IRS customer service leaves millions of calls unanswered

Have a question on your tax returns? Don't ask the IRS. 

As tax day looms, an annual watchdog report to Congress finds that the agency is falling short when it comes to answering Americans' questions about the convoluted tax code. 

The National Taxpayer Advocate found only 61 percent of people seeking to speak with a customer service representative last year got through to anybody -- leaving nearly 20 million calls unanswered. 

The report largely blamed budget cuts, and lamented the impact the poor customer service is having on taxpayers. 

"At the risk of vast understatement, it is a sad state of affairs when the government writes tax laws as complex as ours -- and then is unable to answer any questions beyond 'basic' ones from baffled citizens who are doing their best to comply," the report from National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson said. 

The study detailed how customer service has steadily declined over the past several years, including at its 400 "walk-in sites." In fiscal 2014, the office said, the IRS will only answer "basic" questions at those sites during filing season. And it will not answer any questions, "even basic ones," after April, even for filers who got extensions. 

"In addition, the IRS will discontinue its longstanding practice of preparing tax returns for low income, elderly and disabled taxpayers who seek help," the report said. 

Via: Fox News Politics

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10 in Union ‘Goon Squads’ Indicted for Violence, Arson in Philadelphia

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Ten members of a Philadelphia ironworkers union are charged with conspiring to commit extortion, arson, destruction of property, and assault to force construction contractors to hire union workers, according to the FBI.

The FBI this week said the members of Ironworkers Local 401  collaborated with allies who sought out construction sites that employed non-union workers, threatening  personnel there with “violence, destruction of property or other criminal acts unless union members were hired.”

So-called “goon squads,” including a group calling itself “The Helpful Union Guys” (or THUGs) went into action. Some “set a crane on fire and cut steel beams and colts” at a Quaker Meeting House construction site in 2012, according to the indictment. In 2010, union members assaulted non-union workers with baseball bats at another construction site.

In   2013, they “threatened the contractor of an apartment complex . . . if he did not hire Local 401 members,” the indictment said. As a result, “the contractor relinquished his profits and turned the job over to a union-affiliated contractor.”

Experts say such incidents go both underreported and unprosecuted.  National Institute for Labor Relations research has documented over 9,000 reports of union violence since 1975, of which “barely 3 percent . . . have led to an arrest and conviction.”

The institute noted that in many cases, police and company reports “indicate that the actual number of assaults, threats and property damage is tens of times greater than the news reports collected” document.

In the Ironworkers Local 401 case, four of the 10 defendants face minimum prison sentences of 35 years if convicted of all charges.

Via: The Foundry

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Fascism and Socialism: Still Not Opposites The Eurasian movement of Putin and his allies draws from both Nazism and Stalinism.

Editor’s Note: The following is Jonah Goldberg’s weekly “news”letter, the G-File. Subscribe here to get the G-File delivered to your inbox on Fridays.

Dear Reader (Including the trenchcoat-wearing FCC minister with breath like he’s been sucking a urinal cake looking over my shoulder, tapping hisBIC pen on his glass eye, and sighing every time I write something he doesn’t like)

I’ve got to bang out this “news”letter pretty quickly. I’m sitting in a too-small fake wicker chair at the coffee shop at the Broadmoor (one of my favorite hotels, btw). The time difference here puts me two hours behind at six in the morning. Plus, I don’t want the housekeeping staff to find the body in my room. If I didn’t need coffee so badly I would have taken care of that already. But one must prioritize. I think the high altitude here is making my brain itch.

FASCISM, AGAIN

Timothy Snyder has written the best piece I’ve seen on what’s going on in Kiev. It’s worth reading just as a primer. But it’s also interesting in other ways. I had not read a lot about the “Eurasian Union,” a proposed counterweight to the European Union, in much the same way the Legion of Doom is a counterweight to the Justice League. Putin and a band of avowed “National Bolshevik” intellectuals are in effect trying to put the band back together. Snyder writers:

The Eurasian Union is the enemy of the European Union, not just in strategy but in ideology. The European Union is based on a historical lesson: that the wars of the twentieth century were based on false and dangerous ideas, National Socialism and Stalinism, which must be rejected and indeed overcome in a system guaranteeing free markets, free movement of people, and the welfare state. Eurasianism, by contrast, is presented by its advocates as the opposite of liberal democracy.

