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actions louder than words

Let’s start with what we believe to be the facts:

 

The federal government has been secretly collecting information about the telephone records of millions of Americans for years.  In addition to phone calls, under a surveillance program code-named “Prism” — a covert collaboration between the NSA and FBI — online activity is also being monitored by the federal government, as they’ve had unprecedented access to citizens’ internet behavior via scouring the servers of Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, Facebook, AOL, Skype, YouTube, Apple, etc.  While there exist claims of this being solely to prevent terrorism, the claims are ambiguous, as the reality is the federal government has been secretly spying on people for years.

 

Transparently speaking, I find myself with multiple instantaneous — sometimes even emotional — reactions…

 

“Hmmm… doesn’t sound good…  doesn’t sound healthy… sounds a little deceitful… dishonest… doesn’t sound like a practice that’s good and pure and right… sounds like it has way too much potential to be corrupted by those in power… how can it not be corrupted by those in power?…”

 

The Intramuralist hasn’t completely made a conclusion regarding the goodness of this practice.  One bottom line is that if bad people are up to bad things, then it would help us to know about it ahead of time.

 

However, there are still 2 things that bug me.  First, the glaring hypocrisy…

 

… the hypocrisy from Pres. Obama…

 

Confronting the public uproar, Obama only defended the vast collection of data.  He said that “modest encroachments on privacy” were “worth us doing.”  Yet as a one-time senator, Obama’s words were strikingly different.  He blasted Pres. Bush for the same activity, calling it “a false choice between the liberties we cherish and the security we demand.”  He continued, “I will provide our intelligence and law enforcement agencies with the tools they need to track and take out the terrorists without undermining our Constitution and our freedom.”  (Note:  sometimes I think all persons running for president should realize that perhaps there are a few things they don’t really comprehend prior to assuming office…)

 

There also exists hypocrisy from those who want to make this an issue all about Obama…

 

True, the warrantless surveillance has expanded under Pres. Obama, but it was initiated under Pres. Bush.  Republicans and Democrats have advocated the covert cause.  Republicans and Democrats continue to support it now.  If it’s wrong for one, it’s wrong for both.  This is not a partisan issue; it’s an issue of individual liberty and potential government overreach.

 

More than the glaring hypocrisy, however, there is one aspect that bugs me more.  I believe the root cause of a government that believes it has the right to access our private data is one thing and one thing only:  government is too big.

 

Smaller government is more efficient.  Smaller government wastes less money.  Within smaller government, the actions are less covert; there’s more transparency — less secrecy — and we can actually discern what our elected officials are doing; there is valid reason to trust.  Within smaller government, there is increased humility; there is a realization that the elect actually serve the people.  There is less narcissism — less confusion with those who desire — and desire to be — a king.  There are fewer speeches primarily designed to sway public opinion — and more actions that truly speak louder than words.

 

Yes, actions always speak louder than words.  Such is why the fact that our government is secretly spying on its people speaks very loud indeed.

 

Respectfully,

AR

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higher education

As of yesterday, all 3 of my children advanced to a new grade level.  Education is important in our family.  Allow me to humbly share with you what I hope they learned…

 

If they learned to speak the languages of foreigners — but have not love for the foreigner — then the learning of language is pretty hollow.

 

If they unlocked great truths in history, social studies, or even in an advanced Lit class — comprehending all sorts of mysteries and knowledge — but know not how to apply that knowledge to a grace and peace for other people, then they really have learned very little.

 

If they learned about the faiths of the world — those invented by man and those backed up by historical documents and eyewitness accounts — but haven’t learned to transfer that learning from the head to the heart, then the learning is by no means complete.

 

If they learned about sacrifice — noting that sacrifice prompted by the individual heart as opposed to demanded en masse is one of life’s most beautiful, contagious examples — but yet give little away, then their intellect will have proved lesser.

 

If in chem lab they learn to build and blow up mountains — but have not concern for those impacted by the explosion and respect for the one who actually created the mountains — then in all reality, they still gain nothing.

 

If they scored incredibly well scholastically — surging to that top 10% — but care not about the 90% below them, then they will not have scored as they truly should have.

 

If they completely grasped both micro and macro econ, understanding supply and demand and economies of scale — but fail to have compassion on those the theories affect — then their economic education will be incomplete at best.

 

If they go further in economics, following economists who promote the politically-influenced theory — but spend with no specific, measurable means to repay — then their learning will omit the wisdom found in accountability.

