Don's Tuesday column

            THE WAY I SEE IT   by Don Polson  Red Bluff Daily News   7/16/2013

   Liberal tax-exempts: fast ok, left agenda

After examining, sorting and prioritizing the dozens of articles providing thoughts and column material back in late June—as I furiously wrote columns to run during my summer trip—I found it fascinating to consider the flip side of the tax-exempt, nonprofit world: those on the political left. President Obama’s half-brother, Malik, has a Kenyan nonprofit with Obama’s prominently displayed name. Obama’s “Organizing for Action,” little more than a slight mutation of “Organizing for Obama/America,” is devoted to the political goal of supporting Obama at every turn. Plus, the multitude of tax-exempt groups formed for clearly partisan, political (or cultural) leftist causes.

The Barack H. Obama Foundation began soliciting and accepting donations as a nonprofit in December 2009. It had no, zero, applications submitted or pending with the IRS until late in May 2011, when filings hurriedly appeared for the previous 2 ½ years, 29 months actually. Approval took a relative “New York minute” in IRS time and, less than 5 weeks later, voila! Tax-exempt approval was not only granted, but also backdated to December 2009, the foundation’s inception. Funny thing, though: “It is illegal to operate for longer than 27 months without an IRS determination and solicit tax deductible contributions.” So what was illegal became magically legal, at the hands of the IRS official, one Lois “I’ll-get-your-tea-party-and-all-your-little-friends-too” Lerner. Remember that if you hear about Tea Party groups that lost access to valuable grants from private parties due to the dragged-out IRS process.

So it was with Obama’s group, Organizing for Action (OFA), which submitted application earlier this year (web site: BarackObama.com) to be the virtual shock troops agitating in support of ObamaCare. “Social welfare,” doncha know. It’s worth looking closer; type, “So how did Obama’s organizing for action get IRS 501(c)(4) approval so quickly?” You don’t need caps and you can stop typing after “501”; you’ll see the “jammiewf.com” link.

Specifically, their application was submitted in January and approved in February—now that’s (IR) service. Working arm-in-arm in that glorious cause is Enroll America, a 501 (c)(3) when it started in 2010. OFA and Enroll America are so devoted to promoting ObamaCare, that HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius was emboldened to break the law (as if Eric Holder will care) by soliciting “donations” from major health industry firms to go directly to those groups. Curiously, Enroll’s board chairman, Ron Pollack, headed up Families USA, a nonprofit that “was intimately involved in passing ObamaCare—a law that helped the group’s revenues soar from $4.3 million in 2010 to $11 million in 2011.” Other principals in Enroll America: Anne Filipic, former White House pr hack, and Chris Wyant, Obama’s 2012 campaign boss in Ohio.

“Politico reported these ties months ago. Has any IRS official shown an interest? Politico: ‘several former White House staffers have found a new way to promote ObamaCare. They’re spending millions in secret corporate and union cash and they’re harnessing grass-roots tactics to some of the biggest names in the health-care industry.’” (“O’s nonprofit pals” NY Post, Scott Walker, May 2013)

Liberal “tax-exempt” groups include: “Bus for Progress,” a New Jersey non-profit whose mission includes “support (for) progressive politicians.” Approved April 2011.

“Missourians Organizing for Reform and Empowerment” says it fights against corporate welfare and for increasing the minimum wage; it endured only 9 months of a “simple, straightforward process.” Not-so-tough going compared to their conservative counterparts.

“Progress Florida” was granted tax-exempt status in January 2011 and is lobbying the Florida Legislature to expand Medicaid under a provision of the Affordable Care Act. Smooth gig loading up the cart that the rest of us are pulling. (ref: “IRS approved liberal groups while Tea Party in limbo,” USA TODAY, Gregory Korte)

Conservative, former Justice Department lawyer and whistleblower, J. Christian Adams, wrote in June “Leftist Groups Enjoy IRS Tax-Exempt Status While Tea Party Suffers” at Brietbart.com (search by title). He reviewed how “just eight of those leftist, tax-exempt activist groups demonstrate the IRS’s hypocrisy.” “Americans United for Change” exists “to amplify the progressive message … (and) a grass roots groundswell for progressive policies.” They apparently considered it “nonpartisan” to run television ads against Republican Senators facing reelection in 2008. “New World Foundation” uses industrialist Cyrus McCormick’s inheritance to fund leftist activist groups. Tax-exempt “Fierce” employs Saul Alinsky tactics to advance activist gay issues.

“Ruckus Society” is part of the Occupy Movement and accepts tax-deductible donations to its charitable 501 (c)(3), George Soros-funded group. Providing “tools, training and support” to “environmental, human rights and social justice organizers,” led to leading a 1,000-person mob, together with tens of thousands of other leftist loons, to the Port of Oakland, shutting it down for the night, trespassing and criminally disrupting lives, jobs and commerce. Another Soros-funded tax-exempt, “Women’s Action for New Directions” with their overt political mission of anti-American-military activities, passes itself off as “Empowering women to stop violence through the legislature.”

Look up the article to read about “Black Alliance for Just Immigration,” “Brennan Center for Justice” and “Voto Latino,” all charitable 501 (c)(3)s, not doing much actual charity.