IRS confesses to inappropriately targeting conservative groups.

[Bowfinger]

Honest question: is there any evidence of this other than what the IRS officials (now themselves under fire) claim? I've yet to see any reports of such targeting occurring on the other side, just that the IRS rats claiming it.

I don't have a link handy, but yes, I've read articles citing at least one specific example (i.e., gave the name of the group, described some of the intrusive follow-up questioning, etc.) I can't remember if there were multiple examples given. Again, I'm not suggesting for a second that makes it OK that right-wing groups were targeted far more often than left-wing.

 

[Attic]

This along with our altered third world- and unskilled-heavy amnesty rich immigration policy is why I think we're headed for a political system such as Red China enjoys. Demographics heavily favors the Democrat Party, the Democrat Party is now openly using the machinery of government to gain and maintain power, and the supporters of the Democrat Party are either openly supporting this behavior or denying that it is anything more than coincidence and incompetence. Concurrently the left is attacking the independence of the press at a magnitude even the right hasn't dared, and with much less opposition.

We are heading for a virtual one-party system where your choice is between John Jackson (D) and Jack Johnson (R), with a federal government willing and able to crush the little guy at its whim.

Yep. A disaster regardless of which "side" engages in these tactics and behavior, the point being its quite clear we are at our beyond the crossroads you've described. It's not difficult to expect certain results going forward if this continues.

Lower quality of life for the masses is what I expect the result to be.

 

[PokerGuy]

I don't have a link handy, but yes, I've read articles citing at least one specific example (i.e., gave the name of the group, described some of the intrusive follow-up questioning, etc.) I can't remember if there were multiple examples given. Again, I'm not suggesting for a second that makes it OK that right-wing groups were targeted far more often than left-wing.

Ok, that's what I was curious about, I had not seen it.

 

[Bowfinger]

No, no, no, his writers are honest, truthful and worth listening to, but only when they're not busy making fun of people who's lives have been devastated by tornado's and making political jokes it :whiste:

The Daily Show is on Comedy Central. Stewart is a comedian. While he often presents accurate news and information as part of his show, no rational person considers him an objective news source. His job is making viewers laugh, albeit often by highlighting just how absurd the truth is.

 

[monovillage]

Says the guy pointing the finger to someone else for being self-serving.

Bowfinger is the cybrsage of the left in this forum, it's why I rarely respond to him.

 

[Bowfinger]

Says the guy pointing the finger to someone else for being self-serving.

I suggest that if that was your point, it would have been better to quote the part that includes that instead of deleting it in favor of the part that only served to make you look like an idiot. Either that or you just looked up "non sequitur" and are now backpedaling furiously in a desperate attempt to not look so ignorant.

 

[Bowfinger]

Bowfinger is the cybrsage of the left in this forum, it's why I rarely respond to him.

Whatever helps you sleep at night, sweet pea. You fool nobody. The reason you don't usually respond to me is you can't. I've owned you in your own rash partisan stupidity so many times you should be paying me rent until the Sun turns cold. You spout some shrill, emotional noise copied from a nutter blog or op-ed. I shoot you down with facts and reason. Rinse and repeat, ad infinitum.

 

[xBiffx]

I suggest that if that was your point, it would have been better to quote the part that includes that instead of deleting it in favor of the part that only served to make you look like an idiot. Either that or you just looked up "non sequitur" and are now backpedaling furiously in a desperate attempt to not look so ignorant.

I know what it means. I stand by my previous quote as well. Your shortsighted and childish statement describes you to a T as I said.

Unfortunately, you are the one looking like an idiot. Jumping on someone for pointing out how much of a joke Stewart is.

 

[Bowfinger]

I know what it means. I stand by my previous quote as well. Your shortsighted and childish statement describes you to a T as I said.

Unfortunately, you are the one looking like an idiot. Jumping on someone for pointing out how much of a joke Stewart is.

Furious backpedaling it is.

 

[xBiffx]

Furious backpedaling it is.

Self-serving it is.

 

[Attic]

An important aspect to the IRS issue is that it likely is not isolated to the IRS. Don't look at the IRS issue as left or right, but merely a way of thinking and conducting oneself and business. I'd be thankful if the scandal metrics were isolated to the IRS, but my experience tells me that is certainly not the case. At best the easy way out the IRS dealt with its workload and worst the corruption it used to target certain groups.... This occurs in politics and business all the time in the states.

 

[monovillage]

An important aspect to the IRS issue is that it likely is not isolated to the IRS. Don't look at the IRS issue as left or right, but merely a way of thinking and conducting oneself and business. I'd be thankful if the scandal metrics were isolated to the IRS, but my experience tells me that is certainly not the case. At best the easy way out the IRS dealt with its workload and worst the corruption it used to target certain groups.... This occurs in politics and business all the time in the states.

Only under this corrupt administration.

 

[Fern]

-snip-
That, for example, is a lie. Liberal groups were also targeted.

Two groups do not "targeting" make.

I've only been able to find two liberal groups claiming they got follow questions regarding their nonproft application. (Some articles mention Emerge America, but that is a completely different matter involving actual activities of a long established nonprofit.)

Moreover, it's not clear at all that they received the same treatment as the targeted TEA/Patriot groups. The liberal groups said the follow up questionnaire was not intrusive. OTOH, it's clear that some TEA Party groups got very intrusive follow up questions.

