IRS apologizes for targeting conservative groups

IRS apologizes for targeting conservative groups (Full Version)

All Forums >> [Community Discussions] >> Dungeon of Political and Religious Discussion

Message

LizDeluxe -> IRS apologizes for targeting conservative groups (5/10/2013 9:48:57 AM)
IRS apologizes for targeting conservative groups From the article: 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. "That was wrong. That was absolutely incorrect, it was insensitive and it was inappropriate. That's not how we go about selecting cases for further review," Lerner said at a conference sponsored by the American Bar Association. "The IRS would like to apologize for that," she added. Lerner said the practice was initiated by low-level workers in Cincinnati and was not motivated by political bias. After her talk, she told The AP that no high level IRS officials knew about the practice. She did not say when they found out. About 75 groups were inappropriately targeted. None had their tax-exempt status revoked, Lerner said. ************************* Approximately 75 conservative groups were targeted - singled out for the use of "tea party" or "patriot" in their applications - yet the actions were not motivated by political bias. I'm sorry but that's just very hard to believe.

FunCouple5280 -> RE: IRS apologizes for targeting conservative groups (5/10/2013 10:04:18 AM)
I am sure it wasn't political, like R&D political....But considering those groups frequently deride the IRS I would say it was personal.

servantforuse -> RE: IRS apologizes for targeting conservative groups (5/10/2013 10:05:58 AM)
" Was not motivated by political bias ".. I guess that's why they only targeted conservative groups. Using the IRS in this way was one of the reasons that Nixon was in trouble and impeached. What a crock.

DomKen -> RE: IRS apologizes for targeting conservative groups (5/10/2013 10:21:04 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: servantforuse " Was not motivated by political bias ".. I guess that's why they only targeted conservative groups. Using the IRS in this way was one of the reasons that Nixon was in trouble and impeached. What a crock. Yeah Bush never did anything like this. Oh... http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2004-10-29/news/0410290318_1_tax-exempt-organizations-audit-naacp

DesideriScuri -> RE: IRS apologizes for targeting conservative groups (5/10/2013 10:24:52 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: LizDeluxe IRS apologizes for targeting conservative groups From the article: 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. "That was wrong. That was absolutely incorrect, it was insensitive and it was inappropriate. That's not how we go about selecting cases for further review," Lerner said at a conference sponsored by the American Bar Association. "The IRS would like to apologize for that," she added. Lerner said the practice was initiated by low-level workers in Cincinnati and was not motivated by political bias. After her talk, she told The AP that no high level IRS officials knew about the practice. She did not say when they found out. About 75 groups were inappropriately targeted. None had their tax-exempt status revoked, Lerner said. ************************* Approximately 75 conservative groups were targeted - singled out for the use of "tea party" or "patriot" in their applications - yet the actions were not motivated by political bias. I'm sorry but that's just very hard to believe. No, no political bias at all. Just because they singled out "tea party" and/or "patriot" groups means nothing at all. [8\|] Lois Lerner is an ineffective Jedi.

WantsOfTheFlesh -> RE: IRS apologizes for targeting conservative groups (5/10/2013 11:20:50 AM)
not for tha first time theres been politically motivated shennagans like this. [X(]

FrostedFlake -> RE: IRS apologizes for targeting conservative groups (5/10/2013 11:47:52 AM)
If there was no political agenda, how were the keywords selected? P.S. If all taxes were paid by corporations, individuals could not be targeted by the I.R.S. Just saying.

FatDomDaddy -> RE: IRS apologizes for targeting conservative groups (5/10/2013 5:27:36 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: DomKen quote: ORIGINAL: servantforuse " Was not motivated by political bias ".. I guess that's why they only targeted conservative groups. Using the IRS in this way was one of the reasons that Nixon was in trouble and impeached. What a crock. Yeah Bush never did anything like this. Oh... http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2004-10-29/news/0410290318_1_tax-exempt-organizations-audit-naacp But it's OK because your guy is in power now???

DomKen -> RE: IRS apologizes for targeting conservative groups (5/10/2013 5:44:45 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: FatDomDaddy quote: ORIGINAL: DomKen quote: ORIGINAL: servantforuse " Was not motivated by political bias ".. I guess that's why they only targeted conservative groups. Using the IRS in this way was one of the reasons that Nixon was in trouble and impeached. What a crock. Yeah Bush never did anything like this. Oh... http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2004-10-29/news/0410290318_1_tax-exempt-organizations-audit-naacp But it's OK because your guy is in power now??? No. but the right wing bleating over it happening to them is pretty damn hypocritical.

Owner59 -> RE: IRS apologizes for targeting conservative groups (5/10/2013 5:56:22 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: FatDomDaddy quote: ORIGINAL: DomKen quote: ORIGINAL: servantforuse " Was not motivated by political bias ".. I guess that's why they only targeted conservative groups. Using the IRS in this way was one of the reasons that Nixon was in trouble and impeached. What a crock. Yeah Bush never did anything like this. Oh... http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2004-10-29/news/0410290318_1_tax-exempt-organizations-audit-naacp But it's OK because your guy is in power now??? More like.......... it`s only bad cuz cons were the target. http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2013/05/10/1996261/irs-targeted-tea-party-tax-exempt-groups-for-increased-scrutiny-and-missed-the-real-problem/ Lois Lerner, head of the IRS unit that oversees tax-exempt groups, noted that the number of 501(c)(4) group applications doubled between 2010 and 2012. As a result of this influx, she explained, low-level workers at the agency’s Cincinnati office had flagged about 300 applications for additional review based on a keyword search. None had their status revoked or denied and the IRS apologized for the mistake. While it unclear whether the IRS workers intentionally targeted conservative groups — an agency spokesman did not immediately respond to a ThinkProgress request for the complete list of keywords used — the office revealed that two of the terms on the list were “Tea Party” and “patriot.” As such, about 75 Tea Party groups were singled out for additional scrutiny. The spike in 501(c)(4) groups comes after the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United v. FEC decision that outside groups may make unlimited political expenditures. Since then, some 501(c)(4) organizations have begun abusing the system. Though groups engaged in some political activity may qualify as “social welfare groups” and receive tax-exempt status under this section of the tax code, electioneering cannot be their predominant activity. Karl Rove’s Crossroads GPS, for example, told the IRS that any political ads run by the group would be “limited in amount” and “would not constitute the group’s primary purpose.” Campaign finance reform advocates have argued that, in light of more than $70 million in “independent expenditure” ad spending, the group’s primary purpose is clearly campaign activity. But rather than register with the Federal Election Commission as a political committee, Crossroads GPS continues to claim that it is not such a group and need not publicly identify its funders." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ And as we can see clearly.....there is some cheating going on..... I find it hilarious that they were picked out because "key words" were flagged........bunch of mouth-breathing dummies put targets on their own heads! [sm=rofl.gif]

Arturas -> RE: IRS apologizes for targeting conservative groups (5/10/2013 6:14:54 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Owner59 quote: ORIGINAL: FatDomDaddy quote: ORIGINAL: DomKen quote: ORIGINAL: servantforuse " Was not motivated by political bias ".. I guess that's why they only targeted conservative groups. Using the IRS in this way was one of the reasons that Nixon was in trouble and impeached. What a crock. Yeah Bush never did anything like this. Oh... http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2004-10-29/news/0410290318_1_tax-exempt-organizations-audit-naacp But it's OK because your guy is in power now??? More like.......... it`s only bad cuz cons were the target. http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2013/05/10/1996261/irs-targeted-tea-party-tax-exempt-groups-for-increased-scrutiny-and-missed-the-real-problem/ Lois Lerner, head of the IRS unit that oversees tax-exempt groups, noted that the number of 501(c)(4) group applications doubled between 2010 and 2012. As a result of this influx, she explained, low-level workers at the agency’s Cincinnati office had flagged about 300 applications for additional review based on a keyword search. None had their status revoked or denied and the IRS apologized for the mistake. While it unclear whether the IRS workers intentionally targeted conservative groups — an agency spokesman did not immediately respond to a ThinkProgress request for the complete list of keywords used — the office revealed that two of the terms on the list were “Tea Party” and “patriot.” As such, about 75 Tea Party groups were singled out for additional scrutiny. The spike in 501(c)(4) groups comes after the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United v. FEC decision that outside groups may make unlimited political expenditures. Since then, some 501(c)(4) organizations have begun abusing the system. Though groups engaged in some political activity may qualify as “social welfare groups” and receive tax-exempt status under this section of the tax code, electioneering cannot be their predominant activity. Karl Rove’s Crossroads GPS, for example, told the IRS that any political ads run by the group would be “limited in amount” and “would not constitute the group’s primary purpose.” Campaign finance reform advocates have argued that, in light of more than $70 million in “independent expenditure” ad spending, the group’s primary purpose is clearly campaign activity. But rather than register with the Federal Election Commission as a political committee, Crossroads GPS continues to claim that it is not such a group and need not publicly identify its funders." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ And as we can see clearly.....there is some cheating going on..... I find it hilarious that they were picked out because "key words" were flagged........bunch of mouth-breathing dummies put targets on their own heads! [sm=rofl.gif] I see. So you suggest it was the organization's fault they were targeted. Interesting. That's like saying it was Ambassador Steven's fault he was brutally murdered because he put a target on his own head.

Lucylastic -> RE: IRS apologizes for targeting conservative groups (5/10/2013 6:18:35 PM)
What a fucking ignorant analogy,over compensate much?

TheHeretic -> RE: IRS apologizes for targeting conservative groups (5/10/2013 6:29:14 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: FatDomDaddy But it's OK because your guy is in power now??? That's exactly right. My first thought, when I came upon the story this morning, was that this was straight Nixon shit. Of course, the version I read didn't include the ridiculous quote about political bias playing no role.

Arturas -> RE: IRS apologizes for targeting conservative groups (5/10/2013 6:45:02 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Lucylastic What a fucking ignorant analogy,over compensate much? It's a great analogy, the IRS tries to kill organizations because of what they do and stand for and in Benghazi our Ambassador is killed for what he does and stands for. If one excuses the first example by blaming it on the target of the IRS attack then one can excuse the other. It is not I who excused the first so save your "fucking ignorant" disdain for yourself and the one who did blame the innocent (target).

Owner59 -> RE: IRS apologizes for targeting conservative groups (5/10/2013 6:55:57 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Arturas quote: ORIGINAL: Owner59 quote: ORIGINAL: FatDomDaddy quote: ORIGINAL: DomKen quote: ORIGINAL: servantforuse " Was not motivated by political bias ".. I guess that's why they only targeted conservative groups. Using the IRS in this way was one of the reasons that Nixon was in trouble and impeached. What a crock. Yeah Bush never did anything like this. Oh... http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2004-10-29/news/0410290318_1_tax-exempt-organizations-audit-naacp But it's OK because your guy is in power now??? More like.......... it`s only bad cuz cons were the target. http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2013/05/10/1996261/irs-targeted-tea-party-tax-exempt-groups-for-increased-scrutiny-and-missed-the-real-problem/ Lois Lerner, head of the IRS unit that oversees tax-exempt groups, noted that the number of 501(c)(4) group applications doubled between 2010 and 2012. As a result of this influx, she explained, low-level workers at the agency’s Cincinnati office had flagged about 300 applications for additional review based on a keyword search. None had their status revoked or denied and the IRS apologized for the mistake. While it unclear whether the IRS workers intentionally targeted conservative groups — an agency spokesman did not immediately respond to a ThinkProgress request for the complete list of keywords used — the office revealed that two of the terms on the list were “Tea Party” and “patriot.” As such, about 75 Tea Party groups were singled out for additional scrutiny. The spike in 501(c)(4) groups comes after the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United v. FEC decision that outside groups may make unlimited political expenditures. Since then, some 501(c)(4) organizations have begun abusing the system. Though groups engaged in some political activity may qualify as “social welfare groups” and receive tax-exempt status under this section of the tax code, electioneering cannot be their predominant activity. Karl Rove’s Crossroads GPS, for example, told the IRS that any political ads run by the group would be “limited in amount” and “would not constitute the group’s primary purpose.” Campaign finance reform advocates have argued that, in light of more than $70 million in “independent expenditure” ad spending, the group’s primary purpose is clearly campaign activity. But rather than register with the Federal Election Commission as a political committee, Crossroads GPS continues to claim that it is not such a group and need not publicly identify its funders." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ And as we can see clearly.....there is some cheating going on..... I find it hilarious that they were picked out because "key words" were flagged........bunch of mouth-breathing dummies put targets on their own heads! [sm=rofl.gif] I see. So you suggest it was the organization's fault they were targeted. Interesting. That's like saying it was Ambassador Steven's fault he was brutally murdered because he put a target on his own head. I got a better analogy..... A group of knuckle-draggers thinks it`s cute to call themselves "osama`s brothers" or "al-queda-R-us" and receive special scrutiny..... Who`s fault is that?[sm=dunno.gif] The Benghazi analogy is pretty weak too....(WTF is that non sequitur about?!)[:D] A much better one would be the conservative myth that women invite rape by dressing sexy..... They also picked the term "tea-bagger"....... Our fault their embarrassment is so damm funny?.......Fuck no....[sm=rofl.gif]

Owner59 -> RE: IRS apologizes for targeting conservative groups (5/10/2013 7:01:17 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: TheHeretic quote: ORIGINAL: FatDomDaddy But it's OK because your guy is in power now??? That's exactly right. My first thought, when I came upon the story this morning, was that this was straight Nixon shit. Of course, the version I read didn't include the ridiculous quote about political bias playing no role. The best part of this story is no one will give a fuck about it accept the lunatic fringe.....[:D] Same with Benghazi.....it`s only the freaks who think the President is some sinister bad faith player bent on hurting America..... Normal folks see a tragedy and not much more..... Certainly not a nixonian level scandal.......like the lunatic fringe sees.... Rachel Madow made a great point....that the right has already pretty much blown their credibility because of the slew of false/ridiculous/weird charges made against the President.... From her blog: "Remember the boy who cried wolf? It became easy to ignore him after he'd lost all credibility, which became problematic when he actually saw a wolf. This has consistently been a problem for the right in the Obama era -- conservatives routinely become apoplectic, complaining about one perceived outrage after another, but their efforts to identify a genuine controversy have been for naught. After a while, it's easier to roll one's eyes than to take their Scandal of the Day seriously. But sometimes, there's an actual wolf. The Internal Revenue Service is apologizing for inappropriately flagging conservative political groups for additional reviews during the 2012 election to see if they were violating their tax-exempt status. Lois Lerner, who heads the IRS unit that oversees tax-exempt groups, said organizations that included the words "tea party" or "patriot" in their applications for tax-exempt status were singled out for additional reviews. Lerner said the practice, initiated by low-level workers in Cincinnati, was wrong and she apologized while speaking at a conference in Washington. Last year, a variety of conservative groups complained that the IRS was treating them unfairly, asking an inordinate number of questions to justify their tax-exempt status, and as of today, those complaints were well grounded. The boys who cried wolf may have dubious credibility, but to mix metaphors, even a broken clock is right twice a day. I suppose one might argue that Tea Party groups were inherently partisan, and their claims for tax-exempt status were suspect given the movement's larger purpose, but it's a tough sell. The IRS is supposed to be even-handed, and in several cases, it seems clear that the agency was not. This is the sort of thing that costs officials their jobs."

dcnovice -> RE: IRS apologizes for targeting conservative groups (5/10/2013 7:09:00 PM)
quote: But it's OK because your guy is in power now??? Of course not. The question of who was "in power," though, brings up a detail I don't think anyone's mentioned so far. This happened on the watch of IRS commissioner Douglas Shulman--a Bush appointee whose six-year term extended into the Obama Administration.

Owner59 -> RE: IRS apologizes for targeting conservative groups (5/10/2013 7:13:48 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: dcnovice quote: But it's OK because your guy is in power now??? Of course not. The question of who was "in power," though, brings up a detail I don't think anyone's mentioned so far. This happened on the watch of IRS commissioner Douglas Shulman--a Bush appointee whose six-year term extended into the Obama Administration. Yeah....take that......cons...[:D] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OX5Fcd8syp8

Lucylastic -> RE: IRS apologizes for targeting conservative groups (5/10/2013 7:16:32 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Arturas It's a great analogy, the IRS tries to kill organizations because of what they do and stand for and in Benghazi our Ambassador is killed for what he does and stands for. If one excuses the first example by blaming it on the target of the IRS attack then one can excuse the other. It is not I who excused the first so save your "fucking ignorant" disdain for yourself and the one who did blame the innocent (target). Lmao, the comment deserves all the disdain I have and more. Luckily for you, I have things to do tonite more important than ridiculing your posts. Keep projecting!!!!!!

BamaD -> RE: IRS apologizes for targeting conservative groups (5/10/2013 9:21:24 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: dcnovice quote: But it's OK because your guy is in power now??? Of course not. The question of who was "in power," though, brings up a detail I don't think anyone's mentioned so far. This happened on the watch of IRS commissioner Douglas Shulman--a Bush appointee whose six-year term extended into the Obama Administration. Doesn't mater who did it , it is abuse of power. Of course libs will now see this a terrible since they think they can blame it on Bush. Did he do this to libs under Bush, if so get him for that too; If not he wasn't appointed for being a good conservative was he?

Page: [1] 2 3 next > >>

Collarchat.com © 2025

Terms of Service

0.0625