Setting The Record Straight - Government Contractors

[Al Agnew]

No doubt the truth will come out Ness. But for me the overall feeling is that the country is moving in the wrong direction in almost every front except the environment. I have virtually no faith in our elected officials on either side. What's right is now wrong, what's wrong is now right. Not a good sign.

I'm not going to get too excited anymore... Just have fun with my family and fish as much as possible.

I think the reviews are decidedly mixed. It's going in the wrong direction in some ways, and in the right direction in others, and mainly just stagnating. I am not optimistic. I have no faith in either party, but I also have no faith that either there will be a viable third party, or that any third party that would arise would be any better. A third party might be a little more independent of the moneyed interests that really run the country in the short term, but would soon be co-opted, and would probably start out having some good ideas and some really whacky ones, just like the Libertarians.

I try to ignore politics now and then. I throw up my hands and say that I'm going to do what you said, just have fun and fish and hunker down and live my own life. But then I see things happening that just drive me up the wall, and I gotta say something, and my blood pressure rises...

It all boils down to this...there are too many people taking hard line positions on both sides of every issue, and forgetting that the other guy is just as sane, caring, and patriotic as you are but with different ideas. And the people really running things love it that way.

[Feathers and Fins]

Al, I don't know if you have seen the commercials about Mark Pryor here in Arkansas lately, but they are funded by Governor Nanny Blumberg's groups. Now I do not agree with Pryor on much but what I despise most of all is someone in NY and his clear agendas trying to influence people in Arkansas. I truly believe only the States are equipped to deal with issues of their state as they know best what's best for the state. I also feel the Fed needs to get the hell out of our lives and pockets. They need to concern themselves with National Security, Infrastructure ( both advancement and repairs to it ) Arts and Sciences and environmental concerns. I was watching some show the other day and the POTUS little trip is costing us 100 million plus dollars and the commentator went on to talk about all the other moneys spend by politicians on trips and was rough estimating it at close to 500 billion a year. I haven't stayed at Holiday Inn in awhile but a trillion dollars every two years says in the last 5 years that's 2.5 trillion. Talk about waste the people are hurting and the politicians are spending it with no care. IRS spent 50 million on conventions and now we hear 70 more million in bonuses to the IRS to be paid out.

Blood boiling. I took a major pay cut 5 years ago to help keep the company afloat and keep a job and here we have politicians and government agencies that spend with no regard while people suffer. I watched friends and family in these same time periods loose jobs houses cars etc and yet our government keeps living lavishly. Something is wrong in this country and it is not the average person its the government. Both Parties and apparently many of the managers. Its time to shrink the federal government.

[Wayne SW/MO]

There is no way to dance around the fact that the IRS did indeed target, unethically, the Tea Party, I mean after all they even admit to it! There is no difference in a Tea Party organization helping a candidate that they feel will help enrich the lives of those who support them then there is in the unions push candidates they feel will give them an advantage. In fact any laws the Tea Party helps enact will be available to all, not true of special regulations for certain union members.

[mic]

Gents, I said my peace. I'm not a crook, I work for one

I'm out...and back to fishing. See you on the water.

Smallie... BroLove you to man.

Tight Lines.

[mic]

PS... Thanks for keeping it respectful.

[Chief Grey Bear]

There is no way to dance around the fact that the IRS did indeed target, unethically, the Tea Party, I mean after all they even admit to it! There is no difference in a Tea Party organization helping a candidate that they feel will help enrich the lives of those who support them then there is in the unions push candidates they feel will give them an advantage. In fact any laws the Tea Party helps enact will be available to all, not true of special regulations for certain union members.

Can I ask what was unethical about it?

[Al Agnew]

Like I said before, it's only unethical if they don't treat all suspiciously political organizations the same. Mitch, I think, even said that he thought it was likely that the targeting of the Tea Party groups cost votes. Well...doesn't that make them political organizations almost by definition, if holding up teir 501 status cost votes, or you think it probably cost votes? I've heard and read some indications that some liberal groups were also targeted, and other indications that they weren't. That needs to be investigated further. But I still maintain that the Tea Party groups were legitimate targets of investigation.

F&F, I agree with you that politicians from other states shouldn't be sticking their noses in state elections. But it happens equally with both parties. And if it's an election that has any kind of national implications (not just House and Senate elections, but gubernatorial elections as well, partly because you never know when a governor will get the opportunity to appoint a replacement Senator if a Senator from that state leaves or dies) you know the national Republican and Democratic parties are going to get involved both with money and campaigning.

Not only that, but politicians of both parties that are running for House and Senate are forced to actively beg for money from the national party and out-of-state donors. I still remember a PBS special many years ago that profiled a woman who had never held elective office, but was running for Congress from one of the middle of the country states. She was idealistic and wanted to run a positive campaign, spending as little money as possible but working her butt off to travel all over her district and meet everybody she could personally. Her incumbent opponent was a long time Congressman, but had suffered a couple of scandals and was beatable; early polling showed her slightly ahead of him, even though she didn't have any name recognition. But he had the full support of the national party and a pile of big time corporate donors, so he was out-spending her something like 10-1, and running a real smear campaign against her. Her national party finally told her she HAD to get negative, and HAD to travel to Washington D.C. to personally meet and greet some big sugar daddies to get more funds, or she was going to get beat. She resisted, and kept going down-down-down in the polls. Finally she agreed, and went begging for money from the big boys, and started running negative ads, but it was far too late and she lost badly.

She also lost her idealism, and admitted afterward that it was a very distasteful process that soured her on politics completely. But I guarantee you that EVERY Congressman has had to go through the same process and wallow in the mud to win.

I sometimes think Mr. Smith (Jimmy Stewart) was the last honest politician in national office.

[Chief Grey Bear]

Like I said before, it's only unethical if they don't treat all suspiciously political organizations the same. Mitch, I think, even said that he thought it was likely that the targeting of the Tea Party groups cost votes. Well...doesn't that make them political organizations almost by definition, if holding up teir 501 status cost votes, or you think it probably cost votes? I've heard and read some indications that some liberal groups were also targeted, and other indications that they weren't. That needs to be investigated further. But I still maintain that the Tea Party groups were legitimate targets of investigation.

How would it cost them votes? It didn't stop them from operating. It just stopped them from operating on the taxpayers dime. Which is kind of funny when you think about it. Here is a group that hates paying taxes and makes it one of their anti-government platforms. Complains when they are checked on to make sure they are ligit, which they weren't, which is what the IRS is supposed to do, and complains that GE is not paying taxes.

[Wayne SW/MO]

Can I ask what was unethical about it?

I suppose nothing if you support a government who operates in a vacuum in which they pick and choose what the subjects hear and see. It isn't on the taxpayers dollar and I don't know why you assume it is? It has been a standard as far back as i can remember that you don't tax when there is intent to make a profit, hence the term non-profit. This was unethical and low ball politics reminiscent of Chicago, who would have thought.

[Chief Grey Bear]

I suppose nothing if you support a government who operates in a vacuum in which they pick and choose what the subjects hear and see. It isn't on the taxpayers dollar and I don't know why you assume it is? It has been a standard as far back as i can remember that you don't tax when there is intent to make a profit, hence the term non-profit. This was unethical and low ball politics reminiscent of Chicago, who would have thought.

So you are saying that the tea baggers are operating for profit?