Disclosure vs Intimidation

[Trajan]

coincidence?

The IRS and the labor dept. within 2 weeks? Maybe, but that is some bad luck for ole Vandersloot......


July 19, 2012, 7:20 p.m. ET

Obama's Enemies List—Part II
First an Obama campaign website called out Romney donor Frank Vandersloot. Next the IRS moved to audit him—and so did the Labor Department.



This column has already told the story of Frank VanderSloot, an Idaho businessman who last year contributed to a group supporting Mitt Romney. An Obama campaign website in April sent a message to those who'd donate to the president's opponent. It called out Mr. VanderSloot and seven other private donors by name and occupation and slurred them as having "less-than-reputable" records.

Mr. VanderSloot has since been learning what it means to be on a presidential enemies list. Just 12 days after the attack, the Idahoan found an investigator digging to unearth his divorce records. This bloodhound—a recent employee of Senate Democrats—worked for a for-hire opposition research firm.

snip-

Now Mr. VanderSloot has been targeted by the federal government. In a letter dated June 21, he was informed that his tax records had been "selected for examination" by the Internal Revenue Service. The audit also encompasses Mr. VanderSloot's wife, and not one, but two years of past filings (2008 and 2009).


Two weeks after receiving the IRS letter, Mr. VanderSloot received another—this one from the Department of Labor. He was informed it would be doing an audit of workers he employs on his Idaho-based cattle ranch under the federal visa program for temporary agriculture workers.

The H-2A program allows tens of thousands of temporary workers in the U.S.; Mr. VanderSloot employs precisely three. All are from Mexico and have worked on the VanderSloot ranch—which employs about 20 people—for five years. Two are brothers. Mr. VanderSloot has never been audited for this, though two years ago his workers' ranch homes were inspected. (The ranch was fined $8,400, mainly for too many "flies" and for "grease build-up" on the stove. God forbid a cattle ranch home has flies.)

This letter requests an array of documents to ascertain whether Mr. VanderSloot's "foreign workers are provided the full scope of protections" under the visa program: information on the hours they've worked each day and their rate of pay, an explanation of their deductions, copies of contracts. And on and on.

more at-

Strassel: Obama's Enemies List—Part II - WSJ.com

 

[Luddly Neddite]

Oh look.

Yet MORE rw bullshit.

 

[Dick Tuck]

coincidence?

The IRS and the labor dept. within 2 weeks? Maybe, but that is some bad luck for ole Vandersloot......


July 19, 2012, 7:20 p.m. ET

Obama's Enemies List—Part II
First an Obama campaign website called out Romney donor Frank Vandersloot. Next the IRS moved to audit him—and so did the Labor Department.



This column has already told the story of Frank VanderSloot, an Idaho businessman who last year contributed to a group supporting Mitt Romney. An Obama campaign website in April sent a message to those who'd donate to the president's opponent. It called out Mr. VanderSloot and seven other private donors by name and occupation and slurred them as having "less-than-reputable" records.

Mr. VanderSloot has since been learning what it means to be on a presidential enemies list. Just 12 days after the attack, the Idahoan found an investigator digging to unearth his divorce records. This bloodhound—a recent employee of Senate Democrats—worked for a for-hire opposition research firm.

snip-

Now Mr. VanderSloot has been targeted by the federal government. In a letter dated June 21, he was informed that his tax records had been "selected for examination" by the Internal Revenue Service. The audit also encompasses Mr. VanderSloot's wife, and not one, but two years of past filings (2008 and 2009).


Two weeks after receiving the IRS letter, Mr. VanderSloot received another—this one from the Department of Labor. He was informed it would be doing an audit of workers he employs on his Idaho-based cattle ranch under the federal visa program for temporary agriculture workers.

The H-2A program allows tens of thousands of temporary workers in the U.S.; Mr. VanderSloot employs precisely three. All are from Mexico and have worked on the VanderSloot ranch—which employs about 20 people—for five years. Two are brothers. Mr. VanderSloot has never been audited for this, though two years ago his workers' ranch homes were inspected. (The ranch was fined $8,400, mainly for too many "flies" and for "grease build-up" on the stove. God forbid a cattle ranch home has flies.)

