Commentsby
Bob Brandon....
The
IRS Cares About You
May
10, 2000
Aren't you proud when you
hear how benevolent the IRS can be? It may shock you to learn, they actually
DO care about widows and orphans...ok, so I'm kidding. They don't give
a big rat's ass about anyone except themselves.
Take the case of 6 Boston-area
firefighters that died in a warehouse fire. They were trying to rescue
homeless people who were rumored to be inside. The blaze left 17 children
fatherless. It also touched a big soft spot in the hearts of Americans.
We care, and so many of
us, nearly 50-thousand,
gave lots and lots of money.
As a way of trying to help
out in a time of need, over 6 million dollars was raised. Now, in it's
infinite wisdom, the IRS says they don't need all that money. They
have strict rules about the disbursment of funds raised by non-profit organizations.
This fund was set up that way to allow tax deductions, especially for corporations.
The Telegram & Gazette
newspaper of Worcester, MA recieved over 43-thousand seperate donations.
Now don't get the idea that the families haven't gotten any help yet. No,
the IRS couldn't be all places at once...several funds were set up, including
the Fallen Firefighters Fund of Worcester, managed by the city firefighters'
credit union. It received nearly 20,000 contributions and already has distributed
more than $2 million to the families. A Salvation Army fund also collected
$171,000, which will soon be given to the families.
That sounds like a lot of
money, until you consider the incredible loss the families have sustained.
No more Daddy coming home, tucking the kids in, helping do homework, teaching
them how to ride a bike, or drive a car...so many moments these kids will
never be able to enjoy.
And now, the generosity of
thousands of well-meaning, good people is being diverted by bureaucratic
boobs. Chances are, the majority of the money raised by the newspaper fund
will go to other needy groups...because as one Washington tax lawyer said,
"At some point, once their need is fulfilled, you don't just keep dumping
the money on them and make them rich." This kind of monetary manipulation
is enough to make the average person think twice before giving freely...It
may even be enough to make a fireman think twice before risking his life
in order to save a stranger.
Or then again, it probably
won't. Because unlike unfeeling Government rulemeisters, most firemen really
do care about other
people. |
