Idea re. teabag parties: Send IRS agents to every one of them!

[SurfingScientist]

After all, the participants are very likely to:

a) make north of $250 K a year (why else would you protest?) and/or
b) hate to pay taxes (and are likely to try every shady loophole to avoid paying up).

Just get each teabagger's name and give their tax forms a VERY thorough look.

Is there a better chance to:

- catch the nation's worst tax fraudsters,
- generate revenue for the government,
- reduce the stupid teabag thing's attendance to ZERO, because all the cowards will stay home, scared shitless?

And who knows, maybe we learn that certain right wing "journalists" are just as creative with their taxes as they are with their reporting?

:evilgrin:

[Arugula Latte]

1. I also hope that the Secret Service/Homeland Security will be out in force, videotaping

Seriously, they need to record the face of everybody who attends these Loonypaloozas.

[rwheeler31]

2. Hush, good ideas must not be spread on tax day.

[SandWalker1984]

3. Check out this web site.....it nails Fox & the tea parties!

Fabulous web site: www.SaveTheRich.com

It has all the dirt on who's really behind the tea parties. Did you know they are actually trying to bribe people to show up at some of the events with "contest" money? They are using robo calls to get people to attend?

But wait, there's more! Check it out, then forward the link to your friends. :toast:

[SurfingScientist]

4. Yes, Tea Parties are the rich man/media's astroturf.

And thanks for the link! :waves:

[TexasObserver]

5. The biggest irony: No one making over $250k will attend these things.

It will be a bunch of Joe Not the Plumbers, who collectively might make $250k a year among them.

[SurfingScientist]

6. Unfortunately. Gullible sheep who don't realize ...

... that they are being instrumentalized - and who live on the illusion that everyone will make a million sooner or later, because it is America.

[Norquist Nemesis]

7. Bigger irony...t;hey're getting tax cuts n/t

[Optical.Catalyst]

8. If people congregate in a group and advocate Income Tax Evasion

And then a few members of that group actually engage in Income Tax Evasion, then isn't everyone who participated guilty of conspiracy?

We could use the IRS to take out a whole slue of right wingers based on their stupid tax protests.

[annabanana]

9. k&r. . You have a point there. Highly suspicious behavior..

The attendance of the IRS ought to really get their beanie props spinning!

[quaker bill]

10. Just what will we become?

I get the point. Over the last 20 or 30 years, war tax resisters have been visited by the IRS, some have had their personal property seized, some have ended up in prison. Turnabout is fair play.

However, squashing a protest movement with the muscle of the federal government in this manner is wrong, even if the protest is lame. The IRS never acted to suppress war tax protest rallies, but they did visit pain upon those who were not paying their taxes, regardless of cause.

I would hope for the same here.

[SurfingScientist]

11. Well, I was not really serious in my post...

... rather just venting and indulging in the mental image :)

No political protest must be suppressed, there must be free speech after all.

[Statistical]

12. The right to peacefully assmble under 1st ammendment ....

only applies to left leaning causes.

Not all Americans have the right to protest their govt (no matter how misguided) without fear of intimidation from govt forces.

Duh? What do you think we are a Democratic country based on rule of law and one in which founders believed citizens have inalien/human rights that are expressed protected by a document called the Bill of Rights?

It is sad how the Bush years have warped the sense of what is acceptable for the govt to do. Now it is ok as long as the "other side gets it".

I doubt in 1999 anyone would be cheering for IRS or any govt organization to use fear and intimidate to break up a lawful protest.

[SurfingScientist]

13. I hope also in 2009 noone would cheer for the protest of a breakup...

... and that the IRS or worse will NOT show up at any such event.

In reality, unfortunately, there has always been intimidation at all kinds of protests and rallies - just think about the occasions where excessive use of police force has been occurring. Not sure whether this was more pronounced during the last 8 years. Must be a result of all that fearmongering that has made people gullible to the 'need for security' meme, and accepting to intimidation by their government. Fear is never good for democracy.

[BlueStateBill]

14. Making $250K

What's wrong with making $250K or more? My professorship and associate dean positions make me that much. Keeps the Prius in the garage and all.