About Rod D. Martin
Praise for Rod D. Martin
Book Rod to Speak
Politics & Economics
Technology & Markets
Faith & Culture
House Republicans: Support H.R. 5053, The “Preventing IRS Abuse and Protecting Free Speech Act”
June 13, 2016
Washington, DC
The Conservative Movement supports the “Preventing IRS Abuse and Protecting Free Speech Act” (H.R. 5053), which would prevent the Internal Revenue Service from collecting the identity of most donors to tax-exempt organizations.
The bill has been introduced by Rep. Peter Roskam (R-IL). It would prohibit the IRS from requiring that Section 501(c) organizations (that is, (c)(3) and (c)(4) organizations) divulge the names and addresses of donors on the Form 990 Information Returns that they are required to file with the IRS. Under current law, tax-exempt organizations (both (c)(3) and (c)(4) organizations, must disclose to the IRS the identities of donors who contribute more than $5,000.
Congress required only 501(c)(3) entities to report the names of donors. The extension of the disclosure requirement to all 501(c) organizations (i.e., including (501(c)(4) organizations) was done by the Treasury Department and the IRS.
H.R. 5053 deserves the support of all people interested in freedom.
The central problem of our time is too much government. In his first Inaugural Address, President Reagan said: “In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.”
Today’s advocates for big government of all stripes emphasize the first four words of the quote, “In this present crisis.” Their implication is that that was then; and that now the rest of the quote is inoperative.
That’s nonsense. In fact, now more than ever, government is the problem. And sadly, government is now not just the problem: government, or at least parts of it, has become the enemy.
We saw that in the Internal Revenue Service scandal that began in 2010. The IRS targeted particular charitable groups (all conservative) that opposed the policies of President Obama.
In 2013, senior IRS official Lois Lerner admitted that organizations were targeted because of their titles or beliefs, but claimed that the practice was “absolutely incorrect, insensitive, and inappropriate.”
Subsequently, however, Lerner refused to testify in front of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, pleading the Fifth Amendment. She was placed on administrative leave the next day – but was not subsequently required to return her $42,000 in bonus pay.
But why should she have returned it? She had done the administration’s work and had managed to “lose” thousands of emails in the process, and was entitled to the bonus.
That is the problem.
Too much government is one thing. Misuse of government power is another. But as students of history and government, and almost all sentient Americans, know, too much government power will inevitably lead to misuse. Power corrupts, and it corrupts especially advocates for big government of all stripes – it corrupts them especially because they seek – they continually seek – more and more power with which to govern the lives of the American people.
The growth of government, the growth of government power, inevitably leads to corruption. That President Obama’s IRS and senior IRS official Lois Lerner behaved scandalously should not have surprised anyone. Corrective action is needed.
H.R. 5053 is only a single step to reduce the power of government, but it is an important step, because it will help free people who publicly oppose the excessive power of government from the fear of retaliation by government. Many believe that compelling the disclosure of donor information violates the contributors’ and exempt organizations’ First Amendment rights to freedom of association and that Congress should prohibit the continued collection by the IRS of this sensitive information.
The behavior of the Obama’s IRS and his appointee Lois Lerner is a national scandal. But even if what the IRS did was only a mistake – even Lois Lerner (of the $42,000 bonus) called the IRS’s behavior “absolutely incorrect, insensitive, and inappropriate” – steps should be taken to see that similar “mistakes” can’t occur in the future. The IRS itself has conceded that it has great difficulty maintaining the statutory confidentiality of donors’ identity.
H.R. 5053 will assist the IRS in doing its job: If the IRS doesn’t have information about donors to 501(c) organizations, it can’t release it, by mistake, or by direction of a successor to Lois Lerner – one of whom might, soon, be a Republican.
The IRS would continue to be able to obtain specific financial information, including donor identity and contribution histories and information, as part of any audit or enforcement action involving specific taxpayers; but that would be within a different IRS procedure and would be unaffected by the passage of H. R. 5053.
The Conservative Action Project urges all conservatives and conservative organizations – and all other Americans as well – to urge their representative in Washington to support H.R. 5053. Ronald Reagan was right in 1981. And thirty-five years later, government is still the problem.
|
Rod is one of our nation’s leading minds. He’s smart, original, and very committed—a combination that one rarely finds.
Rod Martin and [former Howard Dean campaign manager] Joe Trippi are America’s two foremost experts on online politics.
Rod Martin is a Reaganite-Thatcherite conservative…[and] a man who has spent much of his life ministering to and working for the benefit of others. I know Rod as an advocate for freedom, a leader who understands the real changes we need in Washington, and who has the drive and ability to make those changes happen.
Rod Martin is the kind of dynamic leader who has the knowledge, ability and experience to lead us successfully into the 21st Century. His vision for America is compelling.
Rod Martin literally wrote the book on excellence. Humble yet brilliant, a man of love and compassion, with penetrating clarity he illuminates the world around us, and we are both stirred and enlightened.
Rod Martin is a born leader and an outstanding political mind. Anyone who takes him on is going to have a serious fight on their hands.
Rod Martin is a man of uncommon vision and character. Ever since I first worked alongside Rod in the early days of PayPal, I’ve been struck by his powerful vision for the future. Rod understands the intersection of technology, politics and culture in a way that few others do.
Rod Martin wears with uncommon grace an uncanny ability to link his vigorous faith to the practical challenges of both the business world and the political arena. Yet the respect he shows for others carries a warmth and modesty that are both too rare among those who are strong advocates of feisty positions.
America badly needs more leaders who really get the future. We need more Rod Martins.
Rod Martin is a modern day philosopher-statesman. He is a capitalist intellectual, a conservative iconoclast, a gentle adversary and a kind prophet. He inspires us towards a fresh national vision built upon the original founding principles.
Rod Martin is not only effective and efficient, but he is also perceptive, wise and gracious. He gets things done. He is a great friend and a great ally.
Rod is one of the sharpest, most gracious men I know, and one of the most gifted political thinkers today. His ability to analyze issues and communicate thoughtful insights on them have earned him the respect of people across the political spectrum.
I am proud to have been Rod Martin’s friend for a quarter century, and I can tell you that he is one of the finest men and most outstanding leaders in our church and in our country today. He has a knack for turning everything he touches to success.
Rod Martin is a cornucopian entrepreneur and eutropic thinker whose influence radiates through an array of companies, institutions, movements and churches. A renaissance American, he is also a prolific friend of freedom and faith around the globe.
If Rod Martin represents the next generation of leaders, America has nothing to worry about.
A leader and a servant, in public life and in private, Rod Martin strides at the top of his profession, and has nowhere to go but up. He is in the truest sense of the word ‘outstanding’.
Rod Martin is undoubtedly one of the most accomplished thought leaders today. He is a wonderful mentor, a humble role model, and a deep inspiration for the next generation of scientific innovators and entrepreneurs.
Rod’s achievements pale beside his character and his brilliance. He sees what others can’t. He leads when others won’t.
Rod Martin is one of America’s finest young minds.
