print“The attack was sad, but the IRS is unnecessary and abolishing the agency would mean ‘a happy day for America.'” That was Rep. Steve King (R) of Iowa in response to Joseph Stack’s attack on an office building in Austin, Texas, that housed IRS offices.
King gave another, especially odious federal parasite (who should never be permitted to unionize) a conniption:
National Treasury Employees Union president Colleen Kelley noted that IRS employee Vernon Hunter died in the attack.
“Rep. King’s comments are inappropriate and show an appalling lack of compassion over [Hunter’s] death, as well as a lack of respect for the lives of federal employees nationwide,” said Ms. Kelley in a statement.
King is right. While we are jumping through our shorts and trying to kiss our elbows to reform a health system which doesn’t need reforming we ignore one of the biggest boils on our collective backsides which is IRS. A huge federal boondoggle which could be eliminated by a simple flat tax without deductions. We would save billions. Of course this will never happen because the IRS is one of big brothers most valuable weapons of control over the lives of the masses.
“the IRS is unnecessary and abolishing the agency would mean ‘a happy day for America.” and “show an appalling lack of compassion over [Hunter’s] death, as well as a lack of respect for the lives of federal employees nationwide” Apples and Oranges again, but then we know where Ms. Kelley’s loyalty lies, don’t we.
Union president Colleen Kelley has already, I’m assuming, made her pilgrimage to the site of the employee’s death, laid a wreath, lit a candle, and left a hand-scrawled personal message – or had an agent do it for her. Perhaps if Rep. King did likewise Ms. Kelley would be loosed from her myopic indignation at one comment to rage against that institution that has ruined lives, made de facto criminals of ordinary citizens, and made, by example, chaos a standard the rest of government seems to aspire to.
“especially odious federal parasite” I love that one.
The statement by Rep. King are to me a surprise in that a politician found the temerity to utter the truth about the IRS. Words which were not relevant to the presence or absence of human compassion. An arm of the federal machine which by force plunders and steals from the citizens is statutorily organized crime.
‘He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.’
T. Jefferson – 1775
Stack and Kelley are more consistent in their beliefs than most Republicans. The typical Republican will claim to believe in BOTH a Balanced Budget Amendment and cutting taxes drastically while simultaneously vote to increase spending. If the Steven Kings of the world would start to fight to eliminate Fannie Mae, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, or the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, I might consider their views to be serious.
Federal unions are a joke. Every federal employee pledges not to strike when they are sworn in. Salaries and raises are set by time in grade, not merit. The leaders of the unions often try to whip their membership into a frenzy about some perceived injustice the government is doing to them, but I suspect that behind closed doors the relationship between union and management is quite friendly.