Tag: IRS

Obama’s IRS: Punishing Perceived Enemies…Secular and Evangelistic

On By kingsjesterIn Christianity, Politics3 Comments

taxesThe 2012 Presidential Election was, as are all National Elections, one of great importance. The election would decide rather former Community Organizer and one-term Illinois Senator Barack Hussein Obama, would get to continue radically changing the greatest country on the face of the Earth, into a socialist nation.

Buoyed by a wonderful showing in the 2010 Mid-term Elections, American Conservatives actually thought that we could defeat Obama, and stop the radical change, if the Republicans chose the right candidate.

The Republican Elite, instead of choosing a Conservative, chose one of their own, the Moderate Former Governor of Massachusetts, and Godfather of Obamacare, Mitt Romney, to face Obama in the General Election.

Begrudgingly, the majority of the Conservative Base, having gotten the shaft once again from the Republican Elite, dutifully went to the polls, and voted for Romney.

Romney lost, and Obama ascended to the Throne of the Regime, once again.

Since then, it has been quite apparent that there was a lot of political chicanery at work behind the scene, during the 2012 Presidential Elections. However, noting could have prepared us for the scandals which have descended upon the Obama Administration in the last several days.

The massive scope of the actions of the Internal Revenue Service and their harassment of Conservative Groups seeking tax-exempt status, just keeps growing and growing.

Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said Tuesday that the Justice Department and the FBI began the probe after the IRS acknowledged that it selected conservative groups with the words “tea party” and “patriot” in their names for special reviews.

“We are examining the facts to see if there were criminal violations,” Holder said at a news conference.

Also Tuesday, a widely anticipated report by the IRS’s watchdog described the agency’s tax-exempt unit — where the screening of conservative groups occurred — as a bureaucratic mess, with some employees ignorant about tax laws, defiant of their supervisors and blind to the appearance of impropriety.

The report by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration described in detail the use of “inappropriate criteria” to screen political advocacy groups. An IRS unit created a “lookout” list for organizations with keywords such as “tea party” or “patriot” in their names. Organizations faced months of delays in getting their applications approved.

President Obama on Tuesday called the report’s findings “intolerable and inexcusable,” adding that he has directed Treasury Secretary Jack Lew “to hold those responsible for these failures accountable, and to make sure that each of the Inspector General’s recommendations are implemented quickly, so that such conduct never happens again.”

IRS officials told the inspector general that they had used the keywords as shorthand to efficiently manage a deluge of new political advocacy groups, but that explanation was rejected by the inspector general’s office.

“Developing and using criteria that focuses on organization names and policy positions instead of the activities . . . does not promote public confidence that tax-exempt laws are being adhered to impartially,” said the report, which Inspector General J. Russell George issued.

The report did not find evidence that the actions were motivated by partisan interests. IRS officials told investigators that they did not consult anyone outside the agency about the screening.

Think about this for a moment. The Internal Revenue Service, an agency of our nation’s Executive Branch, under the Department of the Treasury, acting as political watchdogs for a sitting administration, literally clearing a path to Barack Hussein Obama’s re-election in 2012.

Now…hold on to something. The IRS didn’t go after just secular perceived enemies of Obama. They went after the most famous Christian Evangelist on the face of God’s Green Earth:  Rev. Billy Graham.

Franklin Graham, the president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and the family’s international humanitarian organization Samaritan’s Purse, said that the IRS notified the organizations in September that it was conducting a “review” of their activities for tax year 2010.

With the IRS admitting it gave extra scrutiny to conservative political organizations, Graham says he now believes that the review was part of an Obama administration effort of “targeting and attempting to intimidate us.”

The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association urging of voters to back “candidates who base their decisions on biblical principles and support the nation of Israel” during last year’s presidential race was the reason why IRS agents visited the North Carolina offices of both Graham groups, the letter accuses.

“While these audits not only wasted taxpayer money, they wasted money contributed by donors for ministry purposes as we had to spend precious resources servicing the IRS agents in our offices,” Graham wrote in the letter, which was shared with POLITICO. “I believe that someone in the administration was targeting and attempting to intimidate us. This is morally wrong and unethical – indeed some would call it ‘un-American.”