 

If they have not learned love… if they have not embraced wisdom…

No matter the higher the education… it will be less…

 

If any of us have believed that only a school is responsible for that education, then we as parents and role models will also be less…

 

Love is patient and kind.  Love does not envy or boast.  It is never arrogant nor rude.  And it certainly does not insist on its own way.  It’s not irritable or resentful.

 

That means all these intelligent people… near us and in our neighborhoods… in our classrooms and communities… in Washington and in our work place… elected, appointed, or simply adjacent to us in some capacity… no matter their intelligence… no matter the loftiness of their rhetoric…

 

If they boast, are arrogant, or rude in their expression, whatever it is they actually have — from a Ph.D. to a Ph.Something — it is by all means lesser… it is less good.

 

Respectfully…

AR

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tweeting

What are we teaching the younger generation?

What are we modeling for our kids?

 

… that appearance is everything?

… that sports stars and celebrities are life’s most admirable professions?

… that an ABC summer show entitled “Mistresses” is good television?

 

That’s the question:  what are we teaching them?

 

Are we teaching that Facebook status updates are authentic?  … that we’re truly, transparently representing who and how we are?  … that Facebook relationships are real relationships?

 

Or better yet — and where my head and heart have lined up this day — that Twitter & Co. count for legitimate dialogue?

 

As all Intramuralist readers know, communication is of utmost importance.  How we communicate makes all the difference in the world.  The Intramuralist believes that all subjects can be discussed — albeit not necessarily agreed upon — if the approach is respectful and prioritizes active listening.  That’s the mantra of this blog:  all opinions are welcome as long as the opinion expressed is respectful to those with whom you may disagree.  Only through respectful discussion, friends, is solution viable.

 

Yet continually in Washington and in our work place, we have very intelligent men and women who for some reason reserve the right to rhetorically slam their brother and sister when the moment is too tempting and ripe.  They arrogantly belittle and bemoan, forgoing even the feigning of listening.  One wonders why.  Why is this so hard to comprehend?  Why is this still so challenging for otherwise bright-minded people?

 

Look at what we’re teaching the younger generation.

 

As social media has exploded over the past half dozen years, we have allowed them to accept Twitter as a wise form of dialogue.  In fact, we have allowed them to believe that it even is dialogue.

 

Excuse me?

 

Dialogue is a conversation between 2 or more people.  To engage in dialogue means to converse or discuss in order to resolve a problem.

 

There is no dialogue on Twitter.  There is no conversation.  In fact, there is little conversation whatsoever in all of social media.

 

Twitter is simply a listing of one-liners where the Tweeter can tweet whatever he or she desires.  There is no eye contact.  There is no empathetic, compassionate, nor comprehending glance in that person’s direction.  There is no feeling; there is nothing warm nor cold.

 

Twitter is a list of comments — often snarky or satirical — in which one person attempts to manage the impression others have of them.  There is no respectful back-and-forth.  In fact, because it’s not actually dialogue, Twitter and the rest of social cyberspace often damage more relationships than they maintain or repair.

 

Friends, Twitter is not an evil within society.  Just like most things, a positive tool can be negatively employed.  The disservice we are allowing for the younger generation, however — as we tweet, too — is that social media is something it’s not… that Twitter and tweeting and even texting take the place of authentic, wise communication.

 

Respectfully… always…

AR

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what keeps us from lying?

Too many times we turn off the news in disbelief and disgust.  Sometimes it’s ugly; there’s too much wickedness and wrongdoing in the world, as — save for one ’80’s pop song — most of us realize that heaven is not a place on Earth.

 

One of the more frequent motives for current head shaking is all the lies — or perhaps better said — all the potential lies.  The deceit.  The cover up.  The shifting of blame.  It’s almost robotic that when a person is accused of wrongdoing, they immediately claim responsibility rests elsewhere…

 

He did it.  She did it.  I wasn’t in charge then.  It’s his fault.  Who, me?  I’m a victim…

 

Not only is responsibility immediately deflected, most add an instant reason why another is actually to blame…

 

He doesn’t like me.  She’s out to get me.  He’s too young.  She doesn’t know any better.  They love persecuting Christians.  Bigots, that’s what they are…

 

… like the chairwoman of Louisiana’s Democratic Party, who said last week that much of the opposition to Obamacare is due to the color of Pres. Obama’s skin.  Please.  The Intramuralist read the legislation when proposed.  There is much to be concerned about (i.e. rising premiums, government overreach, care decisions based on cost — such as for the elderly and overweight…), but the concern has nothing to do with anyone’s skin color.  Ah, but lest I digress…

 

My point is that regardless of politics or personally awkward scenarios, there exists a huge potential for deceit.  As we watch the disturbing scandals unfold, for example, within the IRS and Justice Dept., the challenge is that we can’t tell who and when someone is telling the truth.  Friends, don’t let me infer that I believe all individuals are lying; the problem is that we can’t tell if they are.

