Outrage! Obama IRS targets right-wingers

May 10, 2013

By John Seiler

You think it’s easy being a conservative or libertarian in America? Government commonly targets us for audits and other harassment.

My old friend and mentor Russell Kirk, the conservative philosopher who basically jump-started the conservative movement with his 1953 book, “The Conservative Mind,” was audited every year. Yet all he had was some minor business deductions and investments.

Now this:

“WASHINGTON (AP) — The Internal Revenue Service inappropriately flagged conservative political groups for additional reviews during the 2012 election to see if they were violating their tax-exempt status, a top IRS official said Friday.

“Organizations were singled out because they included the words ‘tea party’ or ‘patriot’ in their applications for tax-exempt status, said Lois Lerner, who heads the IRS division that oversees tax-exempt groups.

“In some cases, groups were asked for their list of donors, which violates IRS policy in most cases, she said.”

The IRS-Stasi apolgized. Big deal. They’ll just keep up the abuse more on the Q.T.

Conservatives do have themselves to blame somewhat after favoring so much government, especially under the two Bush regimes. (Not Kirk, of course; he always favored less government and opposed Bush I in 1992; Kirk died in 1994.)

Conservatives backed the Bushes in their elections, then backed their expensive wars and socialist welfare programs. They backed No Child Left Behind and the vast Medicare expansion under Bush II. They were foolish to think they always would control government, which always would be wonderful and good in their hands.

Now they’re paying the price as their political opponents give them the IRS third degree.