Graham said that “in light” of the IRS admission that it targeted tea party groups for added scrutiny, “I do not believe that the IRS audit of our two organizations last year is a coincidence – or justifiable.”

…The Graham organizations kept their federal income tax exemptions after the audit — but were not told they’d be able to until after the November election, he wrote.

Graham, who last week attended a White House meeting for religious leaders to discuss gun control, said the IRS story threatens to engulf all manner of non-profit organizations.

“Mr. President, the IRS has already publicly acknowledged it operated in a less than neutral and non-partisan way,” Graham wrote. “We also now know that the target of their improper actions was much wider than political or Tea Party organizations. Will you take some immediate action to reassure Americans we are not in a new chapter of American history – repressive government rule?”

Reverend Graham, sir, I would not hold my breath, waiting for Obama to respond. If he does, he will tell you that it is not his fault.

None of these scandals are his fault, if you ask the president. Benghazi, the IRS, the DOJ…if you ask him, he will either tell you that this is the first he is hearing of the matter, or, in the case of Benghazi, “There is no there, there.”

The problem with his reaction to these scandals is…He’s the President of the greatest nation on the face of the Earth. He is responsible for the safety of and security for millions of lives.

And, now, he is going to tell us that he does not know what is going on in the very United States Government he is supposed to be the President of?

He is either extremely incompetent, extremely stupid, or extremely lazy (Yeah, I said it.).

Or, he knew exactly what was going on…in all three scandals.

I believe that in all instances, the buck stops with the President of the United States.

Even if he does not want it to.

Until He Comes,

KJ

Obama 2.0: The Scandals Just Keep on Coming

On By kingsjesterIn Politics3 Comments

ObamalyingJust when you think that the Obama Administration is slowly circling around the porcelain receptacle…something comes along to speed up its descent.

Yesterday afternoon, news broke that the Obama Administration through Attorney General Eric Holder, had secretly wiretapped editors and reporters, working for the Associated Press,  for two months, in April and May of 2012.

In a letter of protest sent to Attorney General Eric Holder on Monday, AP President and Chief Executive Officer Gary Pruitt called the wiretapping a “massive and unprecedented intrusion” into how news organizations gather the news. According to Pruitt, the Obama Administration sought and obtained information far beyond anything that could be justified by any specific investigation. Furthermore, Pruitt has demanded the return of the phone records and destruction of all the copies.

This is the third Obama Administration Scandal to break wide open since Thursday, when the House Oversight Committee, chaired by Darrel Issa, interviewed 3 whstleblowers about that tragic night of  September 11, 2012, when Muslim Terrorists murdered 4 brave Americans at the U.S. Embassy Compound in Benghazi, Libya.  The brave men, who testified last Thursday, spoke of an Administration who turned a dear ear to their cries for help that night. They also related the fact that the Youtube Video, which Obama and his Administration had blamed for the attack, was not the reason for the attack at all. In fact, it was virtually unknown in the Middle East.

The Republicans clearly won the day, with the Future Presidential Aspirations of Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, seemingly shot to Blazes.

On Friday, the second Obama Administration Scandal broke wide open, as it was revealed that the IRS had targeted Conservative Groups seeking non-profit status. Originally, it was claimed this abuse originated out of the Ohio Area.  Yesterday, it was revealed that, officials in Washington and at least two other offices were responsible for the targeting of those conservative groups.

The officials at the IRS’ Washington headquarters sent forms to be filled out to conservative groups asking about their donors and other aspects of their operations, while officials in the El Monte and Laguna Niguel offices in California sent similar questionnaires to tea party-affiliated groups.

It was found out through interviews with those Conservative Groups, that the Cincinnati Office also told conservatives seeking the status of “social welfare” groups that a task force in Washington was overseeing their applications.

When asked about the IRS’ actions at the joint Press Conference in the Rose Garden yesterday morning with Britain’s Prime Minister Cameron, Obama claimed that he knew nothing of the unconstitutional activities of the IRS until Friday.

Uh huh. And, I’m a 22 year old, blonde Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader named Buffy.

