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IRS Scandal: Economic Freedom At Stake
Howard Richman, 5/24/2013

Watch the following video from the May 18 Huckabee Show if you want to understand how the IRS scandal could eventually hurt our economy:

And if you want to understand where this behavior comes from, read this May 17 commentary from the Chicago Tribune by John Kass (IRS scandal a reminder of how I learned about The Chicago Way). Kass reminisces about family discussions within his large Greek-American family growing up in Chicago. Here is a selection from this engaging commentary about why his family members enjoyed talking about politics but were afraid to engage in political activities:

"Are you in your good senses?" said my father. "We have lives here. We have businesses. If we get involved in politics, they will ruin us."...

The health inspectors would come, and the revenue department, the building inspectors, the fire inspectors, on and on. The city code books aren't thick because politicians like to write new laws and regulations. The codes are thick because when government swings them at a citizen, they hurt.

And who swings the codes and regulations at those who'd open their mouths? A government worker. That government worker owes his or her job to the political boss. And that boss has a boss....

My father had a similar experience involving freedom of the press in Chicago. In the 1930s, he and his brother published a free neighborhood newspaper. It was going well, but then, all of a sudden, its advertising dried up -- turned out that the local alderman had told the businessmen that they shouldn't advertise in his paper. Next the newsboys distributing the paper destroyed the copies. That was the end of a potential voice against the machine.

Under the Obama administration, the Federal government is taking the Chicago Way nationwide. If this is allowed to continue, businessmen will be afraid to speak up. News media that oppose the government will be stifled. Corruption will fester, unopposed. Both America's economic and political freedom are at stake.