This letter requests an array of documents to ascertain whether Mr. VanderSloot's "foreign workers are provided the full scope of protections" under the visa program: information on the hours they've worked each day and their rate of pay, an explanation of their deductions, copies of contracts. And on and on.

more at-

Strassel: Obama's Enemies List—Part II - WSJ.com

So if he was working within the law, to bring workers, what's the problem? It sounds like a question of Mitt's companies lying to get cheap labor.

 

[hjmick]

 

[Si modo]

coincidence?

The IRS and the labor dept. within 2 weeks? Maybe, but that is some bad luck for ole Vandersloot......


July 19, 2012, 7:20 p.m. ET

Obama's Enemies List—Part II
First an Obama campaign website called out Romney donor Frank Vandersloot. Next the IRS moved to audit him—and so did the Labor Department.



This column has already told the story of Frank VanderSloot, an Idaho businessman who last year contributed to a group supporting Mitt Romney. An Obama campaign website in April sent a message to those who'd donate to the president's opponent. It called out Mr. VanderSloot and seven other private donors by name and occupation and slurred them as having "less-than-reputable" records.

Mr. VanderSloot has since been learning what it means to be on a presidential enemies list. Just 12 days after the attack, the Idahoan found an investigator digging to unearth his divorce records. This bloodhound—a recent employee of Senate Democrats—worked for a for-hire opposition research firm.

snip-

Now Mr. VanderSloot has been targeted by the federal government. In a letter dated June 21, he was informed that his tax records had been "selected for examination" by the Internal Revenue Service. The audit also encompasses Mr. VanderSloot's wife, and not one, but two years of past filings (2008 and 2009).


Two weeks after receiving the IRS letter, Mr. VanderSloot received another—this one from the Department of Labor. He was informed it would be doing an audit of workers he employs on his Idaho-based cattle ranch under the federal visa program for temporary agriculture workers.

The H-2A program allows tens of thousands of temporary workers in the U.S.; Mr. VanderSloot employs precisely three. All are from Mexico and have worked on the VanderSloot ranch—which employs about 20 people—for five years. Two are brothers. Mr. VanderSloot has never been audited for this, though two years ago his workers' ranch homes were inspected. (The ranch was fined $8,400, mainly for too many "flies" and for "grease build-up" on the stove. God forbid a cattle ranch home has flies.)

This letter requests an array of documents to ascertain whether Mr. VanderSloot's "foreign workers are provided the full scope of protections" under the visa program: information on the hours they've worked each day and their rate of pay, an explanation of their deductions, copies of contracts. And on and on.

more at-

Strassel: Obama's Enemies List—Part II - WSJ.com

So if he was working within the law, to bring workers, what's the problem? It sounds like a question of Mitt's companies lying to get cheap labor.

The "if he's got nothing to hide" bullshit was one of the left's biggest complaints about how bad Bush was, now it's your point.

Too fucking funny.

 

[Conservative]

not surprised that the two dumbest, cry-baby libtards on the board don't see that at the very least, the timing seems suspect.

 

[bitterlyclingin]

No tactic is too low down or too dirty to not be considered for keeping Obama in office. Do you actually think the felony charges the Obama Campaign lowered against Romney are dead? If Romney starts looking like the sure winner come September, Holder will see to it that Romney does the Feds perp walk in a timely manner before the election. By the time the charges are dropped after the election it will too late for Romney and the country. We won't recognize the America of 2016 because Obama has plans. Big plans. He's right, this will be his last campaign. By the time 2016 rolls around he will have had himself named president for life Obama.

 

[jgarden]

No tactic is too low down or too dirty to not be considered for keeping Obama in office. Do you actually think the felony charges the Obama Campaign lowered against Romney are dead? If Romney starts looking like the sure winner come September, Holder will see to it that Romney does the Feds perp walk in a timely manner before the election. By the time the charges are dropped after the election it will too late for Romney and the country. We won't recognize the America of 2016 because Obama has plans. Big plans. He's right, this will be his last campaign. By the time 2016 rolls around he will have had himself named president for life Obama.

Even if these accusations were true, the Democrats are strickly amateurs when it comes to the fine art of "dirty tricks" exercised by their Republican counterparts in presidential elections.

