IRS CANNOT DISCIPLINE ITS OWN PEOPLE: WHY PUBLIC EMPLOYEE UNIONS MUST BE ELIMINATED
As my readers know, I am not a fan of unions, be they trade unions or public employee unions. I am dead set against any organization that is based on corrupting politicians to advance their own agenda. I am also dead set against any organization that rewards seniority over merit, limits innovation to maintain the status quo, imposes work rules that split one-person jobs into multiple segments requiring multiple people, and demands increased benefits with little or no increase in productivity to pay for the increase benefits. In fact, it appears to me that most unions care little or nothing about their members other than to provide a continuing revenue stream that can be invested by their union bosses; and in some cases investment decisions riddled with corruption and cronyism.
As a demonstration of the clear and present danger public employee unions present to America and all Americans, let us consider the Internal Revenue Service …
If non-governmental workers do not report their income, under-report their income, or fail to pay their taxes, we are in trouble with the Internal Revenue Service. In many cases, evading your taxes may be a criminal matter. And, for those who underpay or do not pay their taxes, there is the spectre of criminal prosecution and civil forfeiture. The IRS garnishes your wages or puts a lien on your property – or in extreme cases confiscates your property to sell at auction.
In many cases IRS will serve as the enforcement arm of federal and state agencies and withhold, apparently without question, any tax refund that you may be due. Not to mention that the IRS is the enforcement arm of the Department of Health and Human Services when it comes to penalizing non-participation in the Obamacare insurance scam that is decimating the insurance industry and destroying individual healthcare.
Social Security, Treasury target taxpayers for their parents’ decades-old debts
The Treasury Department has intercepted $1.9 billion in tax refunds already this year — $75 million of that on debts delinquent for more than 10 years, said Jeffrey Schramek, assistant commissioner of the department’s debt management service. The aggressive effort to collect old debts started three years ago — the result of a single sentence tucked into the farm bill lifting the 10-year statute of limitations on old debts to Uncle Sam.
The Federal Trade Commission, on its Web site, advises Americans that “family members typically are not obligated to pay the debts of a deceased relative from their own assets.” But Social Security officials say that if children indirectly received assistance from public dollars paid to a parent, the children’s money can be taken, no matter how long ago any overpayment occurred. <Source>
Scandal and cover-up …
Even worse, the Internal Revenue Service is apparently engaged in a cover-up of an unconstitutional and illegal use of the IRS, to pursue, harass, and deny tax exempt status to conservative causes seeking a tax exemption. This constitutes felonious conduct that can send people to jail.
In 2013, the United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS) revealed that it had selected political groups applying for tax-exempt status for closer scrutiny based on their names or political themes. This led to wide condemnation of the agency and triggered several investigations, including a Federal Bureau of Investigation criminal probe ordered by United States Attorney General Eric Holder. Initial reports described the selections as nearly exclusively of conservative groups with terms such as "Tea Party" in their names. <Source>
The Chief of the IRS Section involved in these matters has consistently lied to Congress, before exerting Fifth Amendment protections against self-incrimination. The Attorney General, Department of Justice, and the FBI appear to be complicit in extending the cover-up for political reasons – perhaps beyond the 2014 congressional election cycle that threatens the progressive socialist democrat majority in the Senate where high-ranking officials and judges have been confirmed on party lines without additional scrutiny. Of course, the Senate, under the leadership of the corrupt Harry Reid, refuses to bring key legislation to the floor for a vote and is complicit in using rules ‘tricks’ to pass legislation, such as Obamacare, that cannot withstand scrutiny and passed in an ordinary bi-partisan manner.
The IRS gave bonuses to IRS employees who owed taxes and were subject to disciplinary hearings …
IRS gave bonuses to employees who owed back taxes. And that’s not all.
A report from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration shows that between Oct. 1, 2010, and Dec. 31, 2012, the IRS paid $2.8 million in bonuses to employees cited in the past year for such things as drug use, making violent threats, fraudulently claiming unemployment benefits, misusing government credit cards and — get this — failing to pay their taxes.