And, when asked about the Benghazi Scandal, Obama remarked that “There’s no there, there.”

Ambassador Chris Stevens, Sean Smith, Glen Doherty, and Tyrone Woods would disagree…if they were still alive to disagree.

According to reports, Obama had a tear in his eye as he answered the reporters’ questions about these scandals.

Somewhere, a crocodile is missing a tear.

One of our Founding Fathers, Samuel Adams, said,

The liberties of our country, the freedoms of our civil Constitution are worth defending at all hazards; it is our duty to defend them against all attacks. We have received them as a fair inheritance from our worthy ancestors. They purchased them for us with toil and danger and expense of treasure and blood. It will bring a mark of everlasting infamy on the present generation – enlightened as it is – if we should suffer them to be wrested from us by violence without a struggle, or to be cheated out of them by the artifices of designing men.

At the time of Adams’ quote, America was under the thumb of a tyrannical despot, who sought to restrict our freedom of religion, our freedom of speech, and even, our freedom of thought.

Today, as the events of the last 4 days have shown us, in unmistakable clarity, we are once again facing tyrannical oppression.

Not from a foreign enemy, but a domestic one, who is supposed to be the leader of all of us.

As the President of the United States, Barack Hussein Obama is supposed to be a champion of Freedom. Not a destroyer of it.

The greatest United States of America President in my lifetime, and a true champion of Freedom, Ronald Wilson Reagan, once said,

The United States remains the last best hope for a mankind plagued by tyranny and deprivation. America is no stronger than its people — and that means you and me. Well, I believe in you, and I believe that if we work together, then one day we will say, “We fought the good fight. We finished the race. We kept the faith.” And to our children and our children’s children, we can say, “We did all what could be done in the brief time that was given us here on earth.

Americans can overcome this freedom-stifling situation we find ourselves in. Its time to put pressure on our Senators and Representatives, and remind them who put them in office and who pays their salaries.

The Executive Branch, the Legislative Branch, and the Judicial Branch are supposed to be co-equal branches of our Government.

It’s time for the Legislative Branch to pull their weight.

This President and his Administration need to answer for their punitive actions, which have been directed at those whom they are supposed to be serving.

They seem to have forgotten who is supposed to be serving whom.

Until He Comes,

KJ

Obamacare: Better Health Through Over-Taxation

On By kingsjesterIn Politics6 Comments

obamadoctor“Let me tell you how it will be, It’s one for you, nineteen for me.” – Taxman, The Beatles

Well, Obama’s wasting no time getting ready to fund his monstrosity known as Obamacare.

Reuters.com has the story:

The Internal Revenue Service has released new rules for investment income taxes on capital gains and dividends earned by high-income individuals that passed Congress as part of the 2010 healthcare reform law.

The 3.8 percent surtax on investment income, meant to help pay for healthcare, goes into effect in 2013. It is the first surtax to be applied to capital gains and dividend income.

The tax affects only individuals with more than $200,000 in modified adjusted gross income (MAGI), and married couples filing jointly with more than $250,000 of MAGI.

The tax applies to a broad range of investment securities ranging from stocks and bonds to commodity securities and specialized derivatives.

The 159 pages of rules spell out when the tax applies to trusts and annuities, as well as to individual securities traders.

Released late on Friday, the new regulations include a 0.9 percent healthcare tax on wages for high-income individuals.

Both sets of rules will be published on Wednesday in the Federal Register.

The proposed rules are effective starting January 1. Before making the rules final, the IRS will take public comments and hold hearings in April.

Together, the two taxes are estimated to raise $317.7 billion over 10 years, according to a Joint Committee on Taxation analysis released in June.

To illustrate when the tax applies, the IRS offered an example of a taxpayer filing as a single individual who makes $180,000 in wage income plus $90,000 from investment income. The individual’s modified adjusted gross income is $270,000.

The 3.8 percent tax applies to the $70,000, and the individual would pay $2,660 in surtaxes, the IRS said.

The IRS plans to release a new form for taxpayers to fill out for this tax when filing 2013 returns.

