----- Original Message -----
From: Gary Johnson
Sent: Thursday, May 23, 2013 5:08 PM
Subject: The Real Problem
Friends,
If not for the fact that there are very serious
abuses of
power involved, the congressional outrage we are seeing about the Obama
Administration’s IRS
targeting of certain groups for scrutiny and harassment would almost be
comical. The same
goes for the congressional indignation we are seeing over the Department of
Justice’s secret
spying on members of the news media.
Don’t get me wrong. Asking non-profit
organizations what they
pray for and secretly obtaining and reading journalists’ personal emails are,
by any
reasonable measure, truly disturbing acts. But watching, day after day, as
congressional
committees drag bureaucrats into hearings and Senators and Representatives take
to the
airwaves to express their shock over such abuses, someone needs to ask the
obvious question:
Why is it even remotely surprising, much less shocking, that, when given power,
the
government will use it to the greatest extent possible?
That’s what government does.
Everyday, hard-working Americans are harassed by
the IRS.
That is not new. People in Congress can express outrage when that harassment
ends up on the
front page or happens to organizations they care about, but who is holding
Congress itself
accountable for a tax code they have concocted over the decades that is
designed to punish
some and reward others?? The legal weapons the IRS is leveling at specific
groups were
handed to the IRS by Congress.
And the “spying” on journalists? Well, Congress,
YOU enacted
and renewed the Patriot Act and other laws that say it’s OK for the government
to read
private citizens’ emails, secretly obtain phone records and track our
movements. And now
you are shocked that the Obama Administration would use that authority against
Fox News?
How about admitting that the Patriot Act is a
mistake, and
repealing it? That would be a lot more helpful than pretending as though you
can’t
understand why government abuses the power you gave it.
And if you truly don’t want the IRS to single out
certain
groups for special “treatment” -- good or bad, then remove the thousands of
loopholes,
subsidies and other manipulative provisions in the tax code that make the IRS
so powerful in
the first place.
With the abuses of government power that are
coming to light
in recent days -- abuses that ordinary Americans deal with all the time, we
must not let
Congress off the hook. With the encouragement of Republican and Democrat
administrations
alike, the politicians on Capitol Hill created the opportunities for those
abuses. We can
complain about government exercising the force of agencies like the IRS and the
FBI, but it
is foolish to believe that, when given power, government won’t use it -- or
abuse it. The
real answer is to reduce the size and power of that government.
The Our America Initiative is committed to doing
just that:
Reducing government’s size, cost, and power over our daily lives. Your support
is the key.
Please go to Our America Initiative today and contribute what you can so that
we can hold
the politicians accountable for the abuses they have created.
Thanks, as always, for your friendship and
support of liberty!
Governor Gary Johnson
Honorary Chairman, Our America Initiative
About Governor Gary Johnson: A two-term governor
of New Mexico
from 1995-2003, Gary Johnson has been a consistent advocate for limited,
efficient
government and personal liberty. As the Libertarian candidate for President in
2012, he
received more votes than any Libertarian candidate in history. An outspoken
pro-Constitution
libertarian, Johnson opposes American involvement in foreign conflicts with no
clear U.S.
interest. He opposes the failed multi-billion dollar war on drugs and demands
greater
transparency at the Federal Reserve. Johnson advocates cutting federal spending
dramatically
to achieve a balanced budget and make government live within its means without
raising
taxes. He believes real job creation and economic opportunity can be best
achieved through
smaller government and less regulation. The National Review rated Johnson as
"#1" in job
creation as governor. An avid skier and bicyclist, he has reached the highest
peaks on five
of the seven continents, including Mount Everest and, recently, Aconcagua in
Argentina.
OUR America Initiative seeks to broaden the
parameters of the
public policy debate in the national arena. We look to enlighten Americans
about civil
liberties, free enterprise, limited government, and the traditional American
values of
freedom and liberty. It is our aim to increase discussion and involvement
regarding
all-important issues of the day.
Our America Initiative | P.O. Box
1985, Salt Lake
City, UT 84110 | 1.800.662.9601
The OUR America Initiative is a 501(c)(4)
political advocacy
committee and may receive unlimited donations from both individual and
corporate donors.
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