While it does have all the impromptu genuineness of a made for C-Span soap opera, the following exchange between Rep. Mile Kelly (PA) and the IRS' commissioner Miller was the highlight of yesterday's grilling of the IRS by the House Ways and Means committee, because rehearsed or not, it does capture the prevalent sentiment the US public harbors not only toward its tax collectors, but the government in general.
"The IRS can do almost anything they want to anybody they want any time they want. This is very chilling for the American people.... This is a Pandora's box that has been opened. The American people should be outraged and they are. This has nothing to do with political parties - this has to do with highly targeted groups. This reconfirms everything that the American public believes. This is a huge blow to the faith and trust the American people have in their government. Is there any limit to the scope of where you folks can go? Is there there any question that you should have asked: how much money do you have in your wallet, who do you get emails from, whose sign do you put up in your front yard: this ia tax question? The fact that you all can do just about anything you want to anybody: you can put anybody out of business any time you want.... I think the American people have seen what's going on right now in the their government. This is absolutely an overreach and this is an outrage for all Americans."
And while contemplating these questions, let's make government even bigger, and also why has that pesky Second amendment not been overturned yet?