COMPARE
1) IRS 501C4: Social Welfare organization / not more than 50% of funds can be used for political purposes.
The original term employed was “exclusively” (1959) for social welfare purposes. The language was not officially changed but the term “primarily” came into play over time nonetheless.
2) IRS 527: organization must disclose name of donor political group.
In effect, there are groups that would prefer one classification rather than another so they won’t have to disclose the names of their donors. That is, IRS 527 groups have to disclose all the names of donors but not 501C4 groups.
Some of these groups are surprisingly political despite quite clear guidelines for what constitutes a purpose devoted to “social welfare.”
If the legal term “exclusively” were still insisted upon, these organizations could not hope to keep their 501C4 status and therefore would have to disclose their donors.
Even making fair allowance for the term “primarily” instead of “exclusively”, it is doubtful that the “purpose” of these conservative Republican organizations could meet the criteria; they are not primarily “social welfare” organizations, in other words, but they clearly have developed a significant political orientation.
Yet it is some of these very same groups that complain the loudest that the IRS is examining their activity and status too closely for comfort—and no wonder! They want to ignore the term “exclusively” altogether as though it never existed or ever served as a guide to the intention of any given organization for tax classification purposes.
Moreover, these conservatives are equally willing to gloss over “primarily” as though it’s merely a wish-washy word that includes anything under its umbrella–even groups that are self-evidently highly political rather than committed to social welfare in the usual sense–which is to say, in a non-political manner, as intended by law.
The rich are subverting and corrupting all legal definitions to suit their own purposes . . . not that there is anything shockingly new about the display of such tactics: wealthy elites–sometimes concealed, sometimes openly–carefully aim to enhance their own financial interests through all sorts of methods, both fair and foul.
RULE BY A NEW (SECRET) OLIGARCHY
And is it not ever thus? A powerful elite concentrates its fire-power on the rules of any regulatory agency that interferes with their accumulation of wealth.
No one dares criticize the many self-serving ways in which the richest families spread their wealth to achieve maximum political influence.
The wealthiest elites subvert the very purpose of a democratic nation to balance the interests of all Americans by not allowing any single elite or class to dominate policy for all the rest.
Never satisfied, the wealthy and powerful frequently try to expand their influence by escaping these regulatory parameters. They no doubt have hopes of riding high through life virtually unchecked.
They often try to override any attempt to regulate or limit their expanding influence, even though they say they know our society is supposed to represent majority rule. America as a nation is meant to be something more than merely a reflection of the wishes of the wealthiest families and corporations.
It’s not “We the Wealthy” but “We the People”.
In sum, conservative right-wing groups wish to hide from the American people the names of their biggest donors; such disclosure would expose connections they would much rather keep out of sight. Dare we ask why?
Such information made public would leave them vulnerable to the criticism of harboring ulterior motives. It would expose these organizations’ many ties to the Billionaires Boys Club.
t would reveal them as being at the beck and call of the wealthiest families and corporations in the country.
(if indeed the heads of some of these 501C4 organizations are not already part of–or at least have hopes of becoming part of–this “upper crust elite”, this newborn European-like aristocracy).
For the time being, the richest families can only play this shell game of deception by keeping hidden who is really funding these larger political efforts.
In short, they can now call black white and white black. Since the IRS is daring to look at their real purpose and assigned status, these groups now set up a huge cry and howl about how “unfair” they are being treated!
Gone the cry of yesteryear that the IRS needs to stop people from taking unfair advantage of the tax codes.
The latest news, that the status of several liberal groups was likewise reviewed by the IRS, is consistently downplayed or conveniently omitted altogether amidst their anguished howls of outrage.
THE TAX SYSTEM
Yes, the very same elites who set up the tax system in the first place to their own selfish advantage . . .
who get away with avoiding paying millions of dollars in taxes yearly,
who have more schemes for money-making and manipulating the tax system than you can shake a stick at,
they wish to play the part of the poor orphaned waif being threatened by the Big Bad Wolf.
All of a sudden, it’s the wealthy who are being treated unfairly!!
Give the American people credit for more common sense than that. Such “rich man” hypocrisy reeks of insatiable greed and crass materialism.
Such phony posturing does more harm to the moral fabric of America than the IRS’ “sin” they rail against with such vehemence and perfidy!
When have the millionaires and billionaires ever shown themselves to care about economic fairness for the American people as a whole?
When have the richest families and wealthiest elites ever cared about the ethical standards our country tries to uphold for all its citizens (not just the rich) and before the eyes of the world as well?
The richest families continuously exploit workers, perpetuate poverty, tolerate homelessness, and condone misery and despair, as the historical record repeatedly demonstrates.
The richest families destroy the environment, promote bigotry and racism, and make violent war (often unprovoked and undeclared) on other countries without the slightest qualms of conscience. Meanwhile, they accumulate jewels, art work, and all other kinds of luxurious items to an obscene degree.
They selfishly hoard ever greater amounts of cash, gold, stocks, and bonds for themselves . . . and then they howl like monkeys gone made if the media dares utter a word of criticism!
FOLLOW THE MONEY TRAIL
“Follow the money trail” remains a wise and necessary saying. Follow it well and then we will see who is really getting hurt by the IRS and who is only pretending injury in order to make political capital in Washington.
The rich always wish to secure their entrenched role as profiteers benefiting from the Status Quo, while all the time remaining actively duplicitous in claiming they are the injured party!
Think of the 10,000 ways in which the wealthy control and manipulate daily every aspect of our economic system to their own advantage!
This fuss they are raising is about protecting their money and power, their influence and control . . .
and ultimately their determination to have life go “their way” so they can achieve political omnipotence coupled with their unassailable economic autocracy.