During the 2000 South Carolina Presidential Primaries, GW Bush surrogates directed a "smear"campaign against John McCain that marked "the lowest of the low points in modern politics. They claiming that:
- he had fathered a black child with a black prostitute (the McCain's had adapted andark skinned orphan from Bangladesh)
- he was a"closet" homosexual
- that his wife, Cindy, was a drug addict
- that he was a traitor after becoming a POW at the "Hanoi Hilton"
- he was the real "Manchurian Candidate"
- after years of being a POW, he had unresolved "anger/temper" problems that made him too mentally unstable to become "Commander-in-Chief" and make decisions involving nucleur weapons

 

[Quantum Windbag]

Remember Obama's enemies list?

President Obama's Enemies List

One of the people on that list is now the subject of two federal investigations.

Coincidence?

This column has already told the story of Frank VanderSloot, an Idaho businessman who last year contributed to a group supporting Mitt Romney. An Obama campaign website in April sent a message to those who'd donate to the president's opponent. It called out Mr. VanderSloot and seven other private donors by name and occupation and slurred them as having "less-than-reputable" records.
Mr. VanderSloot has since been learning what it means to be on a presidential enemies list. Just 12 days after the attack, the Idahoan found an investigator digging to unearth his divorce records. This bloodhound—a recent employee of Senate Democrats—worked for a for-hire opposition research firm.
Now Mr. VanderSloot has been targeted by the federal government. In a letter dated June 21, he was informed that his tax records had been "selected for examination" by the Internal Revenue Service. The audit also encompasses Mr. VanderSloot's wife, and not one, but two years of past filings (2008 and 2009).
Mr. VanderSloot, who is 63 and has been working since his teens, says neither he nor his accountants recall his being subject to a federal tax audit before. He was once required to send documents on a line item inquiry into his charitable donations, which resulted in no changes to his taxes. But nothing more—that is until now, shortly after he wrote a big check to a Romney-supporting Super PAC.
Two weeks after receiving the IRS letter, Mr. VanderSloot received another—this one from the Department of Labor. He was informed it would be doing an audit of workers he employs on his Idaho-based cattle ranch under the federal visa program for temporary agriculture workers.

Strassel: Obama's Enemies List—Part II - WSJ.com

 

[slackjawed]

Who can pretend to be shocked?

anyone?

 

[Wiseacre]

Idaho businessman Frank VanderSloot writes a check for to a Romney super PAC. On Apr 20, Obama's campaign names him and others to the 1st presidential enemies list since Nixon. Read about it in this link.

President Obama's Enemies List

What's that you say? No such thing, that's just RW baloney. Well then, maybe you can use this link to see what's really going on.

Behind the curtain: A brief history of Romney’s donors — Barack Obama

Then there's this.

snippet from this link:

IRS, Labor Department Audit Businessman on Obama

" VanderSloot is now facing persecution from the federal government. Kimberly Strassel reveals in The Wall Street Journal that two federal agencies — the Internal Revenue Service and Labor Department — both launched investigations of VanderSloot after his name appeared on Obama’s enemies list.

In a letter dated June 21, he was informed that his tax records had been “selected for examination” by the Internal Revenue Service. The audit also encompasses Mr. VanderSloot’s wife, and not one, but two years of past filings (2008 and 2009).
Mr. VanderSloot, who is 63 and has been working since his teens, says neither he nor his accountants recall his being subject to a federal tax audit before. He was once required to send documents on a line item inquiry into his charitable donations, which resulted in no changes to his taxes. But nothing more—that is until now, shortly after he wrote a big check to a Romney-supporting Super PAC.

Two weeks after receiving the IRS letter, Mr. VanderSloot received another—this one from the Department of Labor. He was informed it would be doing an audit of workers he employs on his Idaho-based cattle ranch under the federal visa program for temporary agriculture workers.

The H-2A program allows tens of thousands of temporary workers in the U.S.; Mr. VanderSloot employs precisely three. All are from Mexico and have worked on the VanderSloot ranch—which employs about 20 people—for five years. Two are brothers. Mr. VanderSloot has never been audited for this, though two years ago his workers’ ranch homes were inspected. "

Here's the link to Strassel's WSJ article:

Strassel: Trolling for Dirt on the President's List - WSJ.com

Coincidence?

