Bandit Gang Writ Large

Kucinich defends tea party groups against IRS on ‘Fox News Sunday’

"After years spent as one of the nation’s most ardently liberal members of Congress, former Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) became a paid Fox News contributor at the start of this year, and on Sunday his new role cast him as a defender of the tea party, accusing the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) of engaging in 'political targeting' ahead of a presidential election. 'I am a liberal Democrat,' he said. 'I’m not someone who’s celebrated tea party politics. But we cannot — this is not tolerable — we cannot have a condition in America where people’s politics are the basis for IRS attacks.'" Continue reading →

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With ‘Charity’ For All

"Readers of a certain age will remember tedious elementary-school experiences with Drug Abuse Resistance Education, or D.A.R.E. Founded in 1983, D.A.R.E. was, at its height in the 1990s, used in 75% of U.S. school districts and in 54 countries around the world. There was just one problem: D.A.R.E. didn't work. Long-term studies have shown overwhelmingly that the program produced no meaningful reduction in drug use and in some cases actually made kids more likely to use drugs. Yet the nonprofit survives, having consumed an estimated $10 billion to $15 billion in donor and taxpayer funds over the past decade." Continue reading →

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League City, Texas Red Light Cameras Bagged

"Red light cameras in League City, Texas were covered with bags this week, but not by vigilantes. Australian camera vendor Redflex Traffic Systems had no choice but to shut down the devices. Last November, 77 percent of voters approved a measure banning the use of automated ticketing machines -- the fifth city in the Lone Star State to do so. City officials last year re-wrote the immediate ban initiative circulated by citizens and replaced it with a measure that would only take effect on October 29, 2014, when the city's contract with Redflex expired. The change proved politically untenable, so on April 23, the council voted to pay Redflex $350,000 to end the contract on July 1." Continue reading →

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The Persecution of Rita Hutchens

"Sandpoint, Idaho resident Rita Hutchens is an opinionated 57-year-old quilt artist whose work has earned her international notoriety. Given that Hutchens is also an outspoken proponent of constitutionalist views, it’s possible that some people have taken issue with her political opinions. Hutchens has never harmed or threatened another human being. Yet local officials, led by Bonner County Deputy Prosecutor Shane Greenbank -- an inventively dishonest official -- are trying to make a criminal out of her. Failing that, they might simply seek to have her imprisoned indefinitely in a psych ward." Continue reading →

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IRS Scandal: What Does the US Congress Expect?

"Obama himself is evidently thin-skinned and his administration, like others before it, obviously sees its mandate not only as implementing chosen policies but battling those in the general populace who would oppose those policies via extra-political means. Within this context, employing the IRS as a weapon against perceived enemies seems eminently logical. After all, the Obama administration would not be the first to use the awesome power to tax as a strategic advantage. Nonetheless, the fallout has been intense." Continue reading →

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Indian government now snooping on SMSs, online chats

"The government last month quietly began rolling out a project that gives it access to everything that happens over India's telecommunications network—online activities, phone calls, text messages and even social media conversations. Called the Central Monitoring System, it will be the single window from where government arms such as the National Investigation Agency or the tax authorities will be able to monitor every byte of communication. But privacy and internet freedom advocates are worried that in the name of security, the government could end up snooping on people, possibly abusing a system that does not have enough safeguards to protect ordinary citizens." Continue reading →

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Bulgarian Spring: Self-Immolations Highlight a Desperate Electorate

"Hundreds of thousands have taken to the streets nationwide, with up to 30,000 demonstrating in Varna, a large city and seaside resort on the Black Sea coast. Old boys' networks left over from the communist era have divided the country among themselves. They dominate the parliament and government agencies, they secure the best contracts for themselves, they threaten the press and they are in league with organized crime. Bulgaria is the poorest country in the European Union, with a stagnating economy. Up to half a million Bulgarians have already emigrated." Continue reading →

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America’s Roads Have Been Turned Into A Revenue Generating Surveillance Grid

"Back in the old days, the highways of America were great examples to the rest of the world of the tremendous liberties and freedoms that we enjoyed. Americans loved to hop into their vehicles and take a drive. But now government is sucking all of the fun out of driving. The control freak bureaucrats that dominate our political system have figured out that giant piles of money can be raised by turning our roads into revenue raising tools. At this point things have gotten so bad that even some police officers are admitting what is going on. Just check out what a few of them told Car and Driver." Continue reading →

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Nevada bill would levy 8% tax on brothels, Burning Man festival

"The tax man may soon be visiting a few Nevada brothels. A bill to be introduced in the Nevada legislature on Wednesday will propose an 8% flat tax for live entertainment at business ventures in the state ranging from brothels to the annual Burning Man festival. Assembly Speaker Marilyn Kirkpatrick (D-North Las Vegas) says the bill would target events and businesses that have either been deemed exempt from state sales taxes or have simply been overlooked. Those operations include brothels, which Nevada lawmakers have been hesitant to tax out of fear that doing so would further legitimize the stigmatized, but legal trade." Continue reading →

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IRS Targeted Organizations Named With the Words “Tea Party” Or “Patriot”

"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, reports WaPo. 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." Continue reading →

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