Posted on 06/20/2013 1:42:51 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
It wasn't so very long ago that the Obama administration was very loudly and pointedly agonizing over the dreadful impact that the sequestration-imposed, across-the-board budget cuts were going to have on both the economy and the federal government's ability to perform some of its basic functions — which doesn't quite explain why it is that union employees of the Internal Revenue Service are about to receive $70 million in bonuses that were supposed to have been cancelled.
The apparent deal with the National Treasury Employees Union is scheduled for Wednesday and was made public by Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa. …
Grassley says the bonuses should be canceled under an April directive from the White House budget office.
The directive was written by Danny Werfel, a former budget official who has since been appointed acting IRS commissioner. …
In a letter to Werfel on Tuesday, Grassley said the IRS notified the employee union March 25 that it intended to reclaim about $75 million that had been set aside for discretionary employee bonuses. However, Grassley said, his office has learned that the IRS never followed up on the notice. Instead, Grassley said, the IRS negotiated a new agreement with the bargaining unit to pay about $70 million in employee bonuses.
“While the IRS may claim that these bonuses are legally required under the original bargaining unit agreement, that claim would allegedly be inaccurate,” Grassley wrote. “In fact, the original agreement allows for the re-appropriation of such award funding in the event of budgetary shortfall.”
Mmm hmm. Paul Ryan had some choice words about the situation on Fox News this morning, and as he points out, this is merely another example of the dangerous inertia of big government, via the WFB:
Look, what we’re seeing is the arrogance and abuse of big government. We are seeing big government in practice. We know from our IRS investigation already from the Ways and Means Committee that this wasn’t a few rogue agents in Cincinnati. This is a systemic pattern of abuse of power directed from Washington by the IRS targeting people based upon their political and religious beliefs. And now they’re going to get $70 million of bonuses at a time when government agencies are getting cuts, at a time when we’re doing furloughs at the Pentagon and other places. It’s outrageous. Hard working taxpayers deserve better than this. Unfortunately, as I mentioned, this is what big government looks like if practice. Now they’re going to get our healthcare records. Now IRS, come October, is going to be more in charge of our health care system.
This is like in a large company...the irs is the revenue center and the military is like IT, a cost center...lol
Harrassement bonuses
Big talk from Paul Ryan! Well Congressman...what the hell are you going to do about it??? It’s one thing when guys like me bemoan this type of abuse...I have no power to do anything else. But you do! i hate when guys like you run to the tv camera to point out how abusive our bloated gov’t is and then do absolutely NOTHING about it!
Couldn’t agree with you more pgkdan!
“Hey Paul, talk is cheap!” “Either do something about it or shut yer piehole!”
Tax collectors must remain happy, they are NObama’s revenue generators. He doesn’t need the military, quite the contrary.
This guy was softer than Charmin when he had the chance to mop the floor with Pluggs.
Ryan - another in a long list of disappointments.
Oooh, Paul Ryan. What a spendthrift.
What is there that anyone in the IRS can do that would justify a bonus? It’s just insane.
RE: What is there that anyone in the IRS can do that would justify a bonus? It’s just insane.
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In the case of the IRS, the incentive is — “How many businesses and individuals have you squeezed more money out of?”
How do you expect these agents to enthusiastically go about enforcement unless you give them a an “enforcement quota”?
The more people the agents harass and intimidate, the more money the IRS gets and this of course means higher bonuses.
This is very similar to the traffic ticket officers of any big city. They have a quota to fill, the more tickets the issue, the bigger bonus they get.
Now, if the GOP Congress really is worth their salt, they would put a stop to this by BANNING bonuses for the IRS.
RE: Oooh, Paul Ryan. What a spendthrift.
Anybody still support his “Path to Prosperity” plan? Or have we all forgotten it and moved on?
And the White House is closed to tours!
Boy did I despise his bloated budget plan. Caught a lot of flak here for that!
RE: And the White House is closed to tours!
While Obama and Michelle go on a, 8 day, $100 Million dollar African tour.
http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/obamas-family-trip-africa-cost-60-100-million_735195.html
Those creeps get bonuses and our military has their food rations cut. I am sick, sick of this. Its getting closer to the time when the shoe drops.
It makes sense. The IRS collects taxes and gives the government money to spend; a great a noble cause. The military just waste the money they get on the defense of the nation. Thus the IRS should get bonuses, while those useless, parasitic war-mongering military active duty and the mercenary civilians that help them destroy nations and kill people, should be permanently furloughed. (Sarcasm)
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