IRS under Bush targeted NAACP deliberately

[Capt Amerika]

Something that bothers me about all of this is that the President has on too many occasions mentioned that he first heard about something through the news media.

Shouldn't that be a prime indicator that you have appointed too many people to provide too many layers of Govt coverage?

Its time to fire all of these Czars and non-elected underlings and let the Executive branch actually deal directly with the agencies.

I truly believe Obama may have put a stop to some of this stuff if he knew about it but he has too many people pushing their own agenda and hes not in the loop.

In the end though, he is ultimately responsible and he needs to start firing folks and fast.

And if he wants to retain any credibility whatsoever he needs to fire Holder immediately.

Obama never was ready for this job and he allowed to many other people to steer him down the wrong path.

[Merc14]

More from Jim Geraghty's Morning Jolt.

The IRS Abuse Story: It's Not As Bad As You Feared. It's Worse. Much Worse.

Let me get this straight: The acting IRS commissioner who was in charge when the agency admitted its wrongdoing has resigned, but will keep his pension and there's no sign he will face criminal charges . . . and this is accountability?

Clearly, this guy was part of the problem:

At the time when tea party groups were targeted, Miller was a deputy commissioner who oversaw the division that dealt with tax-exempt organizations.

The report by the Treasury inspector general for tax administration does not indicate that Miller knew conservative groups were being targeted until after the practice ended. But documents show that Miller repeatedly failed to tell Congress that tea party groups were being targeted, even after he had been briefed on the matter.

Don't let any of your liberal friends get away with this "low-level employee" nonsense.

The director of the Internal Revenue Service division under fire for singling out conservative groups sent a

2012 letter under her name

to one such group, POLITICO has learned.

The March 2012 letter was sent to the Ohio-based American Patriots Against Government Excess (American PAGE) under the name of Lois Lerner, the director of the Exempt Organizations Division.

Don't let them claim that this wasn't politically motivated:

In February 2010, the Champaign Tea Party in Illinois received approval of its tax-exempt status from the IRS in 90 days, no questions asked.

That was the month before the Internal Revenue Service started singling out Tea Party groups for special treatment. There wouldn't be another Tea Party application approved for 27 months.

In that time, the IRS approved perhaps dozens of applications from similar liberal and progressive groups, a USA TODAY review of IRS data shows.

As applications from conservative groups sat in limbo, groups with liberal-sounding names had their applications approved in as little as nine months. With names including words like "Progress" or "Progressive," the liberal groups applied for the same tax status and were engaged in the same kinds of activities as the conservative groups. They included:

• Bus for Progress, a New Jersey non-profit that uses a red, white and blue bus to "drive the progressive change." According to its website, its mission includes "support (for) progressive politicians with the courage to serve the people's interests and make tough choices." It got an IRS approval as a social welfare group in April 2011.
  
• Missourians Organizing for Reform and Empowerment says it fights against corporate welfare and for increasing the minimum wage. "It would be fair to say we're on the progressive end of the spectrum," said executive director Jeff Ordower. He said the group got tax-exempt status in September 2011 in just nine months after "a pretty simple, straightforward process."
  
• Progress Florida, granted tax-exempt status in January 2011, is lobbying the Florida Legislature to expand Medicaid under a provision of the Affordable Care Act, one of President Obama's signature accomplishments. The group did not return phone calls. "We're busy fighting to build a more progressive Florida and cannot take your call right now," the group's voice mail said.
  

Like the Tea Party groups, the liberal groups sought recognition as social welfare groups under Section 501©(4) of the tax code, based on activities like "citizen participation" or "voter education and registration."

The exact same folks could apply with names that didn't sound conservative, and get fast-tracked:

Eight months passed without word from the agency about the group's application, Ryun said. In February 2012, Ryun's attorney contacted the IRS to ask if it needed more information to secure its non-profit status as a 501©3 organization. According to Ryun, the IRS told him that the application was being processed by the agency's office in Cincinnati, Ohio—the same one currently facing scrutiny for targeting conservative groups—and to check back in two months.

As directed, Ryun followed up with the IRS in April 2012, and was told that Media Trackers' application was still under review.

When September 2012 arrived with still no word from the IRS, Ryun determined that Media Trackers would likely never obtain standalone non-profit status, and he tried a new approach: Starting over. He applied for permanent non-profit status for a separate group called Greenhouse Solutions, a pre-existing organization that was reaching the end of its determination period.

The IRS approved Greenhouse Solutions' request for non-profit status in three weeks.

[+and-then]

Wine that night but I enjoy beer as well, why, do you have a oproblem with beer drinkers? Are you even old enough to drink Britney? I am guessing not based on your reaction to being proved wrong again and again and again. Listen, try harder, you sanctimonious little ####, you are boring me.

BOO YAH!!!!

[regeneratia]

It is time for the fed to shut down, rest for a year and then restart with all new people, ... using the original US Constitution and the US Bill of Rights.

Our government is filled to the brim with crooks.

And there should be a law that no president will ever have attended Harvard or Yale.

I will never ever again vote for a president that went to Harvard or Yale. Too much trash has come from those two colleges.

Edited May 16, 2013 by regeneratia

[regeneratia]

BOO YAH!!!!

Insulting is a hallmark of alcoholism. Just sayin.

[regeneratia]

More from Jim Geraghty's Morning Jolt.