 

And so we ask:  what keeps a person from lying?  Really.  What keeps us from being deceitful?  What stops us from sharing a little white lie or even a huge fib?  What within us stops us from shifting that blame elsewhere?  … or from just declaring “I don’t remember”? (… the current, least-damaging deceit method — because if we can’t remember, we can’t possibly tell the truth.)

 

Seriously, though, what stops us from lying?

 

It isn’t intelligence.  There is no moral compass automatically associated with intellectual brilliance.  James Frey, author of the autobiographical “A Million Little Pieces,” seemed highly intelligent when he appeared on “Oprah.”  Granted, it was fairly humbling when he had to admit that many of the events in his quite profitable bestseller were intentionally fabricated.

 

What keeps us from lying?

 

A position of power?  No.  The 37th President of the United States, one Richard M. Nixon, put that reason to rest.  Does the lie depend on topic?  Many claimed President #42’s lies under oath were acceptable because “everybody lies about sex.”  Did Pres. Bush lie about weapons of mass destruction?  Did Pres. Obama lie about Benghazi?

 

If we instead suggest that people refrain from lying because of that inner moral compass, I’m not certain that theory holds true either, as a close examination of society quickly depicts morality as increasingly relative.  Many of what was once considered wicked or wrong now seems actually accepted as good and pure and wise.  Friends, don’t misquote me; I am not suggesting that discrimination or disrespect was ever appropriately “considered wicked or wrong.”  My perception is that morality has become so relative that it’s logical to conclude that “to lie or not to lie” will also become a negative manifestation.

 

People lie.  People always have the potential to lie.  Even good people.  Unless we adopt a timeless teaching of truth that doesn’t sway with the winds of society, the potential for each of us to lie will only continue to increase.

 

Respectfully,

AR

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not shocked

Perhaps what causes the public to most pause, recognizing again our shocking chagrin surrounding government, is when politics trump wisdom and integrity.  I remember my shock some 12 years ago — that ironically yet sadly — remains relevant now…

 

One of the more private, opportune acts taken by presidents of all persuasions is to pardon persons as the Chief Executive exits his term.  A pardon is the complete forgiveness of the crime and the cancellation of any penalty; it cannot be reversed.  Therefore, the effect of such act is that it’s as if the crime never occurred.

 

On Jan. 20, 2001 financier Marc Rich was pardoned by Pres. Bill Clinton.

 

From accounts shared years ago by Time Magazine, Wikipedia, and syndicated Washington Post columnist, Richard Cohen…

 

“Rich was a commodities trader who amassed both a fortune and some influential friends in the 1970s and ’80s.  Along with his partner, Pincus Green, he was indicted in 1983 on 65 counts of tax evasion and related matters.“

 

Rich was indicted in federal court of evading more than $48 million in taxes.  He was on the FBI’s Ten Most-Wanted Fugitives List.

 

“Before he could be prosecuted, however, he fled to Switzerland. There he remained, avoiding extradition and eventually arranging to be represented by Jack Quinn, a Washington lawyer and Clinton’s onetime White House counsel — in other words, a certified power broker.”

 

“Denise Rich, Marc’s ex-wife, had made several large donations to the U.S. Democratic Party and the Clinton Library during Clinton’s time in office.”

 

“Republicans and Democrats alike were dumbstruck by the Rich pardon.  The federal prosecutors who indicted Rich are especially livid, particularly because, by definition, Rich appears to be ineligible for a pardon:  He never took responsibility for his actions or served any sentence.”

 

“It was rare to pardon a fugitive — someone who had avoided possible conviction by avoiding the inconvenience of a trial.  The U.S. attorney’s office in New York — which… would oppose any pardon — was kept ignorant of what was going on.”

