An Elite openly stating that it is ok to break the law - If they agree with the law breaker
Last week, the Chairman’s Report, examined a poll done by Scott Rasmussen.
While it is not the complete answer, it provides a revealing look at a group of Americans he calls “America’s Elite 1%”, defined as people who make over $150,000 a year, live in densely populated areas, and have postgraduate degrees.
Here are some of the key results of the poll:
While it is not the complete answer, it provides a revealing look at a group of Americans he calls “America’s Elite 1%”, defined as people who make over $150,000 a year, live in densely populated areas, and have postgraduate degrees.
Here are some of the key results of the poll:
- The elite 1% represent 1% of the population and are extraordinarily influential.
- A heavy concentration of them went to one of 12 elite schools.
- About half of the policy positions in government and half the corporate board positions in America are held by people who went to one of these dozen schools.
- They are in power centers—Manhattan or D.C.
- They shape the mainstream media narrative.
- Regarding the issue of cheating to win an election, only 7% of all voters approve of cheating to win. That number rises to 35% among the elite 1%.
- However, among the elite group that talks politics every day, an astounding 69% say that cheating is a perfectly acceptable way to ensure that they don’t lose an election.
- Most Americans believe we don’t have enough freedom but over 50% of the elite and 70% of the politically involved elite say we have too much freedom.
- 70% of the elite trust the government to do the right thing and believe that we’d all be better off if they were in charge of making decisions for the rest of us.
Many readers of this Report felt that the poll results were disturbing but no one saw clear examples of this type of “elite 1%” thinking.
The headline of the March 25, 2024 article by Kenny Stancil that appeared on slate.com is: Why Biden Should Pardon the IRS Whistleblower Who Leaked Trump’s Taxes.
While my first thought was that the author couldn’t possibly be serious, it turns out that he was quite serious and made the following points:
The headline of the March 25, 2024 article by Kenny Stancil that appeared on slate.com is: Why Biden Should Pardon the IRS Whistleblower Who Leaked Trump’s Taxes.
While my first thought was that the author couldn’t possibly be serious, it turns out that he was quite serious and made the following points:
- There’s a strong moral case for President Joe Biden to pardon Charles Littlejohn, the former IRS contractor who was recently sentenced to five years in prison for leaking the tax records of Donald Trump, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and other billionaire tax cheats.
- It is only thanks to Littlejohn that we now know exactly how little the wealthiest people in the U.S. pay in taxes—and how much their squirreling away much-needed revenue through habitual tax avoidance is harming their fellow Americans. That’s a far more serious crime than the one committed by Littlejohn, who risked his freedom to expose a key facet of the rampant inequality subverting our democracy.
- Biden should pardon Littlejohn because it would be wrong to let the 38-year-old languish behind bars for revealing fraudulent, and in some cases illegal, behavior that was never prosecuted. But also because it’s good politics.
- To clarify, I’m not advocating that Littlejohn be pardoned strictly for political reasons. There are straightforward moral grounds for Littlejohn’s absolution: U.S. laws shielding tax information from public scrutiny are unjust; his actions benefited the public by revealing outrageous facts the ruling class would have rather kept hidden; and in any case, a five-year sentence for leaking this information is indefensible.
- Littlejohn’s unmasking of grotesque tax inequality, by contrast, was an attempt to make the U.S. more democratic, at considerable risk to himself. And that makes him one of the great political heroes of our time.
CONCLUSION
According to Mr. Stancil, it is alright to violate the confidentiality laws governing our federal income tax returns If the only people harmed are the rich.
He alleges, with no evidence, that Littlejohn’s leaking the federal tax returns was justified because it revealed the “fraudulent” actions of the wealthy.
Fraudulent? The Internal Revenue Code is one solid mass of exemptions, exclusions, loopholes, credits and other provisions that the ruling elite have created not just to influence people’s decisions and behavior, but also to benefit those who can and do make large political contributions.
