FROM The Crux

A new Congress has been seated, and it brings the prospect of perhaps, maybe, potentially, in a possible way doing something about the runaway federal deficits. And in other news, several New York area bridges are for sale, which you can acquire at a bargain price.

• IRS Restructuring Act of 1998: Section 1203 - Termination of Employment for Misconduct
• IG Report: IRS illegally using audit quotas to measure agent performance

10/23/14 FROM The Hill

A federal judge on Thursday ordered the IRS to detail under oath how some of former agency official Lois Lerner’s emails went missing, as well as any potential methods for recovering them.

Judge Emmet Sullivan of the U.S. District Court in Washington gave the Internal Revenue Service exactly a month — until Aug. 10 — to file a report, which he demanded as part of a lawsuit from a conservative watchdog, Judicial Watch, against the agency.

Judicial Watch is seeking a wide range of documents from the IRS, including Lerner’s emails, as part of a Freedom of Information Act request. It has complained that the IRS didn’t tell it that the agency couldn’t recover all of Lerner’s emails from 2009 to 2011.

Sullivan cast his ruling as a compromise, and a potential way for Judicial Watch to get answers without the court wading any deeper into the matter. Judicial Watch had asked the court to potentially compel IRS officials to testify about the lost emails, through a process called limited discovery.

REPEAL Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1984

(Pub.L. 98–473, S. 1762, 98 Stat. 1976, enacted October 12, 1984)

Senate Bill 1762:

• Civil forfeiture in the United States
• Methods
• Critics

Title III: Forfeiture - Comprehensive Forfeiture Act of 1984 - Amends the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Statute (RICO) to specify that property subject to forfeiture for racketeering activity includes: (1) all proceeds obtained directly or indirectly from racketeering activity; and (2) real and tangible and intangible personal property.

Makes property forfeitable to the United States upon the commission of the act giving rise to forfeiture. Permits the forfeiture of property which has been transferred to a third party, but includes a provision protecting innocent bona fide purchasers.

Authorizes a court to order the forfeiture of substitute assets of the defendant where the original property cannot be located or traced.

Authorizes a court to take appropriate action preserving the availability of property during the pre-indictment period effective for up to 90 days. Specifies the circumstances under which a temporary restraining order may be entered without notice to the affected party.

Authorizes the Attorney General to grant petitions for remission or mitigation of forfeiture. Allows the Attorney General to establish regulations governing the restitution and disposition of forfeited property.

Amends the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970 to establish general criminal forfeiture provisions for felony violations under titles II and III. Includes provisions similar to the RICO amendments of this Act, relating to property subject to forfeiture, third party transfers, asset substitution, pre-indictment orders, and disposition of property.

Creates a rebuttable presumption of forfeitability of certain property.

Authorizes a court to issue a warrant authorizing the seizure of property subject to forfeiture in the same manner provided for a search warrant, if other injunctive relief would not assure the availability of the property.

Provides that a criminal forfeiture proceeding shall stay any civil forfeiture proceeding with respect to the same property.

Sets forth procedures for an ancillary hearing to resolve third party claims. Makes it unlawful to invest the income of a felony drug violation.

Permits the forfeiture action to be brought in the district in which the defendant is found or is being prosecuted.

Amends the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970 to allow the Attorney General to transfer drug-related forfeited property to other Federal, State or local agencies.

Establishes within the United States Treasury, the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund to pay for maintenance of forfeited property, awards to informants, and valid liens and mortgages against such property.

Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to provide for the seizure of vessels, vehicles, merchandise or baggage valued at $100,000 or less. Requires written notice of such seizure to all interested parties. Increases the surety bond for any person claiming interest in the seized property to $5,000, or ten percent of the value of the claimed property, whichever is less.

Establishes in the Treasury the Customs Forfeiture Fund to pay for maintenance of forfeited property and awards to informants.

Requires the deposit in such Fund of all proceeds from the sale and disposition of property forfeited under custom law.

Allows for the retention of forfeited property for official use or for transfer to other Federal, State or local governmental agencies assisting in related Federal law enforcement.

Increases from $50,000 to $150,000 the award of compensation given to informers for information leading to forfeiture.

Grants customs officers arrest authority and the right to carry firearms.

Repeals provisions of the Internal Revenue Code dealing with customs officers' law enforcement authority to conform to this Act.

Provides that seizures of property effected by customs officers shall be governed by this Act.

FROM Project to RESTORE AMERICA

The FairTax is a consumption tax unilaterally applied to all Americans at the same rate. For businesses, payroll taxes would no longer exist. Our exports would include a heavy tax for overseas buyers purchasing our products, while our imports would be cheaper for us to purchase. I'm not sure how this would affect GDP, as more information is necessary.

According to the FairTax website, "Under the FairTax, every person living in the United States pays a sales tax on purchases of new goods and services, excluding necessities due to the prebate." The prebate gives every legal resident household an "advance refund" at the beginning of each month so that purchases made up to the poverty level are tax-free.

So a family of four making something like $50,000/year should not have to pay taxes, thus preventing an unfair burden on low-income families. Since the FairTax eliminates both federal and payroll taxes, you get to keep your gross pay amount of each paycheck earned.

Why Do We Need Term Limits?

John Adams said, “Without [term limits] every man in power becomes a ravenous beast of prey”. That being said, here are some of the reasons we believe our country needs Term Limits.

1. Term Limits can help break the cycle of corruption in Congress. Case studies show that the longer an individual stays in office, the more likely they are to stop serving the public and begin serving their own interests.
2. Term Limits will encourage regular citizens to run for office. Presently, there is a 94% re-election rate in the House and 83% in the Senate. Because of name recognition, and usually the advantage of money, it can be easy to stay in office. Without legitimate competition, what is the incentive for a member of Congress to serve the public? Furthermore, it is almost a lost cause for the average citizen to try to campaign against current members of Congress.
3. Term Limits will break the power special interest groups have in Congress.
4. Term Limits will force politicians to think about the impact of their legislation because they will be returning to their communities shortly to live under the laws they enacted.
5. Term Limits will bring diversity of people and fresh ideas to Congress.

Term limits for lawmakers: when is enough, enough?

[Editor's Note: If you want to get rich, i.e. advance from a low paying government bureaucrat job on the local or state level, THEN GET ELECTED TO THE US CONGRESS (House or Senate). Once you're elected, it's easy to steal from your campaign contributions or the Congressional budget allocated to your seat and staff. You can go on a government-funded junket with 'lavishly' paid expenses. The list of ways to steal from the government while in office is inexhaustible. There are only a few Congressmen who left Congress just wealthy instead of a multi-millionaire. Of course, there are several who arrived in Congress as multi-millionaires and don't need to steal from the government.]