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Many Voices, One Freedom: United in the 1st Amendment

March 29, 2024

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He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance. ~ Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776.

Big news: the two Joes, Biden and Manchin, have funded 80 billion for the IRS in their “Inflation Reduction Act.” Question: How exactly does spending 80 billion dollars reduce inflation?

According to CNBC reporter Kate Doyle, the ironically named Inflation Reduction Act has “more than half of the money going to enforcement.” The IRS plans to hire 87,000 more agents to audit “high earners.”

Where have we seen this scene play out before? Oh, yeah. Colonial America, with King George III’s swarms of tax officers harassing Americans and eating out their substance. It’s right there in the Declaration of Independence. 

What does a “swarm” look like? I’d say 87,000 IRS locust agents descending on American taxpayers. What does a swarm of locusts do? Eat all of a farmer’s crops that he worked hard to plant and cultivate. What does a swarm of IRS agents do? Seize a hefty percentage of a wage earner’s money that she worked hard to earn.

What does “eating out their substance” look like? 87,000 IRS agents confiscating money from American citizens. 

What does “harass our people” look like?

The time and paperwork involved in audits. When the IRS audits you, you are presumed guilty unless you and your accountant can prove your innocence. So, you must produce the documents the IRS asks for, answer the questions the IRS asks, and spend time with an IRS agent. You can’t do your own work, run your business, or lead your own life. When the IRS comes calling, they claim first priority over your life.

The Iron Law of Bureaucracy: fulfill our quotas, be it right or wrong.

In one case, the IRS audited a small business, taking the time of the lone accountant for an entire week. His normal work did not get done while he produced documents for the IRS agent. At the end of the week, the honest agent told the accountant: “Everything is in order. No violations. The company does not owe back taxes.”

When Honest Agent reported the result to her boss, he said: “There is always a violation somewhere in a small business. Go back and audit them again.” The honest agent returned and spent another week with the accountant, delaying her regular work (including employee paychecks) for a second week. Again, she found nothing wrong. Again, her boss told her: “Your job is to find something wrong. You are not looking closely enough. Return and audit them a third time.”

Faced with losing the third week of work, Honest Accountant told Honest Agent, “Look, here is a small amount in a category that could be interpreted as a judgment call. Why not label that a violation, assess a back tax due and a penalty due, declare a victory, and move on?” The honest agent did so. Her boss was satisfied that she had made her quota of “violations” that he, in turn, could report to his boss up the hierarchy of the bureaucracy. The honest accountant was able to get back to catching up on her real work. 

Moral of the story: When an enforcement agency has a goal of finding violations, they will find them even if they have to make them up. They are in trouble with their bosses if they do not.

You can expect more swarms and more harassment, just as in 1776.

Tea anyone?

MANY VOICES, ONE FREEDOM: UNITED IN THE 1ST AMENDMENT

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