The IRS Abuse Story: It's Not As Bad As You Feared. It's Worse. Much Worse.

Let me get this straight: The acting IRS commissioner who was in charge when the agency admitted its wrongdoing has resigned, but will keep his pension and there's no sign he will face criminal charges . . . and this is accountability?

Clearly, this guy was part of the problem:

At the time when tea party groups were targeted, Miller was a deputy commissioner who oversaw the division that dealt with tax-exempt organizations.

The report by the Treasury inspector general for tax administration does not indicate that Miller knew conservative groups were being targeted until after the practice ended. But documents show that Miller repeatedly failed to tell Congress that tea party groups were being targeted, even after he had been briefed on the matter.

Don't let any of your liberal friends get away with this "low-level employee" nonsense.

The director of the Internal Revenue Service division under fire for singling out conservative groups sent a

2012 letter under her name

to one such group, POLITICO has learned.

The March 2012 letter was sent to the Ohio-based American Patriots Against Government Excess (American PAGE) under the name of Lois Lerner, the director of the Exempt Organizations Division.

Don't let them claim that this wasn't politically motivated:

In February 2010, the Champaign Tea Party in Illinois received approval of its tax-exempt status from the IRS in 90 days, no questions asked.

That was the month before the Internal Revenue Service started singling out Tea Party groups for special treatment. There wouldn't be another Tea Party application approved for 27 months.

In that time, the IRS approved perhaps dozens of applications from similar liberal and progressive groups, a USA TODAY review of IRS data shows.

As applications from conservative groups sat in limbo, groups with liberal-sounding names had their applications approved in as little as nine months. With names including words like "Progress" or "Progressive," the liberal groups applied for the same tax status and were engaged in the same kinds of activities as the conservative groups. They included:

• Bus for Progress, a New Jersey non-profit that uses a red, white and blue bus to "drive the progressive change." According to its website, its mission includes "support (for) progressive politicians with the courage to serve the people's interests and make tough choices." It got an IRS approval as a social welfare group in April 2011.
  
• Missourians Organizing for Reform and Empowerment says it fights against corporate welfare and for increasing the minimum wage. "It would be fair to say we're on the progressive end of the spectrum," said executive director Jeff Ordower. He said the group got tax-exempt status in September 2011 in just nine months after "a pretty simple, straightforward process."
  
• Progress Florida, granted tax-exempt status in January 2011, is lobbying the Florida Legislature to expand Medicaid under a provision of the Affordable Care Act, one of President Obama's signature accomplishments. The group did not return phone calls. "We're busy fighting to build a more progressive Florida and cannot take your call right now," the group's voice mail said.
  

Like the Tea Party groups, the liberal groups sought recognition as social welfare groups under Section 501©(4) of the tax code, based on activities like "citizen participation" or "voter education and registration."

The exact same folks could apply with names that didn't sound conservative, and get fast-tracked:

Eight months passed without word from the agency about the group's application, Ryun said. In February 2012, Ryun's attorney contacted the IRS to ask if it needed more information to secure its non-profit status as a 501©3 organization. According to Ryun, the IRS told him that the application was being processed by the agency's office in Cincinnati, Ohio—the same one currently facing scrutiny for targeting conservative groups—and to check back in two months.

As directed, Ryun followed up with the IRS in April 2012, and was told that Media Trackers' application was still under review.

When September 2012 arrived with still no word from the IRS, Ryun determined that Media Trackers would likely never obtain standalone non-profit status, and he tried a new approach: Starting over. He applied for permanent non-profit status for a separate group called Greenhouse Solutions, a pre-existing organization that was reaching the end of its determination period.

The IRS approved Greenhouse Solutions' request for non-profit status in three weeks.

I am trepidacious about the IRS issue. I heard once that the Russian mafia was funding some of the tea party events and also it's administration, heard it from a GOP source. If this is the case, then they should be strongly monitored by the IRS.

Edited May 16, 2013 by regeneratia

[regeneratia]

Something that bothers me about all of this is that the President has on too many occasions mentioned that he first heard about something through the news media.

Shouldn't that be a prime indicator that you have appointed too many people to provide too many layers of Govt coverage?

Its time to fire all of these Czars and non-elected underlings and let the Executive branch actually deal directly with the agencies.

I truly believe Obama may have put a stop to some of this stuff if he knew about it but he has too many people pushing their own agenda and hes not in the loop.

In the end though, he is ultimately responsible and he needs to start firing folks and fast.

And if he wants to retain any credibility whatsoever he needs to fire Holder immediately.

Obama never was ready for this job and he allowed to many other people to steer him down the wrong path.

As compared to a president that couldn't read and had little idea on what was really happening in the world, despite the fact that God was always talking to him?

I think Holder needs to go. I think he is a crook. I fully support whatever Brownback has to fight him with. Will send him money if necessary to fight holder.

[Merc14]

I am trepidacious about the IRS issue. I heard once that the Russian mafia was funding some of the tea party events and also it's administration, heard it from a GOP source. If this is the case, then they should be strongly monitored by the IRS.

You have a rumor that is completely unsubstantiated and makes absolutely no sense by any measure, from an unnamwed source about an organization whose sole purpose is to shrink government so as to stop the actions we are seeing now and you think they should be given the third degree? Why does anyone wonder how we got here with people thinking this kind of crap and the ridiculous insult that followed labeling Bush as an illiterate.

Edited May 16, 2013 by Merc14