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Media culpable in IRS scandal

The IRS did not target conservative groups. Ninety percent of the media is owned by conservatives, so they can edit televised testimony on their programs any way they want. But if you actually watched the hearings on CSPAN, this is what you would have learned:

The IRS is mandated by law to look for political affiliation whenever an organization applies for a special tax status that only applies to “social welfare” groups. Political groups cannot apply for this special tax status. The IRA was doing its job looking for political affiliation. When Rep. Peter Roskam, an Illinois Republican, asked “How come only conservative groups got snagged?” IRS Commissioner Steve Miller answered: “They didn’t sir. Organizations of all walks and all persuasions were pulled in. That’s shown by the fact that only 70 of the 300 organizations were Tea Party organizations.”

Only one-third of the groups audited were conservative. No harm was done to any groups because the law allowed them to act as if they had the status while awaiting final approval. The only groups denied this special tax status were, in fact, progressive groups. Not a single conservative group was denied this status.

This is an ACORN story all over again. The right-wing media lies and most of America believes it because they don’t know any better. This is why it is more important than ever to support independent media.

John D. Morgan

Arlington Heights

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