Democrats Blame Victims of IRS

“When the people fear the government there is tyranny, when the government fears the people there is liberty.” – Thomas Jefferson

Democrats Blame Victims of IRS

Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
June 4, 2013

US Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA) is shameless and feckless for the manner in which he denigrated witnesses who testified before the House Ways and Means Committee about the treatment they endured by a biased IRS.

Adding insult to injury, McDermott told those patriots brave enough to come forward that “each of your groups are highly political,” and that they basically deserved the treatment dealt them by the IRS in their quest to achieve 501(c)(4) status. Would McDermott and the other Democrats be that insensitive to blame rape victims for their horrifying ordeals?

McDermott went on to chastise those testifying on Monday, June 4, that they represent the “most controversial views,” including “opposing the president’s health care plan.” The cherry-picked organizations are conservative, anti-gay marriage, pro-life, pro-Israel, have TEA Party, patriot, or liberty in their names and have been targets of the IRS throughout the Obama administration.

McDermott dug himself in deeper when suggesting the conservative groups have nothing about which to complain as the head of the IRS was a George W. Bush appointee. “If you didn’t apply for this status, you wouldn’t have to answer questions,” chided McDermott, clearly never having read Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends & Influence People.

US Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) took McDermott to task when he sarcastically said to the witnesses, “So you’re to blame…,” adding, “I guess that’s the message.”

One such witness to testify was Wetumpka, AL TEA Party president Becky Gerritson who fought tears in describing the harassing experience hers and other organizations faced in attempts to achieve tax exempt status. Targeted groups, if granted a tax-exempt status at all, waited an average of 635 days, while groups not discriminated against, such as Planned Parenthood and the ACLU, achieved their tax-exempt status in roughly 90 days.

“You have forgotten your place,” said Gerritson of the IRS and government in general. She continued to explain how they were singled out because they have TEA Party in their name. “This was not an accident, but an attempt to intimidate us,” said Gerritson, who told of how the IRS demanded names of donors, how much the donors contributed, names of volunteers, names of potential candidates, positions advocated by the group, copies of speeches, and biographical data on speakers.

None of those investigations are kosher. Those lines of questioning are “outside legitimate inquiry,” said American Center for Law and Justice attorney Jay Sekulow, defending 25 such victims of IRS bias, harassment, and intimidation.

Gerritson concluded her testimony telling the committee she is “terrified” the America she grew up in “is slipping away.”

The inquisition offered up by the IRS is designed to squelch dissent. The Constitution both encourages and protects dissent. When there is no dissent, government is unchecked and when government is unchecked, there is potential for tyranny.

We the people fund the government – it works for us, not the other way around. The government owes the people explanations for its unscrupulous actions, then punishments for its illegal acts.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.