Here is a brief overview of the timeline for the implementation of Obamacare, from a pdf prepared by the House Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce Committees on April 2, 2010.

2013

Payments to Primary Care Physicians. Requires that Medicaid payment rates to primary care physicians for furnishing primary care services be no less than 100% of Medicare payment rates in 2013 and 2014.

Administrative Simplification. Health plans must adopt and implement uniform standards and business rules for the electronic exchange of health information to reduce paperwork and administrative burdens and costs.

Encouraging Provider Collaboration. Establishes a national pilot program on payment bundling

Limiting Health Flexible Savings Account Contributions.

Increased Threshold for Claiming Itemized Deduction for Medical Expenses.

Medical device excise tax. Establishes a 2.3 percent excise tax on the sale of a medical device by a manufacturer or importer.

Limiting Executive Compensation.

Fee for patient-centered outcomes research.

2014

Reforming Health Insurance Regulations.

Eliminating Annual Limits.

Ensuring Coverage for Individuals Participating in Clinical Trials.

Establishing Health Insurance Exchanges. Opens health insurance Exchanges in each State to individuals and small employers. This new venue will enable people to comparison shop for standardized health packages.

Local hack politicians are lining up for jobs right now.

Providing Health Care Tax Credits.

Ensuring Choice through Free Choice Vouchers.

Promoting Individual Responsibility.

Small Business Tax Credit.

Quality Reporting for Certain Providers.

Health Insurance Provider Fee. Imposes an annual, non-deductible fee on the health insurance sector allocated across the industry according to market share.

2015

Continuing Innovation and Lower Health Costs. Establishes an Independent Payment Advisory Board to develop and submit proposals to Congress and the private sector aimed at extending the solvency of Medicare, lowering health care costs, improving health outcomes for patients, promoting quality and efficiency, and expanding access to evidence-based care.

Paying Physicians Based on Value Not Volume. Creates a physician value-based payment program to promote increased quality of care for Medicare beneficiaries.

2018

Excise tax on high cost employer-provided health plans becomes effective. Tax is on the cost of coverage in excess of $27,500 (family coverage) and $10,200 (single coverage), increased to $30,950 (family) and $11,850

As I noted earlier,the “Healthcare Exchanges” are supposed to be in place by 2012. Several states are refusing to co-operate. However, if they don’t, the president plans on punishing them,  as newsmax.com reports:

Residents of states that refuse to set up health insurance exchanges under Obamacare are set to be hit with higher premiums under new rules announced by the Health and Human Services Department.

Insurance companies will be charged 3.5 percent of any premiums they sell through the federal exchanges, the department announced Friday.

And insurers are likely to pass that surcharge on to clients, leading to higher premiums.

The only states to be affected are those that refuse to set up their own exchanges because of opposition to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. They are almost certain to be those under Republican control. In those states, HHS will set up the exchanges.

GOP governors are taking a hard line against implementing any part of the healthcare law, which will mean insurers in their states will need to pay the monthly fee, The Hill reports.

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer announced this week that her state will not set up an exchange, calling the proposal “too expensive and too risky.” Her decision brings the total of states refusing to comply with the act’s provisions up to 17.

The exchanges were supposed to be up and running in all states by 2014. HHS plans to charge insurers 3.5 percent of the premiums for each plan they sell through the federal exchange.

There are still some states that haven’t yet decided whether to set up their own exchanges or use the federal exchange option, so it’s not yet known how much money the HHS will collect from insurance companies. In addition, HHS said it might change the user fees later on as more people enroll through the exchanges.

But exchanges that don’t attract enough insurers may make the companies carry larger percentages of unhealthy and thus expensive, patients, making them appeal even less to customers.

Why didn’t Obama and his minions try capitalism, instead of Marxism, as a solution for the high price of Health Insurance? All they had to do was rule that all Health Insurance Companies have to be available for consumers to purchase in every state.

Yes, Scooter. All 57 of them.

That would force them to lower their rates, in order to be competitive.

Affordable health insurance mandated by the free market system.

Imagine that. Sounds like an American Solution, doesn’t it?

Capitalism works. Marxism never has.

Until He Comes,

KJ