 

In the hours before leaving office, Clinton quietly pardoned Rich.  Clinton and Quinn actually bypassed the Justice Department’s pardon office — going instead to the Deputy Attorney General, asking for his opinion.  The Deputy AG replied, “Neutral, leaning towards favorable.”  And then, again in the words of the never-confused-to-be-a-conservative Cohen, “With a stroke of a pen, justice was not done.”

 

The Deputy Attorney General who authorized the pardon of an unrepentant fugitive was none other than current Attorney General, Eric Holder.

 

The Intramuralist — just like each of us — has a limited perspective.  I do not fully know the heart of another man, as such seems an ability of only the divine — not you nor me.  I do not know Eric Holder’s heart.  I do know here is the man who holds the highest law enforcement position in the land.  He is currently being swarmed and swamped by accusations of unethical behavior, directed with certainty at his department — and with increasing frequency, directed at Holder himself.  Targeting the press…  Targeting conservative groups…  Acting as if reporters were criminals.  Did he allow this?  Did he authorize such?  Is being unaware his only defense?

 

Holder was fully aware of Marc Rich and yet authorized his pardon.  Hence, while our chagrin may increase, we should sadly not be shocked.

 

Respectfully,

AR

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pick up lines

And what is a wise form of communication?

 

From cyberspace over Saturday and Sunday… thoughts…

 

“God Bless our Veterans!

 

Thanks to the men & women who sacrifice so much for our freedom; Happy Memorial Day!

 

Changed my profile picture to my Dad while he was stationed in Korea. Thank you to all the service personnel and also to their families who keep things working on the home front. Thank you for your sacrifices for your country.

 

Thank you to all Military and those who have served this country in any capacity that allows us to enjoy our freedoms! I am so thankful to you and so blessed to be enjoying this beautiful day!!!

 

So thankful for the incredible, loving, supportive and caring families that both we have!

 

Thank you to the many veterans who are friends and family who have sacrificed much to allow me the many freedoms I have.

 

Your sacrifices are truly selfless and what this Country is based on. God Bless You.

 

“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”

 

Sadly, for the first time in my life, I am afraid of our government.

 

Flying high, standing for so much…

 

We remember and are grateful….

 

Yahoo! My son made Regionals in shot put… Go Camden! Hurl it buddy! (That sounds nasty but you know what I mean….)

 

Today I am so very grateful for those men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for my freedom, and for their families who live without someone they loved because of that sacrifice every day. I hope there is a measure of comfort today in the remembering…

 

Respect…

 

I want to thank all of you that posted pictures of your fathers, brothers, uncles, etc. that served in military. Especially the ones going back to WW II.  Reminds us that our parents and grandparents were young once. They weren’t always “old.”

 

I am cranky and so I have put myself in time out. Getting to go to my room, all by myself, where there are books and a comfy bed and Magnum PI on Hulu, until I am no longer cranky and can interact with my family in kind and non-cranky ways? Yes, time out, please.

 

Greater love hath no man than this…

 

Happy Memorial Day… always…  always thinking of what’s most important…”

 

Respectfully… thinking of someone other than me…

AR

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lies

All parents of teenagers will tell you one thing:  sometimes teenagers lie.

 

Don’t get me wrong.  The Intramuralist has nothing against teenagers (save the added gray hair most of us adults seem to too easily acquire when a new young teen blesses our household.)  At some point, no less, they will lie.

 

It’s not that they’re bad or compulsive liars or even young persons who will seemingly be scarred for all of adulthood.  It’s not that they’ve developed an incapacity for truth nor a fondness for the frequency of fibbing.  No, in fact, I believe there exist multiple reasons for the deceit.

 

One, we might not like the truth; we might disagree with what they did and why they did it.

 

Two, the truth might make them look bad.  Who among us likes to look bad?

 

And three, sometimes it’s just easier to lie.  The truth can be too complicated.  In order for another to fully understand, there may exist too many details or too much complexity; hence, lying is simply easier to articulate.

 

The challenge, though, exists in what happens — in how we respond, what we believe — in interactions after the lie.

 

After a situation in which — regardless of reason #1, 2, or 3 above — in which our teens tell a lie, does that deem them never truthful again?  Does that make them incapable of telling the truth?

 

Of course not.  They probably still are typically more truthful than not.

 

Does that mean, though, that we should doubt everything they say?

 

Of course not.  They still have things to share, and we still need to listen.

 

But does it put their credibility in question — especially when the topics are trickier, the situation is more sensitive, and/or the potential consequences are more severe?

 

Of course.  Deceit and duplicity may be their default response when the circumstances become too intense.

