The IRS has a “procedure” to initiate “church investigations.” The only problem? They’re refusing to tell anyone what that procedure is.
The Washington Times reported today that the agency is being sued by the Alliance Defending Freedom and Judicial Watch for “stonewalling” efforts to bring to light this controversial practice. Our federal government, it seems, would rather its citizens be kept in the dark.
“The IRS is not above the law, and Americans deserve to know the truth about the agency’s secret deals with activists,” ADF Legal Counsel Christina Holcomb said in a press release. “The IRS has a legal obligation to explain why it is hiding things or else produce documents. Its ongoing refusal to follow the law is absurd, particularly since much of [what] we are asking for is information that the IRS has already provided voluntarily to Freedom From Religion Foundation.”
Not that any of this is new. According to a recent report from the Washington Free Beacon, federal financial documents are almost impossible to decipher. Senator Tom Coburn, Senior Advisor to the Convention of States Project, pointed out long ago that the feds don’t use standard accounting practices. They do this, in part, so American citizens can’t hold them accountable for their irresponsible financial actions.
Enough is enough. The American people have a right to know what their federal agencies are doing, and they have a right to know how their tax dollars are being spent. An Article V Convention of States can propose constitutional amendments that force the feds to be transparent about their practices. These amendments can require Washington to use standard accounting methods and disclose the procedures of federal agencies.
