ObamaLegacyPart4 <– PDF
That Mr. Obama and his administration demonstrated contempt for the rights of the people is clearly evident throughout his term in office.
“Operation Fast & Furious” was probably a White-House directed scheme to denigrate the Second Amendment by attempting to show that only drug dealers and murderers would sink low enough to own a gun. This was to be accomplished by having BATFE help straw buyers purchase guns in the US (a felony), then to smuggle them to Mexico (a felony and a violation of Mexican law), and then to hand them over to drug cartels (in violation of Mexican law) so those same weapons could be tracked, the new users caught and prosecuted, all to demonstrate that only evil sinister drug-dealing lowlife criminals have guns and therefore all Americans should be willing to give them up. But of course, government incompetence being what it was, the drug cartel killed a large number of Mexican citizens and some Americans as well. But that was not a problem until one of those weapons was used by a Mexican drug dealer to kill a Border Patrol Agent named Brian Terry on 14 Dec 2010. Then, and only then, did the scheme become a problem (i.e., when a federal employee became a victim). A few BATFE insiders ratted out their leadership, exposing the plot, and Mr. Obama was forced to use Executive Privilege to cover up the whole episode and his role instigating it. The net result: raises and promotions all around, as usual. Fortunately, the propaganda effort against the Second Amendment failed.
Mr. Obama also illegally used Executive Orders to expand background check on firearms transactions.
Ms. Lois G. Lerner, director of the IRS Exempt Organizations Unit since 2006 until 2013, led the office while a scheme was being implemented to deprive conservative organizations their proper tax-exempt status under IRS section 501(c)(4). Specifically, instead of using the usual process to determine eligibility, the IRS, with Ms. Lerner’s full knowledge, proceeded to implement a delaying tactic to prevent the candidate organizations from using their rights under the law to participate in the 2010 and 2012 elections. They did so by requiring extensive and impossible requirements in the applications:
- By demanding information that could not exist (“What books are your members reading”);
- By asking whether any of their members intended to run for elective office;
- By demanding a list of donors, the amounts donated, and how the donations were spent;
- By demanding copies of all web pages, blog posts, and brochures ever used by the organization;
- By demanding copies of all emails sent or received by organization members.
After the scandal came out, and the IRS’ own Inspector General castigated the IRS for its use of “inappropriate criteria” conduct, Ms. Lerner testified before Congress on 22 May 2013:
“My professional career has been devoted to fulfilling responsibilities of the agencies for which I have worked, and I am very proud of the work I have done in government. I have not done anything wrong. I have not broken any laws, I have not violated any IRS rules or regulations, and I have not provided false information to this or any other congressional committee.”
After the IRS failed to produce subpoenaed emails (pretending all the hard drives and backup tapes had been destroyed), the Department of Justice then proceeded to conduct an “investigation”, including allegation of harassment of some organizations by the BATFE, FBI, and OSHA, but in the end no action was taken other than to excuse the IRS. On 23 Oct 2015, Assistant Attorney General for Legislative Affairs Peter J. Kadzik issued a report which concluded that although there was considerable mismanagement:
“We found no evidence that any IRS official acted based on political, discriminatory, corrupt, or other inappropriate motives that would support a criminal prosecution.”
Both his and Ms. Lerner’s statements are true: no corruption, no violation of regulations, no political or discriminatory action occurred because the IRS was simply implementing the official ideological policy of the Obama administration. More raises and promotions all around, and Ms. Lerner is now enjoying a quiet happy retirement. She is also the patron saint of the IRS, having gotten away with everything.
Mr. Obama illegally appointed officials without the consent of the Senate while the Senate was not in recess (Sharon Block, Terence Flynn, & Richard Griffin to National Labor Relations Board, and Richard Cordray to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau).
Mr. Obama illegally granted exceptions and exemptions via Executive Order to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) (aka “Obamacare”), violating and superseding express provisions of the law:
- 15 Feb 2013: Abolished the high-risk pool (the money allocated for it had been spent for advertising)
- 20 Feb 2013: Insurance companies were allowed to double deductibles
- 11 Mar 2103: Delayed implementation of the small business option program
- 2 Jul 2013: Delayed employer reporting contrary to the ACA
- 30 Sep 2013: Provided subsidies to members of Congress & their staff, not provided for in the ACA
- 23 Oct 2013: Delayed the individual mandate from Oct 2013 to Feb 2014