The Eurasian ideology draws an entirely different lesson from the twentieth century. Founded around 2001 by the Russian political scientist Aleksandr Dugin, it proposes the realization of National Bolshevism. Rather than rejecting totalitarian ideologies, Eurasianism calls upon politicians of the twenty-first century to draw what is useful from both fascism and Stalinism. Dugin’s major work, The Foundations of Geopolitics, published in 1997, follows closely the ideas of Carl Schmitt, the leading Nazi political theorist. Eurasianism is not only the ideological source of the Eurasian Union, it is also the creed of a number of people in the Putin administration, and the moving force of a rather active far-right Russian youth movement. For years Dugin has openly supported the division and colonization of Ukraine.

Via: NRO

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ABC, NBC Highlight ‘Growing Outrage’ Over Arizona Religious Freedom Bill

The Arizona legislature just passed legislation allowing private businesses to be protected from legal action for practicing their religion. The bill, the Religious Freedom and Restoration Act, allows private businesses the right to practice their religious beliefs and refuse service to anyone, such as a gay couple, if they believe it would violate their religious conscience.

On Saturday February 22, both ABC and NBC framed the new legislation in opposition of religious freedom, with NBC’s Lester Holt calling the bill “controversial” and how “opponents dubbed it the right to discriminate bill.” [See video below.]

ABC World News host David Muir offered only a quick news brief on the story, but that was enough to show the network’s agenda. Muir peddled how there was “growing outrage over a new law that allows businesses to turn away gay customers if it violates their religious beliefs.” Muir did briefly mention that Governor Jan Brewer (R-A.Z.) hadn’t decided whether or not to support the bill before going on to highlight the opponents of the religious freedom bill:

Meantime, some businesses already deciding tonight. This pizzeria in Tucson now saying they won't turn away gays, but instead, legislators who passed the bill. 

While NBC’s Nightly News did provide a more complete story on the Arizona law, it still framed the segment against the religious freedom argument. Host Lester Holt introduced the segment, calling the legislation a “controversial bill” before turning to reporter Joe Fryer for a full story.

Fryer began his report by peddling the liberal line that the bill was “controversial” before hyping how “100 angry protesters sounded off outside the capital. They're upset with legislation that would allow business owners based on their religious beliefs to deny service to gays and lesbians.” For his part, Fryer did provide two sound bites from supporters of the Arizona bill, but the NBC News reporter surrounded them with rhetoric opposing the legislation.

Fryer then went on to use two cases, one in Oregon and one in Washington State to promote the agenda of the religious freedom bill’s opponents:

They point to laws around the country like Washington State where a flower shop was sued after not providing flowers for a same-sex marriage. And Oregon where last month the state ruled a bakery violated the civil rights of a lesbian couple after refusing to make their wedding cake.

Nowhere in the segment did Fryer explain why a Christian bakery may object to baking a cake for a gay wedding because it violated their religious convictions. Instead, he used the case as not an example of religious freedom but rather an argument against the Arizona bill.

After providing two brief clips from the bill’s supporters, Fryer claimed that “business is what may suffer, some argue if the bill becomes law.” The NBC reporter continued to promote the anti-religious freedom argument and showcased how “A pizza shop in Tucson is so upset with the bill it posted this sign: we reserve the right to refuse service to Arizona legislators. This comes nearly four years after Arizona passed a controversial immigration law that was signed by Governor Jan Brewer.”

ABC and NBC seem perfectly content arguing on behalf of the bill’s opponents and jumped on the left’s “outrage” and “controversial” nature of the bill rather than adequately include the religious freedom side of the debate.

Via: Newsbusters.com
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Best of The Week 2/21/14

It’s a look at the stories that have made the CNSNews.com Best of The Week.

Bulking Up on Bullets

The government accountability office has released a report that shows that the Department of Homeland Security has contracted to purchase over 704 million rounds of ammunition over the next four years, which is equal to a total of about 2,500 rounds per DHS agent per year.

The report claims the ammunition is for training and qualifying agents.

Pack of Problems

Qualified animal agents may be needed in Arizona. Stray packs of Chihuahuas are reportedly roaming the streets of some Arizona communities ready to snarl and yap at anyone who is unfortunate enough to cross their path.

Double the Marketable Debt

Scarier than a pack of Chihuahuas is the marketable debt of the U.S. government doubling.

The marketable debt of the U.S. has climbed by 106 percent while President Barack Obama has been in office, increasing from over $5 trillion at the end of January 2009 to over $11 trillion at the end of January 2014, according to the U.S. Treasury.