Strassel acknowledges the investigations could be unrelated to VanderSloot’s inclusion on the enemies list. It reveals, however, the danger of persecuting private individuals for their political donations.

Remember the discussion we had recently about the Disclose Act? Yeah sure, it'd be great to know who's donating what to who. But do we also want stuff like this going on? Which is the greater transgression?

 

[boedicca]

We have a Thuggocracy in America now.

 

[Alan Stallion]

Remember the discussion we had recently about the Disclose Act? Yeah sure, it'd be great to know who's donating what to who. But do we also want stuff like this going on? Which is the greater transgression?

I was just thinking about this the other day, and this makes an important discussion. I've contributed money before, as well as public endorsements (my choice to be public on that matter), so my name floats out there under public disclosure.

We have a private ballot so people cannot bully us by how we vote, and we also vote in a way by money contributions, and of course those in positions of power can bully those who support a candidate or cause.

So while I'm inclined to initially support open disclosure and transparency, the blowback by those who would intimidate and threaten contributors makes me quickly back off fully supporting open disclosure and take second an third looks on the matter.

I'd be interested in the responses to this topic.

 

[boedicca]

The problem is not disclosure and transparency.

The problem is abuse of power by the current administration and their henchthugs in the bureaucracy, unions, and media.

 

[Alan Stallion]

The problem is not disclosure and transparency.

The problem is abuse of power by the current administration and their henchthugs in the bureaucracy, unions, and media.

Indeed.

 

[Wiseacre]

The problem is not disclosure and transparency.

The problem is abuse of power by the current administration and their henchthugs in the bureaucracy, unions, and media.

Hard to prove though, which is why I do think that we should consider the consequences of requiring public release of individual names who made PAC donations.

I do think that every political ad should be okayed by a state board in each state the ad runs. The ad should have to say who the ad is supposed to support, and the candidate should have to approve the ad before it airs. At least we can do away with the excuse that they have no control over what somebody else says in an ad.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

Remember the discussion we had recently about the Disclose Act? Yeah sure, it'd be great to know who's donating what to who. But do we also want stuff like this going on? Which is the greater transgression?

I was just thinking about this the other day, and this makes an important discussion. I've contributed money before, as well as public endorsements (my choice to be public on that matter), so my name floats out there under public disclosure.

We have a private ballot so people cannot bully us by how we vote, and we also vote in a way by money contributions, and of course those in positions of power can bully those who support a candidate or cause.

So while I'm inclined to initially support open disclosure and transparency, the blowback by those who would intimidate and threaten contributors makes me quickly back off fully supporting open disclosure and take second an third looks on the matter.

I'd be interested in the responses to this topic.

There won't be any response, I posted this a couple of days ago and was ignored.

 

[Wiseacre]

Remember the discussion we had recently about the Disclose Act? Yeah sure, it'd be great to know who's donating what to who. But do we also want stuff like this going on? Which is the greater transgression?

I was just thinking about this the other day, and this makes an important discussion. I've contributed money before, as well as public endorsements (my choice to be public on that matter), so my name floats out there under public disclosure.

We have a private ballot so people cannot bully us by how we vote, and we also vote in a way by money contributions, and of course those in positions of power can bully those who support a candidate or cause.

So while I'm inclined to initially support open disclosure and transparency, the blowback by those who would intimidate and threaten contributors makes me quickly back off fully supporting open disclosure and take second an third looks on the matter.

I'd be interested in the responses to this topic.

There won't be any response, I posted this a couple of days ago and was ignored.

Sorry Windy, I must've missed your thread.

 

[boedicca]

The problem is not disclosure and transparency.

The problem is abuse of power by the current administration and their henchthugs in the bureaucracy, unions, and media.

Hard to prove though, which is why I do think that we should consider the consequences of requiring public release of individual names who made PAC donations.

I do think that every political ad should be okayed by a state board in each state the ad runs. The ad should have to say who the ad is supposed to support, and the candidate should have to approve the ad before it airs. At least we can do away with the excuse that they have no control over what somebody else says in an ad.

I don't. Having a governmental board approve ads means censorship.

 

[Katzndogz]

Intimidation has been used by democrats before.

Prop 8 Donors Who Are Threatened File Suit

It works quite well. Just find out who voted against your pet interest and threaten them so much that no one else will do the same thing.