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. 

Wisconsin Cheese gets Democratic Action from Baldwin and Kind, but nothing from Republican Congressmen Ryan, Duffy, Sensenbrenner, Ribble, and Petri!!!

A farmers best friend? Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin and Rep. Ron Kind.

In yet another example of getting stiffed by the GOP. Farmers who typically vote Republican aren't getting any help from their rural lawmakers in D.C. over the future of aged cheeses in their state and from around the world. It’s no surprise though, since my conservative friend in Milwaukee is absolutely beside himself over the imperial presidency, Benghazi, Bergdahl and ObamaCare. Those are real issues Americans are more concerned with.

Cheese Aged on Wood needs defending. And missing in action is Dumb Ron Johnson, Rep. Ryan, Ribble, Sensenbrenner, Duffy, and Petri. What do rural farmers see in these farm bill delaying freeloaders?

The Cheese/Wood FDA Threat, WSJ: 

Wooden boards, which have been an integral part of aging cheeses, were called unsanitary by an FDA official. The future of many cheese operations in Wisconsin and elsewhere and the unique tastes of popular cheeses like aged cheddar and Parmesan are hanging in the balance.

One problem; "Cheese-making is a long and involved process that makes use of bacteria, enzymes and naturally formed acids to solidify milk proteins and fat and preserve ..."

Dangerous?

Marianne Smukowski of the UW-Madison Center of Dairy Research. “And none have been traced back to aging cheese on wood boards.” 

Baldwin and Kind: Democrats continue to pay attention to the job of governing and problem solving: 

According to John Umhoefer, the executive director of the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association. “This is not a fad. This is the way that it’s done,” he said. He added that U.S. Rep. Ron Kind, R-La Crosse, already has contacted him to express his concern and support for the cheese producers. Umhoefer said cheese producers from around the world are concerned because the FDA ruling also will limit all cheese imported into the United States.

Chris Roelli, owner of the Roelli Cheese Haus in Shullsburg said that representatives from the office of Sen. Tammy Baldwin contacted him ... (he) uses wooden boards to age 85 percent of its cheeses. Roelli said. “The political powers should get behind us because it’s so important to the state’s dairy industry, which is a very powerful industry in this state with the jobs and the economic impact it has. This is very serious stuff.”

Republicans leave town letting Student Loan Rates to Double. Democratic Rep. Ron Kind and Sen. Elizabeth Warren try to prevent GOP plan to profit of Students.

They're gone. The 4h of July holiday started a week in advance for our freeloading do nothing Republican politicians. 

They're scaring families across America with their free market stunt to rake in interest profits for banks by tying the percentage to the market. Hey, somebody should make something off our future business owners and employees.

I should also note that our own state Republicans froze tuition in the state due to recent UW surpluses in an attempt to portraying themselves as the great protectors of family budgets, when if fact it was just another way to cut funding to the UW. If they're honestly concerned, why allow the doubling of interest rates? This really is all just a troubling game to them.

Rep. Ron Kind has been on this for some time, releasing this call to action today:

Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI) called on House majority leaders to cancel the upcoming holiday recess and take action to prevent the doubling of student loan interest rates. If Congress does not act this week, interest rates on federally subsidized Stafford student loans will jump from 3.4% to 6.8% on July 1st.

“It’s no wonder that Americans across the country have such a low opinion of Congress, if some members can’t even agree that affordable education is good for the economy and good for the future prosperity of our country. Congress should not leave town for recess and allow more students to fall into a financial bind,” continued Kind. 

“Even worse, the Republican plan to address this issue would have made our students pay even higher interest rates, putting them deeper in debt. I voted against that plan because it’s just not fair to use our students’ money to pay down our national debt.”

Earlier this month, Rep. Kind signed a discharge petition—a procedural motion that frees up a bill that has been blocked in a Congressional committee—to force an up or down vote on the Student Loan Relief Act, a bill that would extend the 3.4% interest rate on Stafford loans until July 1, 2015.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren had the best idea, that never got any traction:

Huffington Post: Legislation from Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) to reform the federal college loan program has garnered more support than any other proposal, with six more college presidents now endorsing her plan to dramatically lower interest rates for students.

Warren's bill, the first she's authored as a senator, would tie the interest rate on federal Stafford loans to the rate banks receive from the Federal Reserve, lowering student loan rates from as high as 6.8 percent to 0.75 percent, and saving students thousands of dollars. A recent poll conducted by Public Policy Poling showed widespread support for lowering federal student loan rates, with 60 percent of respondents saying they back Warren's idea, including 56 percent of Republicans. Despite this popularity, Warren's bill has not come up for a vote in Congress.

Wisconsin GOP vote to Repeal Health Care Law for us, but Vote to Keep Their own Taxpayer Handout.

Republicans voted 244-185 for bill HR 6079, to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which was found constitutional by the Supreme Court. The usual suspects want us to continue to pay everything we earn to the insurance industry under the guise of “freedom.” Thank you Paul Ryan, James Sensenbrenner, Tom Petri, Sean Duffy, Reid Ribble.

But when it comes to their own taxpayer supported health care handout, their austere vision suddenly blurs, and “government” health care never looked so good:

WSJ: Congressional health plan: Members on Wednesday refused, 180-248, to oust members who voted for HR 6079 (above) from the taxpayer-subsidized health plan for lawmakers, civil servants, federal retirees and others. A yes vote was to discharge these members from the federal plan on grounds they do not deserve far better insurance coverage than most of their constituents receive.

Voting yes: Baldwin, Kind, Moore

Voting no: Ryan, Sensenbrenner, Petri, Duffy, Ribble

Democrats should never have stopped demanding Republican give up their government health care.

We Need to Vote out and Replace Rep. Ron Kind Now.

Ron Kind is everything that’s wrong with the Democratic Party. I don't even care if he's replaced by another Republican. We need to replace him with a real Democrat, and not a GOP/NRA lackey. The point Kind is missing is that this is a witch hunt over a program that never existed. We should not be Republican enablers, encouraging theri radical behavior. 

Get rid of him now!!!

Wispolitics: Rep. Ron Kind, D-La Crosse, joined all five GOP members of the Wisconsin House delegation in voting to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress over disclosures related to a federal gun trafficking operation. 

Kind voted to on a contempt charge drummed up by the Republicans over a phony issue that didn’t actually happen, according to Fortune Magazine. If Kind can’t stay on top of this GOP sideshow, before the purely partisan vote took place, than we should replace him with someone who will. Hope the NRA ratings boost helps defeat him in Democratic voters eyes. 

Here's how he justified it on WPT's Here and Now:

Ron Kind has lost any support I had for him, even on the issues we agree on.