People like Trump, Bezos and Musk know that the IRS is watching their every move. Unlike the rest of us, they have rooms full of tax experts guiding their every financial move. These experts are highly paid to make sure that their clients are getting every break to which they are legally entitled. But they’re also making sure that every deduction and credit they take is proper and can be defended if challenged by the IRS.
Political considerations made Mr. Trump a particularly appealing target. But even after his political foes eagerly analyzed his tax returns, no one has alleged that Mr. Trump cheated. They had to reluctantly admit that everything he did to reduce his tax liability was perfectly within the law. He paid exactly the amount he legally owed.
Mr. Stancil, you are opening a dangerous door. If it is OK to leak confidential data because someone thinks it accomplishes a greater good, where do you draw the line?
Would it be all right to leak the tax returns of all NRA members because someone at the IRS believes that citizens owning guns is dangerous? Would it be OK for someone at the IRS who is pro-life to leak the tax returns of everyone who donated to Planned Parenthood?
When we file our annual federal income tax returns, we include information about our finances that even others in our family don’t know and certainly no one else knows. People of all party affiliations and political persuasions are entitled to the confidentiality that current federal law grants them. Advancing either side’s political agenda is not a legitimate reason to compromise that confidentiality.
While many of us believe that Mr. Stancil’s recommendations are irrational, the comments on his article clearly show that many others agree with him.
The elites are saying it is ok to violate the law if they agree that your intentions are good.
If Littlejohn had leaked only the income tax returns of large Democrat donors, it’s highly likely that Mr. Stancil would not be advocating for a pardon, and would probably be attacking the five-year sentence as not being nearly long enough.
No wonder these elites don’t want to see the FAIRtax become law. Under the FAIRtax, individuals do not file tax returns of any kind and the only people that know how much you make and how you allocate it is your employer and you.
Mr. Stancil and your allies, if you want to increase taxes on the wealthy then pass the FAIRtax. While the federal income tax code is riddled with tax breaks for the wealthy, the FAIRtax makes the wealthy pay as they spend their wealth.
While the wealthy may spend millions of dollars each year and arrange their affairs so that they do not owe any income tax, there’s no getting around the FAIRtax. Just like all the rest of us, the wealthy will have to pay the FAIRtax on all their purchases of new retail goods and services.
The elite 1% and their minions like Mr. Stancil are frantically attacking the one real solution that allows us to remain citizens and not subjects, the FAIRtax. The FAIRtax is simple, non-invasive, but most of all, IT WORKS!
The FAIRtax also eliminates the elites’ ability to use the federal income tax and the IRS to bludgeon anyone who disagrees with them or who dares to disobey or even question their directives.
Please go to this link to invest in AFFT and help us pass the FAIRtax. It’s an investment in your and your family’s future.
THE SOLUTION—PASS THE FAIRTAX!
Why would D.C. pass the FAIRtax and give up this almost unlimited source of donations? The only way that they will is if the rest of us demand it!
Isn’t it time to end this ludicrous tax collection system and the IRS?
There is going to be a vote on the FAIRtax in the House of Representatives.
We now have the opportunity to force all Members of the House to show where they stand. They can:
According to Mr. Stancil, it is alright to violate the confidentiality laws governing our federal income tax returns If the only people harmed are the rich.
He alleges, with no evidence, that Littlejohn’s leaking the federal tax returns was justified because it revealed the “fraudulent” actions of the wealthy.
Fraudulent? The Internal Revenue Code is one solid mass of exemptions, exclusions, loopholes, credits and other provisions that the ruling elite have created not just to influence people’s decisions and behavior, but also to benefit those who can and do make large political contributions.
People like Trump, Bezos and Musk know that the IRS is watching their every move. Unlike the rest of us, they have rooms full of tax experts guiding their every financial move. These experts are highly paid to make sure that their clients are getting every break to which they are legally entitled. But they’re also making sure that every deduction and credit they take is proper and can be defended if challenged by the IRS.
Political considerations made Mr. Trump a particularly appealing target. But even after his political foes eagerly analyzed his tax returns, no one has alleged that Mr. Trump cheated. They had to reluctantly admit that everything he did to reduce his tax liability was perfectly within the law. He paid exactly the amount he legally owed.