 

And so I must ask:  what’s the difference between a teen and an adult?  Is it only teenagers who sometimes lie?  Is it only the immature?

 

Is it only teenagers who sometimes hide the truth because a significant rest of us might disagree? … because it might make them look bad?  … or the truth is too complicated?

 

I think one of the hardest things for us to wrestle with as adults is trusting the person who once has lied; harder still is trusting the person we believe has lied, even if the proof of their intentional fabrication was ambiguous at best.  That could be a grandparent or person in government.  It could be a person we know well or simply see on the news.

 

My point is this, friends…  “Once a liar, always a liar” is not a wise proverb.  The reality is that even a person who sometimes lies, still — most likely — tells the truth more often than not.  It’s not that the person who lied can never be trusted again; the challenge, though, is that his or her credibility is damaged because we can’t discern the exact moment of deceit.  The unfortunate reality also is, that “Lie once, lie again,” may be a wise proverb.  We simply don’t know when that lie will come again.  When the circumstances are more serious and the potential to look bad skyrockets, the potential for deception also increases exponentially… no matter the intelligence of the person… no matter a grandparent or person in government…  people will sometimes lie.

 

Sometimes teenagers lie.  And yes, so do gray-haired adults.

 

Respectfully,

AR

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a concerned citizen

Today the Intramuralist shares an interesting observation.  I’ve noticed something.  Put away your partisan hats.  Squelch any innate motive to passionately pounce.  Follow me here…

 

Each of us likes to claim we are honest and full of integrity.  Most of us believe we actually are honest and full of integrity.  But even the person who is not will still stake such a claim.  Sometimes they are aware they are not but they know the claim looks good/sounds good/is good.  Sometimes they are not aware.  And friends, intelligence has zero to do with the awareness of integrity.  As oft repeated amidst these posts, wisdom and intelligence are not synonyms.  I have a son who has Down syndrome, and while he may not score as high on some intelligence tests, he has incredible wisdom.  Wisdom is by far more important.

 

So I continue to wonder why administration after administration stakes the claim that they will be the most ethical… most transparent… and most responsible executors of government.  And I continue to wonder why administration after administration is not the most ethical… most transparent… and most responsible executors of government.  Again, no partisan pouncing; “administration after administration” includes all parties.

 

I am currently concerned about the extent of the Dept. of Justice and IRS scandals.

 

The DOJ privately sought affidavits — signed off on by Eric Holder, the Attorney General  — claiming they needed secret access into phone lines and computers, citing the potential criminal behavior of reporters.  The Associated Press, CBS, and FOX News each reportedly (thus far) were tapped; one reporter’s parents’ phone records were seized; the DOJ cited the reporter as a flight risk.  But there was no criminal suspicion; there was no probable cause; the DOJ unjustly scrutinized them — secretly.   The DOJ acted illegally even though they are supposed to be the administrator of justice in the land.  Questions:  who will be next?  Where else will the Dept. of Justice unjustly act?  Will we know?  Who in the administration knew?  This is alarming.

 

What concerns me as much — and what should unsettle every citizen — even though the DOJ activity is alarming  —  is the overreach of the IRS.

 

After the rise of the Tea Party in 2010, the IRS intentionally targeted conservative groups associated with either the party or 2012 election.  The tax-exempt status of those organizations was either delayed or denied.  Existing group status was upheld.

 

If you are no Tea Party fan, perhaps the overreach concerns you little.  Perhaps quietly somewhere in the back of your mind you’ve thought somebody should keep those rebel-rousing patriots in place.  Therein lies the problem… the fact that some thought it was ok… that our federal government secretly used their power to squelch the citizens’ influence… and the conclusion —  just like the Justice Dept. — that if it’s a conservative group this time, there will be a next time… and it may not be a group you dislike.

 

Back, no less, to what looks good/sounds good/is good…

 

There is no positive way to spin these scandals.  In regard to the IRS, we know that the IRS and White House have known about this scandal for some time.  We know that the two toyed deliberately with how to break this story to the public.  We don’t know exactly who knew what when, as the answers continue to be ambiguous.  The former IRS chief, Douglas Shulman, can’t tell us how it happened…  “I can’t say that I know.”  The acting IRS commissioner, Steven Miller, doesn’t remember who was responsible… “I don’t remember, to be honest with you.”  And Lois Lerner, the director of the IRS division that actually singled out the groups, pleaded the 5th Amendment before Congress yesterday.  She said she didn’t do anything wrong; but then again, she refused to testify.