The marketable debt of the U.S. government includes all debt securities sold by the U.S. Treasury that can be held by individuals, corporations or other entities outside the U.S. government and that can be sold in the secondary market.

Via: CNS News
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ObamaCare Devastating Local Govt. And Public School Workers

Posted February 21, 2014

State And Local Officials Have Conceded That ObamaCare Has Forced Municipal Governments And Public Schools To Cut Hours Of Part-Time Employees. “Cities, counties, public schools and community colleges around the country have limited or reduced the work hours of part-time employees to avoid having to provide them with health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, state and local officials say.” (Robert Pear, “Public Sector Cuts Part-Time Shifts To Bypass Insurance Law,” The New York Times, 2/20/14)

Despite The Obama Administration’s Second Delay Of The ObamaCare Employer Mandate, The Hours Of Teachers, Prison Guards, And 911 Dispatchers Have Been Cut. “Even after the administration said this month that it would ease coverage requirements for larger employers, public employers generally said they were keeping the restrictions on work hours because their obligation to provide health insurance, starting in 2015, would be based on hours worked by employees this year. Among those whose hours have been restricted in recent months are police dispatchers, prison guards, substitute teachers, bus drivers, athletic coaches, school custodians, cafeteria workers and part-time professors.” (Robert Pear, “Public Sector Cuts Part-Time Shifts To Bypass Insurance Law,” The New York Times, 2/20/14)

• The City Of Medina, Ohio, Reduced The Hours Of Part-Time Employees From 35 Hours A Week To 29. “In Medina, Ohio, about 30 miles south of Cleveland, Mayor Dennis Hanwell said the city had lowered the limit for part-time employees to 29 hours a week, from 35. Workers’ wages were reduced accordingly, he said. ‘Our choice was to cut the hours or give them health care, and we could not afford the latter,’ Mr. Hanwell, a Republican, said. The city’s 120 part-time employees include office clerks, sanitation workers, park inspectors and police dispatchers.” (Robert Pear, “Public Sector Cuts Part-Time Shifts To Bypass Insurance Law,” The New York Times, 2/20/14)
   
• In Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, Hours Were Reduced For Part-Time Employees Such As 911 Dispatchers, Prison Guards, And Emergency Responders. “Lawrence County, in western Pennsylvania, reduced the limit for part-time employees to 28 hours a week, from 32. Dan Vogler, the Republican chairman of the county Board of Commissioners, said the cuts affected prison guards and emergency service personnel at the county’s 911 call center.” (Robert Pear, “Public Sector Cuts Part-Time Shifts To Bypass Insurance Law,” The New York Times, 2/20/14)

School Districts Across The Country Are Reducing Hours Of Part-Time Employees Because Of ObamaCare

ObamaCare Is Having “Unintended Consequences For School Systems Across The Nation,” According To A Connecticut Schools Superintendent.  “Mark D. Benigni, the superintendent of schools in Meriden, Conn., and a board member of the American Association of School Administrators, said in an interview that the new health care law was having ‘unintended consequences for school systems across the nation.’” (Robert Pear, “Public Sector Cuts Part-Time Shifts To Bypass Insurance Law,” The New York Times, 2/20/14)

Via: GOP.com

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More Scare Tactics: Al Gore brings climate change message to Kansas City

Al Gore has been known for his climate change warnings since the 2006 film “An Inconvenient Truth.”

But the former vice president, speaking Saturday in Kansas City, cited many more recent examples how heavy use of fossil fuels is contributing to extreme weather events and trends, in his view.

Gore filled a Westin Crown Center ballroom with a 90-minute presentation, using photos and videos to illustrate a litany of floods, wildfires, torrential rains, droughts, dust storms, rising sea levels and increasing world temperatures.

To those attending the Folk Alliance International conference, he noted examples of flooding in locations both remote and closer to home, such as in Manitou Springs, Colo., where high water barreled down mountain highways last year, carrying cars along with it.

Via: Kansas City Star

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Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2014/02/22/4843012/al-gore-brings-climate-change.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2014/02/22/4843012/al-gore-brings-climate-change.html#storylink=cpy

     

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2014/02/22/4843012/al-gore-brings-climate-change.html#storylink=cpy

SARAH PALIN BLASTS PRESS: YOU ONLY 'CRY FOUL' WHEN 'OBAMA'S BOOT IS ON YOUR NECK'

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin blasted the mainstream press for only holding President Barack Obama accountable when they are impacted by Obama's overreach and abuses, while not being watchdogs in nearly every other case.