Mr. Stancil, you are opening a dangerous door. If it is OK to leak confidential data because someone thinks it accomplishes a greater good, where do you draw the line?
Would it be all right to leak the tax returns of all NRA members because someone at the IRS believes that citizens owning guns is dangerous? Would it be OK for someone at the IRS who is pro-life to leak the tax returns of everyone who donated to Planned Parenthood?
When we file our annual federal income tax returns, we include information about our finances that even others in our family don’t know and certainly no one else knows. People of all party affiliations and political persuasions are entitled to the confidentiality that current federal law grants them. Advancing either side’s political agenda is not a legitimate reason to compromise that confidentiality.
While many of us believe that Mr. Stancil’s recommendations are irrational, the comments on his article clearly show that many others agree with him.
The elites are saying it is ok to violate the law if they agree that your intentions are good.
If Littlejohn had leaked only the income tax returns of large Democrat donors, it’s highly likely that Mr. Stancil would not be advocating for a pardon, and would probably be attacking the five-year sentence as not being nearly long enough.
No wonder these elites don’t want to see the FAIRtax become law. Under the FAIRtax, individuals do not file tax returns of any kind and the only people that know how much you make and how you allocate it is your employer and you.
Mr. Stancil and your allies, if you want to increase taxes on the wealthy then pass the FAIRtax. While the federal income tax code is riddled with tax breaks for the wealthy, the FAIRtax makes the wealthy pay as they spend their wealth.
While the wealthy may spend millions of dollars each year and arrange their affairs so that they do not owe any income tax, there’s no getting around the FAIRtax. Just like all the rest of us, the wealthy will have to pay the FAIRtax on all their purchases of new retail goods and services.
The elite 1% and their minions like Mr. Stancil are frantically attacking the one real solution that allows us to remain citizens and not subjects, the FAIRtax. The FAIRtax is simple, non-invasive, but most of all, IT WORKS!
The FAIRtax also eliminates the elites’ ability to use the federal income tax and the IRS to bludgeon anyone who disagrees with them or who dares to disobey or even question their directives.
Please go to this link to invest in AFFT and help us pass the FAIRtax. It’s an investment in your and your family’s future.
THE SOLUTION—PASS THE FAIRTAX!
Why would D.C. pass the FAIRtax and give up this almost unlimited source of donations? The only way that they will is if the rest of us demand it!
Isn’t it time to end this ludicrous tax collection system and the IRS?
There is going to be a vote on the FAIRtax in the House of Representatives.
We now have the opportunity to force all Members of the House to show where they stand. They can:
- Vote for the present income/payroll tax system or for the FAIRtax.
- Support the corrupt income tax and the IRS or eliminate it. It can’t be any simpler than that.
- Hide the true cost of their government or pass the FAIRtax and show everyone the true cost of government on each retail receipt.
- Support the largest transfer of power from government to the people, the FAIRtax, or not.
If Members think that the FAIRtax needs to be amended to address a problem, then they can propose the change. Don’t let reject the entire bill because it has a perceived “flaw” that can be addressed.
HELP BRING ABOUT REAL TAX REFORM AND STOP FUTURE IRS ABUSES
By contributing (investing) $10.40 per month, you help provide a financial base to AFFT. If you can make larger contributions (investments), these will be used not for salaries, as we are all volunteers, but for the needed updates to our economic studies which will be vital for all future years.
Please go to this link to invest in AFFT and help us pass the FAIRtax. It’s an investment in your and your family’s future.
HELP BRING ABOUT REAL TAX REFORM AND STOP FUTURE IRS ABUSES
By contributing (investing) $10.40 per month, you help provide a financial base to AFFT. If you can make larger contributions (investments), these will be used not for salaries, as we are all volunteers, but for the needed updates to our economic studies which will be vital for all future years.
Please go to this link to invest in AFFT and help us pass the FAIRtax. It’s an investment in your and your family’s future.