The IRS scandal is pretty awful, and I'm glad President Obama has spoken out on it, forcefully. Whoever was responsible, they're a bunch of idiots. If the White House were behind it, Obama would deserve whatever he got as a result. (Even The Wall Street Journal says he wasn't, though.)
But there's more: turns out the IRS also targeted a church for speaking out against the White House right before the election. I'd say that's definitely an impeachable offense. Oh, wait:
Stepping up its probe of allegedly improper campaigning by churches, the Internal Revenue Service on Friday ordered a liberal Pasadena parish to turn over all the documents and e-mails it produced during the 2004 election year with references to political candidates.
All Saints Episcopal Church and its rector, the Rev. Ed Bacon, have until Sept. 29 to present the sermons, newsletters and electronic communications.
The IRS investigation was triggered by an antiwar sermon delivered by its former rector, the Rev. George F. Regas, at the church two days before the 2004 presidential election. The summons even requests utility bills to establish costs associated with hosting Regas' speech. Bacon was ordered to testify before IRS officials Oct. 11.I don't defend what the IRS evidently did regarding right-wing groups. It's appalling. But it's also true that having tax-exempt status requires the following of certain guidelines. I don't doubt that there are phony baloney "non profits" all along the political spectrum, and, applied fairly, they all deserve scrutiny.
Ask me, churches of any sort ought not be tax exempt. God will provide, right?
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We have yet to learn of any groups that were denied tax exempt status as a result of the scrutiny.
ReplyDeleteTo me, that might be scandalous, extra scrutiny, not