"Lamestream calls for empathy, even outrage, for a First Amendment violation that's on par with all the abuse we've brought to your attention as Obama stomps on our Constitution," Palin wrote on her Facebook page after the Obama administration's FCC aborted plans to monitor the country's newsrooms. "You've IGNORED us, you've marginalized us, you've left us for 'destroyed.' But when Obama's boot is on YOUR neck you finally wake the h*ll up and cry foul? Good Lord."

Palin, who resolved before the new year to hold the "lapdog media" more accountable, posted her message on Facebook after the FCC backtracked on Friday and said it would not ask newsrooms to answer questions about how they conduct their news-gathering operations. As Breitbart News reported, Mignon Clyburn, the daughter of Fairness Doctrine proponent Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC), has been leading the charge on behalf of the FCC. 

Palin linked to a Breitbart News article about many of the Obama administration's abuses in cracking down on freedom of the press. Proving Palin's point, one of the only other times the mainstream press held the Obama administration to account was after revelations that the administration intercepted email and phone messages from mainstream media journalists for national security purposes. 

Via: Breitbart

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WV DEMS EXEMPT STAFF FROM MINIMUM WAGE HIKE

Last week, the Democrat controlled House in West Virginia passed legislation raising the state's minimum wage to $8.75 an hour, $1.50 higher than the federal minimum wage. The action is part of a nation-wide effort by Democrats to make a minimum wage increase central to their platform for the midterm elections. The increase didn't effect all workers, though. Democrats exemptedmany of their own staff from the wage hike. Businesses may have to pay the higher wages, but the legislature will avoid many of the consequences. 

From the legislative text, the wage hike doesn't apply to:

(18) any person employed on a per diem basis by the Senate, the House of Delegates, or the Joint Committee on Government and Finance of the Legislature of West Virginia, other employees of the Senate or House of Delegates designated by the presiding officer thereof, and additional employees of the Joint Committee on Government and Finance designated by such joint committee;

In other words, the legislative leadership can designate employees whom won't qualify for the minimum wage increase. If only small businesses had such an option.

In fact, the Democrat's minimum wage hike carves out exemptions for 19 different classes of employees. The wage hike doesn't apply to handicapped workers, seniors, state fire fighters, movie ushers, newspaper deliverymen, summer camp workers, college students, etc. 

There are economic reasons for exempting these workers from a wage hike. That the Democrats would push these exemptions, though, is at least tacit acknowledgement that minimum wage increases have negative economic consequences. The Democrat legislators themselves recognize that they would have to reduce employment if they had to comply with the wage hike. 

These 19 exemptions betray the political aspect of the Democrat's push for a wage hike. Businesses should do what they say, not what they do. 

Via: Breitbart

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REVEALED: Obama’s ‘Attack’ On Medicare Part D

The Obama administration is launching an “attack” on the Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D programs as part of Obamacare that will result in higher costs and fewer health care options for seniors, according to a U.S. House subcommittee.

The administration is quietly introducing “policies that would undermine the integrity and success of the Medicare Part D program” according to the subcommittee. President Bush signed Medicare Part D into law in 2003 to subsidize prescription drug costs for Medicare beneficiaries.

The Daily Caller has learned that the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Health will hold a hearing Feb. 26 in Room 2123 of the Rayburn Building entitled, “Messing with Success: How CMS’s Attack on the Part D Program Will Increase Costs and Reduce Choices for Seniors.”

The administration’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), a division of Kathleen Sebelius’ Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), recently introduced a new proposed rule on the Federal Register called “Medicare Program: Contract Year 2015 Policy and Technical Changes to the Medicare Advantage and the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Programs.”

The new rule “would revise the Medicare Advantage (MA) program (Part C) regulations and prescription drug benefit program (Part D) regulations to implement statutory requirements; strengthen beneficiary protections; exclude plans that perform poorly; improve program efficiencies; and clarify program requirements,” according to the Federal Register.

The rule states that it also aims “to implement certain provisions of the Affordable Care Act.”

The new rule’s stated desire to “strengthen our ability to identify strong applicants for Part C and Part D program participation and remove consistently poor performers” would give the Obama administration new authority to limit health insurance and prescription drug providers under the Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D programs.

Via: The Daily Caller

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