 

These are seemingly intelligent people, friends — in both the IRS and DOJ — but from our limited perspective, they have not acted wisely.  Their actions continue to be disturbing.  They are not being ethical, transparent, nor responsible.

 

Hence, more questions:  what other motives are in play?  Who or what are they trying to protect?  Are they still claiming to be honest and full of integrity?  Or do they even realize they are not?  “NOT” is the key word.

 

Respectfully,

AR

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storms

With neighborhoods flattened and dreams blown apart, the pictures are both devastating and shocking.  It’s awful.  It’s hard to know what to say.

 

If I were to say anything, it would probably be something like this…

 

Life’s too short to take it for granted…

… we are promised no length to our days…

… we need to treat one another better and well.

(… we don’t always treat one another well.)

 

We never know from where life’s storms will come…

… we don’t know how strong they will be…

… some won’t be physical…

… and yet, man will never be stronger than the forces of nature.

(… do we ever think we’re stronger than nature?)

 

Here come the climate change claims…

… climate change, global warming, or insert the-most-politically-correct-up-to-date term here…

… there have been significantly fewer tornadoes in Oklahoma this year…

… the data always seems ambiguous…

… it also always omits any reference to a higher power…

… now is not the time for these claims.

 

Hopefully, too, the most important news stays the most important news…

… the destruction in the Sooner State is heartbreaking…

… the loss of life is paralyzing…

… especially the children…

… pause…

… the children.

 

Other current events remain significant…

… albeit paling in comparison…

… not even close…

… the overreach and abuse of the IRS…

… the overreach and abuse by the Department of Justice…

(… several are probably thankful for the diversion of the storms…)

 

Count your many blessings…

… name them one by one…

… count your many blessings…

… yes, see what God has done.

 

Yes, it’s hard to know what to say…

 

When all else crumbles to the ground, what will stand as our support?…

… what will we put our faith in?…

… will we put it in something that will actually last?

 

Or will we put it in something that can be flattened or God-forbid, blown away?

 

With prayers for those in the path of destruction…

 

… if I were to say anything…

 

Respectfully,

AR

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IRS questions

If you spend some time with me for a while, you will soon notice I have a few quirky quirks and even odder (albeit fairly creative) obsessions.  I even have a favorite form of punctuation.  I absolutely adore the question mark!

 

Question marks.  What other punctuation mark spurs on continued discussion?  What other punctuation mark encourages dialogue — and thus, solution and growth?  What other mark allows best for active listening?  The Intramuralist has lots of questions.

 

Most recently, we have lots of questions about the IRS…  the branch of the federal government that reports to the Executive Branch, that was intentionally targeting conservative and religious groups…

 

Who knew what when?

 

Who is responsible?

 

Why can’t the acting director inform us who was responsible?

 

“Why did the IRS await until after the election to admit wrongdoing?”  (… from NBC’s Lisa Meyers…)

 

How can the commissioner say that “it is absolutely not illegal”?

 

Why were liberal groups not treated the same way?

 

How are we to believe the motive was not political?

 

Is “not remembering” a convenient way of not admitting truth?

 

Who in the White House knew?

 

Is it possible Pres. Obama could not have known?

 

Why didn’t the President answer who in the White House knew?

 

Is it a requirement for the Press Secretary to be honest and transparent?

 

Or are all press secretaries simply poised to diffuse controversy?

 

How significant is it that all parties are outraged at the IRS activity?

 

Can we trust the IRS as an objective enforcer of Obamacare?

 

Is it concerning that Sarah Hall Ingram, who served as the head of the office responsible for tax-exempt organizations — during the time they targeted Tea Partiers — now serves as the director of the IRS’ Affordable Care Act division?

 

Is that wise?

 

And perhaps my number one question this day…

 

Is there a better case for limited government?

 

Friends, that’s not a political talking point.  My opinion is this…  as the size of any entity increases, so does the potential for inefficiency and corruption.  That’s a logical conclusion.  Too many people are seduced by the power; people are not all motivated by what is good.  I don’t believe that the unscrupulous behavior in the IRS was known nor directed by the entire agency nor entire Executive Branch; there are many aspects of which we are unaware.  However, the simple fact that the federal government has grown in size, stature, and massive dollar amount is reason to pause — knowing the potential for greater overreach and abuse is more likely in the future.

 

Respectfully,

AR