Another bridge tumbled down in Washington State. When a semi-trailer hit a main stanchion. Woe is us. Liberals want billions in new tax dollars to fix the nation’s crumbling infrastructure. Good idea or bad idea?
Don’t you wonder where the $44 billion in gas tax dollars received by the Feds every year eamarked for infrastructure is going? Does it go to the same place our social security money went? Or, the lottery money earmarked for education went? Does it just go to add government employees who are paid more than employees in the private sector with better benefits. Employees who have disdain for those of us who pay those bloated salaries. Like Ruta.
Ruta is an employee in my local building department. I went to see Ruta this week. I am replacing two seven foot garage doors with one 18 foot door. I could have just hired someone to do the work and not bothered to tell Ruta. But, being an upright citizen, I hired an architect to draw up plans and stamp said plans and take said plans to Ruta.
After waiting 5 minutes while Ruta chatted with another employee about personal business, she sauntered to the counter. I said I was there to apply for a building permit. I handed her the two sets of plans stamped permit plans. She looked at me and said, “you need two copies of your plot plan, sorry.” She handed back my permit plans. My response, “you have two sets on file, I was in here two weeks ago to get a permit for a fence replacement”. She gave me a disgusted look. Goal number one for a public employee, make the taxpayer go away. She dug around in a file and found the plot plan went to the copier and made two copies and handed me a data sheet for the permit.
I filled it out and handed it back. She said, “who is the general contractor.” I advised as my architect said to do, “I am.” Her response, “you can’t be, you must have a licensed contractor, licensed in the city and bonded. ” My response, “my architect, Mr. so and so(he does 50% of his work in the city and has been doing it for 30 years) says I can be the general on a small project like this”. Her response, ” I don’t care what Mr. So and So says, I’m telling you we require you to hire a licensed contractor for this work to issue a permit.” I calmly asked Ruta to make a notation on the application that Mr. So and So said I can be the licensed contractor for the record. I then asked her to let me intitial the notation. Her last comment, “we are running two weeks behind so don’t expect to hear from us for at least two weeks.” My thoughts on that were, if you didn’t give everyone who came in here a ration of crap and try to find ways not to issue permits, you might be current.
The archtect called the head of the building department and he agreed that I could be the general on my own job.
That’s what you get to replace a garage door. What do you think you get to fix a bridge?
All of this brings me to the IRS scandal and those public employees. In the 2012 election, every donation from the IRS Cincinnati office went to Presdient Obama. That’s right, not one IRS employee donated one cent to Romney. The IRS workers belong to a union whose political action committe gave 95% it’s contribution to Democrats.
So did a group of IRS union workers get together and decide to go after the Tea Party? Let’s just look at one of the abuses that has been uncovered. Here’s a recap of the article that Peggy Noonan wrote in the Wall Street Journal. It refers to one Catherine Englebrecht and her efforts to get approval from the IRS for True the Vote and King Street Patriots.
In her Wall St. Journal article, Noonan indicated that “the U.S. government came down on her with full force.” See if you agree.
In December 2010 the FBI came to ask about a person who’d attended a King Street Patriots function. In January 2011 the FBI had more questions. The same month the IRS audited her business tax returns. In May 2011 the FBI called again for a general inquiry about King Street Patriots. In June 2011 Engelbrecht’s personal tax returns were audited and the FBI called again. In October 2011 a round of questions on True the Vote. In November 2011 another call from the FBI. The next month, more questions from the FBI. In February 2012 a third round of IRS questions on True the Vote. In February 2012 a first round of questions on King Street Patriots. The same month the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms did an unscheduled audit of her business. (It had a license to make firearms but didn’t make them.) In July 2012 the Occupational Safety and Health Administration did an unscheduled audit. In November 2012 more IRS questions on True the Vote. In March 2013, more questions. In April 2013 a second ATF audit. This week Ms. Engelbrecht…still hasn’t received her exemptions.
Noonan pointed out that no liberal groups suffered harassment in the way that Engelbrecht and other conservative groups did.
She pointed out that the IRS performed an audit on itself. It was not an investigation. Noonan called for a complete investigation performed by an independent counsel, not by the FBI or another government agency known to favor Obama, to get to the bottom of the corruption that exists in the IRS.
Noonan concluded with the warning that the corruption of the IRS must be stopped now if it is to be stopped at all. “And that, actually, would be tragic,” marking one big step of success in government’s drive to suppress dissent.
So, did that group of low-level or even mid-level IRS employees have the connections to get the FBI, the ATF, and OSHA to all come down on Ms. Englebrecht en masse? Just think about four government agencies going after one person at the same time. We all thought it was bad when the IRS was the only attack group. Now, consider every government agency that can cause grief coming after you in a coordinated effort. Coincidence?
Here’s where we reach the title question of this blog. Do you want to buy a bridge? The Brooklyn Bridge is for sale and I have the title to it. Let me know and we can negotiate a price.
Come on folks. The head of the IRS has visited the White House over 150 time since Obama became president. Once for the Bush two terms.
The pieces are all here for all to see. This president always calls the opposition enemies. Not opposing party, but enemies. This president learned his politics in Chicago where pressure is a daily, no pun intended, part of politics. Find a way to damage the opponent by any means. Use leverage of any kind. There are no rules, just do it.
Who will blow the whistle and rat you out in an IRS where everyone is a Democrat and all agree with what you asked them to do?
No one until the first jail door slams.