We also have no reports of them mysteriously having their personal and business tax returns audited, questioned by the FBI numerous times, audited by OSHA and the BATF.

In any given year, the IRS should be randomly selected some nonprofits for audits and liberal groups should be expected to included in this group. But that is a far different than the targeting that went on with TEA Party applications.

Fern

 

[Fern]

-snip-
At best the easy way out the IRS dealt with its workload and worst the corruption it used to target certain groups....

'Rubber stamping' applications with approval could be expected if the workload was too great, not adding even more to it with voluminous questions and multiple followups.

Fern

 

[OutHouse]

adopt a child, get red flagged and audited.

The Internal Revenue Service mishandled tax returns of adoptive families, flagging for further review 90 percent of those who claimed the adoption tax credit for the 2012 filing season. And a report by the federal agency’s Taxpayer Advocate Service also found that nearly 70 percent of adoptive families — more than 35,000 — had at least a partial audit of their tax return. By contrast, just one percent of all returns are audited.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/05/2...re-audited-by-irs-report-finds/#ixzz2UFWDiNqx

 

[waggy]

adopt a child, get red flagged and audited.





Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/05/2...re-audited-by-irs-report-finds/#ixzz2UFWDiNqx

read that. not on fox but another site had that info. WTF.

 

[Fern]

adopt a child, get red flagged and audited.





Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/05/2...re-audited-by-irs-report-finds/#ixzz2UFWDiNqx

I saw a claim that out of all those audited/questioned only 1.5% resulted in an adjustment (increase in tax due).

I have to question the intelligence on display at the IRS. 2012 tax returns can be audited into 2016 when the statute will close.

It's bad judgement to jump on 90% immediately, and if the 1.5% number is correct it's shown to be a loser as far as an audit target goes.

IMO, the reasonably intelligent way to proceed if there is a suspicion that the adoption credit is being abused is to audit a statistical sample and examine the results to see if further audits are recommended. They have plenty of time to circle around and pick up more 2012 tax returns for audit.

This was flat out dumb IMO and looks like the IRS was actively searching for, and finding, unnecessary work even as they complain of their workload.

I had a lot more respect for the IRS just one month ago. It now looks like the agency is OOC.

Fern

 

[werepossum]

Yep. A disaster regardless of which "side" engages in these tactics and behavior, the point being its quite clear we are at our beyond the crossroads you've described. It's not difficult to expect certain results going forward if this continues.

Lower quality of life for the masses is what I expect the result to be.

I suspect you are correct.

 

[Double Trouble]

I had a lot more respect for the IRS just one month ago. It now looks like the agency is OOC.

Fern

Same here. I've dealt with the IRS numerous times over the years (corporate taxes and finance). The IRS always seem like a rather archaic and slow moving bureaucracy, but I still had some faith they were getting the job done. Now I have much less faith in them and respect for them as an organization. They've definitely had a rough month, but it's purely self inflicted.

 

[Incorruptible]

That liberal piece of shit lawrence o'donnel actually had the nerve to defend the irs. Even screwball chris matthews realized it was wrong.

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/mike-c...ts-including-msnbc-defend-irs-tea-party-probe

 

[PokerGuy]

Well, so much for the whole "couple of rogue agents" theory....

http://openchannel.nbcnews.com/_new...info-on-conservative-groups-letters-show?lite

Additional scrutiny of conservative organizations’ activities by the IRS did not solely originate in the agency’s Cincinnati office, with requests for information coming from other offices and often bearing the signatures of higher-ups at the agency

Cleta Mitchell, another attorney representing conservative groups that allege they were targeted, said an IRS agent in Cincinnati told her a “task force” IRS office in Washington, D.C., was making the decisions about the processing of applications, and that she subsequently dealt with IRS representatives there.

This obviously went way beyond a few people at an office, with a special "task force" in DC set up to make the decisions.

There'd better be firings and jail time coming for those responsible.....

 

[HomerJS]

Well, so much for the "they only targeted conservatives"

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/blogsoutofcontext/56320108-64/utah-trib-irs-says.html.csp

BTW - just wondering why is this profiling ok...

flying while Muslim
driving while black
crossing border while hispanic

but this profiling is not...

applying for c4 while conservative

 

[PokerGuy]

Well, so much for the "they only targeted conservatives"

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/blogsoutofcontext/56320108-64/utah-trib-irs-says.html.csp

Nothing in that link says those groups received the same abuse that conservative groups got, only that they got additional scrutiny / questions. That by itself doesn't mean anything.

Try to keep up, the IRS already admitted to targeting conservative groups in this process, now we're trying to find out how far up this went and who is responsible.

 

[Doc Savage Fan]

Well, so much for the whole "couple of rogue agents" theory....

http://openchannel.nbcnews.com/_new...info-on-conservative-groups-letters-show?lite

This obviously went way beyond a few people at an office, with a special "task force" in DC set up to make the decisions.

There'd better be firings and jail time coming for those responsible.....

You mean they lied to us? It seems that's all this administration does anymore.

 

[TerryMathews]

Well, so much for the "they only targeted conservatives"

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/blogsoutofcontext/56320108-64/utah-trib-irs-says.html.csp

BTW - just wondering why is this profiling ok...

flying while Muslim
driving while black
crossing border while hispanic

but this profiling is not...

applying for c4 while conservative

So what exactly is your position? The IRS was mistaken when they apologized?