GOP tantrum over phony IRS Scandal seeks to help tax dodgers by using programs for seniors.

The supposed IRS scandal targeting both liberal and conservative groups seeking tax exempt status for essentially helping candidates advertise and reach voters, has allowed Republicans a way to encourage tax dodging and defunding the much hated IRS. That in turn starves government of its much needed revenue stream. 

It’s so easy to tear things down, isn't it? When it’s your own country…well, that’s saying a lot.

Wisconsin’s House Republicans want to do just that, by cutting the IRS budget by 3%. But that’s not the ugly and devious part: They want to help tax dodgers by taking those IRS cuts...to fund programs for seniors. You can’t make this stuff up. Roll Call:

IRS Enforcement Cuts: The House voted to shift $10 million from Internal Revenue Service enforcement activities to programs that help seniors and other taxpayers. Overall, the bill cuts enforcement spending by 25 percent, from 2014 in response to the agency’s targeting of certain conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status. A yes vote was to reduce the IRS budget for catching tax cheats.

Voting yes, and pitting seniors against catching tax dodgers (I’m still trying to wrap my mind around this one): Paul Ryan, James Sensenbrenner, Tom Petri, Sean Duffy and Reid Ribble. Who comes up with this stuff?

Voting an obvious no, Mark Pocan, Ron Kind and Gwen Moore. Sadly, it's important votes like this that don't get any media attention. Party differences are dramatic. 

Democratic Rep. Mark Pocan votes to Expand Charter Schools Nationwide.

I'm not really sure what to think of the following vote by Democratic Rep. Mark Pocan, who jumped on the Republican privatization wagon to privatize public schools.

Here's how Roll Call described the bill to spend more on charter schools.

CHARTER SCHOOLS FUNDING: The House on Friday passed a bill (HR 10) to authorize $300 million annually through fiscal 2020 for charter schools in U.S. communities. The bill would provide grants to states for developing and expanding charter schools and for leveraging private loans for capital improvements. The nation’s 5,000-plus charter schools, which educate about 5 percent of the nation’s K-12 students, receive public funding but are freed of many of the rules that bind traditional public schools. In return, they are expected to produce superior academic results and show traditional schools a model for improvement. A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate.

Believe it or not, voting yes with the Republicans: Mark Pocan, Ryan, Kind, Sensenbrenner, Petri, Ribble. Someone needs to explain themselves. 

Big Ed talked with The Progressive Magazine's Ruth Conniff, who highlight what Scott Walker was up to and just how big a failure charters and voucher schools are:

Rep. Mark Pocan got the full Colbert.

It was a great, embarrassing and uncomfortable interview by Stephen Colbert, but Rep. Pocan handled it well.

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