Congressman Seeks to End Program He Calls ‘More Dangerous’ Than IRS Scandal

The Daily Signal/The Heritage Foundation ^ | November 19, 2014 | Kelsey Harkness

[PapaNew]

Calling a secretive government operation to strangle politically out-of-favor businesses “more dangerous” than the IRS targeting scandal, a congressman with a background in banking is preparing to introduce legislation to kill the Obama administration initiative.

“I believe this activity is probably more dangerous and more disastrous than that of the IRS scandal because this is running people out of business for no reason and it’s harming livelihoods, incomes [and] families,” Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-Mo., said today in an interview with The Daily Signal.

Luetkemeyer, a member of the House Financial Services Committee, was comparing the Department of Justice’s Operation Choke Point to the Internal Revenue Service’s much-reviled targeting of tea party and other conservative groups.

Operation Choke Point seeks to cut off the financial lifeblood of payday lenders and other industries the Obama administration doesn’t like by pressuring banks to close their accounts with such businesses.

The government contends that Operation Choke Point combats unlawful, mass-market consumer fraud. However, a congressional report revealed that the initiative’s targets include legal businesses such as short-term lenders, firearms and ammunition merchants, coin dealers, tobacco sellers and home-based charities.

As a leader in the probe of Choke Point, Luetkemeyer within days intends to introduce a bill to guarantee a “safe harbor” for banks to do business with enterprises targeted by the Obama administration.

[PapaNew]

These stop-gap measures are like CPR in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. Necessary, but not sufficient. The best "safe harbor" is of course, the Constitution.

If the well-conceived Citizens for Self Governance Article V Convention of States doesn't yield satisfactory results, then it's up to the states to nullify such unconstitutional federal acts, protect their citizens from such unconstitutional federal acts, and prepare for financial independence from the federal government.

State nullification that means anything will almost certainly go hand-in-hand with financial independence from the federal government. That's where the REAL political battle will take place. We used to value INDEPENDENCE as evidenced by our founding documents, the birth of our nation, and our first 150 years as a nation. It's time to value FREEDOM and INDEPENDENCE from the federal government once again.

To be successful, a state that chooses financial independence from the federal government must cut its own state government and taxes substantially and let the voluntary cooperation of the free market economy do what it does best: create wealth. A state that does those things will soon be more prosperous and more financially sound than the bankrupt federal government. If tiny Hong Kong sitting on the edge of a rocky point with no natural resources can do it, any state can do it.

[arthurus]

It IS now u to the individual States. The Article 5 convention, no matter what it does and if its results are ratified, will be ignored by the Democrats. Once the Constitution is got rid of amendments to it don’t affect anything. This is the tipping point. Right now. I fear the Republicans are decrying it but are nudging it over the precipice along with their Democrat bosses. It is up to the Stats and to the Citizens. Whether nulification or any other effective opposition is possible depends now on whether the States will resist and the military will refuse to be used agains them.

[winner3000]

Wow. This takes abuse of power to a whole new level.

[Iron Munro]

Sort of like in 2012 when King Obama unilaterally shut down over 2,000 auto dealerships, stole the valuable dealership
licenses from mostly republican and conservative owners, and redistributed them to pals and people he approved of?

Without hardly even a squawk from congress?

[PapaNew]

Ping - thought you might be interested.

[EternalVigilance]

Good article. People better wake up.

[willyd]

Operation Choke point has been being used to shut down gun stores and gun related websites for the last couple of years. Smaller banks keep getting bought by the larger banks like wells fargo and Bank of America that go along with anti second amendment stuff.

We need to start moving accounts away from these banks. It is the only way they will start to listen.

[MeganC]

“Coin dealers” are targeted. Wow, that says a lot about Obastards’ desire to stop people from buying silver and gold.

[Osage Orange]

BINGO!!!

[TEXOKIE]

THanks for the ping. Indeed, I AM interested.