax exempt status."
As in other reports I posted, this issue has been ongoing now for about a year.  President Obama is hiding the truth, and the American people demand to know what it is.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), often being referred now as the new face of the Republican party, wrote this in an op-ed in The Washington Times on May 16, available on his website:
"Washington Times Op-Ed: A staggering abuse of power
May 16, 2013
When I filibustered over domestic drone use, critics said that I was being ridiculous. They said that no American had been killed by a drone on American soil and that no one was likely to be anytime soon. President Obama responded that he hadn't killed anyone yet and didn't intend to - but he might.
That wasn't the point. The filibuster was about the limits of power. It was about how much authority the president imagined he had. Lincoln wrote that nearly any man can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man, give him power.
I think Mr. Obama has failed that test of power. From the cover-up in Benghazi to letting the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) target the Tea Party to First and Fourth Amendment violations in obtaining records from the press, Mr. Obama has shown disregard for the Bill of Rights and his responsibilities as commander in chief.
The handling of the tragedy in Benghazi continues to raise more questions than it produces answers. The White House's original story, that no one was told to 'stand down' on the night of the attack, was contradicted last week by Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens‘ deputy, Gregory Hicks. Mr. Hicks testified that he spoke with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on the night of the attack and that a special-forces unit was stopped from deploying.
In January, we learned that Mrs. Clinton had not read the cables from Libya, in which Stevens, who feared for his safety, made multiple requests for additional security. The review board tries to shield Mrs. Clinton from blame by saying the decisions to deny security the ambassador requested occurred below her level.
That is precisely her culpability. It is inexcusable that she left decisions concerning the security of our Libyan ambassador to underlings. This issue is far from over, but so far, this administration seems more worried about protecting its own than being honest about what really happened.
Not to mention, who's to blame for it.
Last week, the Internal Revenue Service admitted it intentionally targeted various Tea Party, conservative and libertarian groups, submitting them to audits or making them wait exceptionally long for tax-exempt status. If Benghazi represents abuse or misuse of power, the IRS stands in direct violation of the First Amendment - targeting American citizens for their political beliefs. The more we learn about this controversy, the clearer it becomes that anyone who dared to talk about spending, debt or anything related to our current state of government affairs from a conservative perspective was a target.
One of the paramount freedoms Americans have is the ability to criticize their government without fear of retribution. This has been especially true when it comes to freedom of the press.
When the news broke that the Justice Department had seized two months' worth of Associated Press reporters' phone records, it was just the latest in a growing line of abuses of power by this White House. AP head Gary Pruitt called this government seizure a "massive and unprecedented intrusion" into how journalists research and gather news.
It was, and the lengths to which Mr. Obama has gone to circumvent the Constitution are staggering. It's as though the president thinks we no longer have a First Amendment protecting freedom of the press and free speech. It's as though he thinks we no longer have a Fourth Amendment that prevents illegal search and seizure. It's as though he and Mrs. Clinton think the State Department is no longer responsible for protecting our diplomats.
It's as though we no longer have a Bill of Rights that guarantees American citizens the right to due process and a jury trial - and it took me 13 hours of standing and speaking to get the White House to finally, and begrudgingly, say we did. My filibuster was about drone use, but more importantly, it was about never giving government the benefit of the doubt. We cannot afford it, and the government never deserves it, as this administration continues to remind us in so many surprising and disturbing ways.
With great power comes great responsibility. The greater Mr. Obama's power, the less responsible he becomes.
Power corrupts. Absolutely."
Well said, Sen. Paul.  You just might be the GOP's best hope of regaining control of the White House in 2016. 




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