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A Voice from Fly-Over Country
August 6, 2013
Oh No! Not Another Conspiracy Theory
by Robert L. Hale
fitzgerald griffin foundation
MINOT, NORTH DAKOTA — Is it possible that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is being used to fund illegal alien entry into the United States? How about funding terrorist activities? Anyone suggesting such an outrageous statement must be just another crazy right-wing conspiracy theorist. Right?
With the White House entertaining Middle Eastern personages known to promote terrorism against the United States, what isn't possible? As recently as June 26, 2013, it was reported the United States is funding United Nations' efforts aimed at attacking democracies. If these things are true, what isn't possible?
We know that the U. S. Department of Justice headed by Eric Holder delivered hundreds of deadly weapons to Mexican drug cartels (Operation Fast and Furious), arguing it was done to track those involved in the drug trade. It turned out that some of these weapons were used to kill American Border Patrol agent.
A separate inspector general audit found that the IRS inadvertently disclosed information on thousands of individual taxpayers between 2009 and 2010.
The IRS has been in the headlines a great deal recently:
• First, for its role as the managing agency assigned with enforcing the mandate that all Americans purchase health care plans defined by Health and Human Services
• Second, for releasing confidential information from conservative groups' tax returns to liberal special interest groups
• Third, for apparently targeting, delaying, and improperly demanding information from all groups with Tea Party in their name that were seeking nonprofit tax status.
...while Congress has passed laws to theoretically protect our financial privacy, the Patriot Act has stripped naked every financial transaction of every American.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) just reported major weaknesses in the IRS' security systems, which put in jeopardy the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of financial and sensitive taxpayer information. A separate inspector general audit found that the IRS inadvertently disclosed information on thousands of individual taxpayers between 2009 and 2010.
Following the 9/11 attack by Saudi terrorists, Congress rammed through the ill-named Patriot Act. The core of this act was to track every monetary transaction in America and to seek to do the same worldwide. Why? It was argued that if we could track and stop the funding of terrorist activities, we could thwart terrorism. On the surface, this made sense. However, in practice, it has given the federal government complete access to every financial transaction and every bank account of every American. In short, while Congress has passed laws to theoretically protect our financial privacy, the Patriot Act has stripped naked every financial transaction of every American.
On June 21, 2013, we learned that over the past two years, the IRS sent no fewer than 53,454 checks averaging $1,615.49 to 10 addresses. The combined total of the checks was $86,354,402. So what? Well, here is where those crazy conspiracy theorists may have legitimate reason to question their own government. All 53,454 checks went to 10 addressed the IRS knew were being used by unauthorized alien workers — and nothing was done to stop it.
The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) and the GAO noted that the Tax Identification Numbers (TINs), which allowed the checks to be issued and sent, were fraudulent. However, since at least 1999, nothing had been done to investigate or stop the issuance of the TINs or to stop sending tens of millions of dollars to unauthorized aliens.
Who knows what has been or is being done with these taxpayer dollars? We know that they fraudulently claimed payments and that the funds are going to unauthorized aliens. Is this another Fast and Furious scheme to track terrorists? Is this scheme being used by terrorists to obtain funds to engage in terrorist activities? Are taxpayers funding the very groups that seek to undermine and destroy America?
Honest Americans can't open a bank account or transfer a dollar of their own money without the government approving or watching every transaction. This, we are told, is for our protection. However, this same government is unquestionably transferring tens of millions to known unauthorized aliens, no questions asked.
Is it any wonder Americans see conspiracies in more and more places, like from their own friendly government? As the saying goes — with friends like these, who needs enemies?
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A Voice from Fly-Over Country is copyright © 2013 by Robert L. Hale and the Fitzgerald Griffin Foundation. All rights reserved.
Robert L. Hale received his J.D. in law from Gonzaga University Law School in Spokane, Washington. He is founder and director of a non-profit public interest law firm. For more than three decades he has been involved in drafting proposed laws and counseling elected officials in ways to remove burdensome and unnecessary rules and regulations.
See a complete biographical sketch.
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