The report said more than 1,100 employees who failed to pay their taxes received discretionary awards of more than $1 million in cash bonuses and more than 10,000 hours in extra paid vacation. At least five employees received performance awards after being disciplined for intentionally under-reporting their tax liabilities for multiples years, paying taxes late and under-reporting income. <Source>
Blame the public employee union that covers IRS workers …
Like many companies and government agencies, the IRS sweetens the deal for its employees by giving bonuses based on performance. But at the IRS, breaking the federal tax laws you were hired to enforce and running afoul of other agency rules aren’t considered relevant to performance-based awards.
You have to do something really bad before the IRS will take conduct into account, bad enough to be suspended for 14 days or more. Even then, conduct is only deemed relevant to awards of permanent pay increases, not for bonuses or extra vacation time.
The IRS’s contract with the National Treasury Employees Union bars the agency from considering bad conduct when making performance-based awards. As for non-union employees, federal guidelines are silent on the subject.More than 2,800 employees out of 98,000 got performance-based awards within a year of disciplinary action.
“While not specifically prohibited by IRS policies, providing awards to employees with conduct issues, especially the failure to pay taxes owed to the Federal Government, appears to be in conflict with the IRS’s charge of ensuring the integrity of the system of tax administration,” the report said. “In addition, awards provided to these employees could be put to better use by providing employees who are compliant additional opportunities for awards.” Source: IRS gave bonuses to employees who owed back taxes. And that’s not all.
Now we are about to see the progressive socialist democrats slime their own Inspector General …
Inspector Generals have a thankless task. They are reviled by the agency and individuals they investigate, not to mention the regime in power at the time of wrongdoing. Apparently in an effort to defuse the Inspector General’s politically damaging reports, the progressive socialists are now attempting to attack the Treasury Attorney General and show that he is not above reproach.
Two House Democrats on Thursday called for an investigation of a federal auditor who accused the Internal Revenue Service of gross mismanagement and targeting advocacy groups for extra scrutiny based on their names and policy positions.
Reps. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) and Matt Cartwright (D-Penn.) on Wednesday filed a complaint with a special watchdog council questioning the independence of Treasury Department inspector general J. Russell George.
The congressmen, both of whom serve as top Democrats on House oversight committees, said George produced a “fundamentally flawed performance audit” that was “incomplete” and “outright misleading.” They also alleged that he held briefings with Republican members of the House Oversight Committee without the knowledge of Democrats on the panel. <Source>
Look for the progressive socialist democrats to begin personally attacking the man in the near future. I would not be surprised to see that the IG has socialized with political types in furtherance of his career, or possibly citing the appearance of wrongdoing by his subordinates. The politics of personal destruction as defined by the corrupt Hillary Clinton and used to great effect to protect her lying, cheating presidential husband.
Bottom line …
Under the past two Administrations, we have seen the government lose significant credibility with the very people for whom they work,”We the People.” Not since the corrupt and contemptible former President Richard Nixon tried to illegally use the IRS against his political enemies – for which he was threatened with impeachment – have we seen such corruption and hyper-politicization in public agencies. The IRS was always tough, but were considered apolitical and without taint. Now, they are at the center of a scandal that demands reform and the investigation and prosecution of IRS employees.
The progressive socialist democrats have benefited from the IRS scandal, some suggesting that the additional tax-exempt funding could have resulted in the defeat of Barack Obama. Interference in presidential elections is a felony. And, now the progressive socialist democrats are engaged in a cover-up to delay or de-track any investigation that could damage the party prior to the 2014 election.
It is time to throw the progressive socialist democrats and their RINO cohorts out of office – especially the House of Representatives and the United States Senate. Enough with political and crony corruption. Time to start rebuilding America.
-- steve
“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words
“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw
“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”
“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS "The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius “A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell “Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar “Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS