Working for the Government
There are many forms of public service. Being a part of the military, a first responder, a police officer, state attorney, an interviewer for public assistance, a building inspector, or being the tax man.
I find the current scandal at the IRS warrants more than an apology.
The potential for corruption exists on many levels. It is vital that the laws and the regulations do what they were intended to do. I am not clear that granting tax exempt status under the guise of a law originally intended for educational or to promote social welfare to any organization that seems to be political in nature is a good law.
If it is found that there was political pressure applied to deny tax exempt status to tea party groups, the offenders in the IRS need to be fired and the politicos supporting the mischief need to go as well.
My own experience with Inspector General investigations as a former bureaucrat who survived two of them while administering a welfare to work program is that they don't just happen.
There is usually a good reason for sending down auditors that nobody knows to review what the hell is going on.
Secondly, the bureaucracy is very bi-partisan, regional administrators and assistant regional administrators often swap jobs when new administrations come in and as a result federal departments have a self interest of at least appearing to be fair and being responsive to whatever Secretary is eventually appointed as manner of preserving job security. The bureaucracy is also very responsive to requests for information from members of Congress.
You would think that applications for tax exempt status would have been handled on a first come first serve basis. Apparently that was not the case and what could easily have been a bureaucratic problem where the line is long and the resources insufficient, instead we have something that could be something that at least strikes at the fairness of the IRS in their dealings with the public or may be something even more sinister.
This needs to be resolved quickly and fairly.
I find the current scandal at the IRS warrants more than an apology.
The potential for corruption exists on many levels. It is vital that the laws and the regulations do what they were intended to do. I am not clear that granting tax exempt status under the guise of a law originally intended for educational or to promote social welfare to any organization that seems to be political in nature is a good law.
If it is found that there was political pressure applied to deny tax exempt status to tea party groups, the offenders in the IRS need to be fired and the politicos supporting the mischief need to go as well.
My own experience with Inspector General investigations as a former bureaucrat who survived two of them while administering a welfare to work program is that they don't just happen.
There is usually a good reason for sending down auditors that nobody knows to review what the hell is going on.
Secondly, the bureaucracy is very bi-partisan, regional administrators and assistant regional administrators often swap jobs when new administrations come in and as a result federal departments have a self interest of at least appearing to be fair and being responsive to whatever Secretary is eventually appointed as manner of preserving job security. The bureaucracy is also very responsive to requests for information from members of Congress.
You would think that applications for tax exempt status would have been handled on a first come first serve basis. Apparently that was not the case and what could easily have been a bureaucratic problem where the line is long and the resources insufficient, instead we have something that could be something that at least strikes at the fairness of the IRS in their dealings with the public or may be something even more sinister.
This needs to be resolved quickly and fairly.
You said "If it is found that there was political pressure applied to deny tax exempt status to tea party groups.." The have already admitted to doing exactly that! Why the big waffle?
ReplyDelete" bureaucracy is very bi-partisan" This is laugh out load wrong. The bureaucracy is overwhelmingly democratic.
ReplyDelete"The bureaucracy is also very responsive to requests for information from members of Congress." More whoppers, where do you get this stuff John? The EPA hides emails, Holder doesn't know who issues subpoenas, immigration can't say who they released. OMG on responsive.
I think what the IRS did related to the granting of tax exempt was at least poorly managed and does give the impression that politics was in play regarding the granting of 501c4 status. And the result is understandably complaints from the parties who are adversely affected. Stuffing almost all the applications through an office in Cincinnati and then sorting them by name is incredibly dumb and folks will have to hire lawyers for a proper legal defense regarding the situation. This does nothing positive for the perception of government.
ReplyDeleteI have been away from government for a considerable period of time, but my experience while working for county government administering money from the Department of Labor is extensive with 32 years of experience and an MPA from WVU. My experience is my own and yours may be different. And so it goes. Thanks for your time and thoughtful comments.
Just read the news, they targeted the Tea Party and conservative groups. They already admitted this. What don't you understand about that? You sound like a lawyer....they made a list, maybe something happened. But look over here, I'm credible and I never saw it.
ReplyDeleteI'm outta here, sometimes people don't recognize what's staring them in the face.
I realize the process they used was unfair. And this should not happen in government but it does. And the role of government in immigration, law enforcement, transportation, public health, public safety... goes on and on. Screw ups like this in the IRS affect not just conservative groups but everybody eventually. Sort of like voting in Florida. Thanks for your time and send me a link to your blog, if you care to.
ReplyDelete