Don's Tuesday column

              THE WAY I SEE IT   by Don Polson  Red Bluff Daily News   7/09/2013

The Clinton nonprofit Foundation hypocrisy

 

 

Sometimes the utter hypocrisy surrounding tax-exempt groups by the left almost elicits laughter. For instance, perusing my June 14 Daily News, my sharp eye spotted an item on the “World Briefing” page. The heading, “Hillary Clinton turns toward nonprofit world”, almost suggested that the former First Lady, Secretary of State and possible future presidential candidate was considering an endeavor with Mother Theresa-like purposes.

The first paragraph fleshed it out: “As she considers another White House bid, Hillary Rodham Clinton intends to work in the nonprofit world on issues like improving early childhood education, promoting the rights of women and girls, and finding ways to improve the economy—a set of priorities that could inform a 2016 presidential campaign.” I’ll admit that those three issues could be addressed without government involvement, but not likely. Left-of-center, Democrat voters would have to admit that asking governments to do something, with some contributions (voluntarily or not) from American taxpayers, is highly likely. Unless, of course, she plans on the sainted Mother’s approach of soliciting small donations from far and wide and relying on volunteer help from those vowing personal poverty. Don’t laugh—it could happen.

Let’s see what else the news item revealed. Mrs. Clinton was certainly among adoring friends at the Chicago meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative, “basking in loud applause from admirers” noted the reporter. Good for her to provide “her most extensive description of her post-Obama” agenda; she has found “(her) home” on a “set of public policy initiatives close to her heart.” Further down the article, we find that those “public policy initiatives” include “overcoming the lines that divide us, building on what we know works … the need for private and public partnerships to tackle issues like economic and educational inequality, climate change, financial contagion and nuclear proliferation (that are) too complex and cross-cutting for any one government to solve alone.” Those Clinton’s—is there anything they can’t fix?

Is it gonna take a worldwide village, anyone? Remember the reporter’s note that these are “a set of priorities that could inform a 2016 presidential run.” You don’t say! Here’s where I’m confused. I sure get the idea that by turning the Clinton Global Initiative into the “Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation,” that there is a whole lot of tax-exemptin’ goin’ on, as well as political goals and efforts, enough to fill a whole wealthy tax-exempt foundation.

Here’s my point: the “B, H, and C C Foundation” is going to take its place along with the Tides, the Ford, the Kennedy, the Oppenheimer and the George Soros’s—the fabulously wealthy liberal-left benefactors of all crusades and agendas “progressive”. Is anyone in the media, on the left or any Democrat in Congress going to raise a peep about whether the Clintons are engaged in “social welfare,” avoiding partisan politics or disclosing the names of all the contributors to their Clinton Global Initiative or its new mutation (hint: they haven’t so far)?

No, they criticize only moms, housewives, working men and women, small business people and other conservative citizens trying to “peaceably assemble” to “redress their grievances” against government while avoiding the thugs and brownshirts of the left. Is “brownshirts” too harsh? I say, unquestionably, “brownshirts” describes the intimidating, violent jack wagons that used their street bully tactics against Prop 8 traditional marriage supporters, conservative bloggers, legal immigration advocates and, yes, union thugs beating up Tea Party demonstrators. Some whom you read on this page certainly try to intimidate conservative writers—as, for instance, the trash talkers that throw insults and names at this columnist and cherry-pick obscure supposed mistakes that were not mistakes. Such “tolerant” critics always seem to end by advocating this column be dropped, while the liberal writers, mistakes and all, will never discontinue their letters and opinion pieces.

By the way, if anyone was wondering, the Northern California Tea Party Patriots still lack approval for 501 (c) (4) tax-exempt status; we are among the groups represented by Jay Seculow and the American Center for Law and Justice suing the IRS. It was in outrage over the irresponsible spending of the stimulus bill in 2009 that many Tea Party groups started. Six trillion or so dollars of deficits represent futile attempts to “stimulate” the economy; business owners and job creators are hunkered down in fear of what else this bunch of tax, spend and regulate Democrats will foist on them next. Extremism, indeed.

IRS scandal myths/lies: 1)“It was a few rogue agents in Cincinnati.” No, the number approaches 100 and reaches all the way to the White House, where the top IRS lawyer repeatedly met top Obama people. 2)“The targeting stopped in 2012.” See: Tea Party Patriots still without approval above. Linchpins of Liberty, a Tennessee student-mentoring group, received, not approval, but another harassing letter in May 2013.

3)“Liberal groups were also targeted.” None have yet come forward with stories of delayed approval and intrusive questions. We were told on June 24 that some liberal groups were included but I’ll need more proof than a self-serving statement from the IRS. 4)“Absolutely no political motivations.” Laughably false, made up to cover bureaucrats’ rears.

5)“The case is solved.” Or so said Democrat Elijah Cummings. Many questions remain; nobody’s been fired; two officials have taken the fifth. There’s more to come!

Correction: The writer of the article cited last week was not Charles Kline. It was Dr. Burton Folsom, Charles Kline professor of history and management, Hillsdale College. The reader/critic is thanked.