Posted on 02/25/2009 5:40:26 AM PST by SeekAndFind
Hello friends at FR,
I have a question for all conservatives out there.
My friend ( who is a staunch conservative like me ) got laid off from his job as a financial analyst at Bear Sterns last year (the company imploded as you all know). He's been with the company for over 10 years. It has been 6 months and he could not find any suitable work. He's had several interviews with no job offers at all. He is 53 years old and finds it difficult to compete with younger workers ( even when he indicated his willingness to lower salary expectations ).
He came across an advertisement from the IRS and called the number. It seems that they viewed his background very favorably.
The job is that of Internal Revenue Agent and the IRS is looking for MANY such people nationwide.
Here's the job description :
--------------------------------------- INTERNAL REVENUE AGENT (COMPUTER AUDIT SPECIALIST)
WHO MAY BE CONSIDERED:
Applications will be accepted from United States Citizens and Nationals.
JOB SUMMARY:
WHY IS THE IRS A GREAT PLACE TO WORK?
We employ talented people in a wide variety of professional career fields. Not only do you get first class training when you walk in the door, your professional skills are kept sharp and up-to-date with specialized training delivered by some of the best instructors in and outside of the government. Far-reaching impact. Varied challenges.
Tremendous advancement potential. It all adds up.
The Large and Mid-Size Business (LMSB) Internal Revenue Agent is a professional accountant who examines and audits individual, business, and corporate tax returns to determine correct federal tax liabilities and conduct examinations relating to compliance with technical requirements imposed by the Internal Revenue Code.
LMSB Internal Revenue Agents are challenged every day. Challenges come in the form of research and developing issues and during communications with taxpayers. ----------------------------------------------------
It pays reasonably well and you are TRAINED to do your job.
My friend is desperate to get a job and feels that the description fits him well. His main problem is this --- he is a conservative who has been openly expressed his support of a flat tax, voted for men like Steve Forbes and Mike Huckabee ( who favored the fair tax ), and feels like part of the job description is harassing small business owners.
So, my question to the good people of FR is this -- can a conservative in good conscience work for the IRS ? How do I advise my friend ?
Thanks, I am all ears to any good advise ( please, no smart alec responses ).
Of course he can.
I am sure liberal lurkers will be watching this thread.
Sure, why not?
Does he think Conservatism supports the intrusion of government into people’s private lives?
The current tax laws are the current tax laws, like it or not. I don’t see a problem with taking the job.
I would say yes, absolutely.
The job profile appears to be business audit anyway, and he would probably perform a public SERVICE, if in any way his work could help keep a check on the absolutely disastrous way we have seen our financial sector being run!
It is hard to find a new job at that age, and if you have family responsibilities, then it is even worse.
I would say yes, all the way.
If he has an issue, he could look into the FDIC. I hear they are hiring like crazy.
The moral dilemma is - would you go work for the enemy in order to survive..
I would say yes, and I think it might even be beneficial to have a non corrupt person keeping an eye on things in there. As long as your friend is willing to blow the whistle, like the rest of us at our own jobs would have to be in cases of corruption, I would feel a little better having some conservatives there until we can eliminate the IRS altogether.
YES. I think it is much better to have a Conservative working in the Federal infrastructure, even at a low level, than having one of Comrade 0bama’s thugs.
we need honest people on the inside of the rip-off service to substantiate the need for a flat tax. he hopefully will have access to people like tom dasshole and even Mr geitner to see if they are even paying any taxes
Because he needs to feed his family and or support himself. Working a job one doesn’t always agree with doesn’t make someone a traitor or hypocrite as long as they apply their values to the job as much as possible. In fact it puts him in a position to effect changes in small ways when he can.
I worked for a union I seldom agreed with. It was that or nothing but I did things to change things around me like becoming safety steward to make things better and more productive for all.
Take the job. Keep voting for Forbes and Huckabee.
My argument with the government is not that there are taxes, but what they do with them.
Conservative to me means that we learn from history, not that we pretend that unicorns frolic with butterflies. Classical liberal means much the same thing to me as Conservative. The Socialists/Communists/Marxists ignore the failure of their nostrums in the past. Libertarians seem to be conservative, except for the druggie wannabes. I can usually make common cause with them by making a list of things to change first, since all things can not change all at once. We can usually agree on the first one or two items, and after that we can sometimes agree to watch, and see what next appears to be a priority.
As long as he starts with the entire Obama cabinet.
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