Mr. LePage At It Again

Did you ever know someone who did something outrageous a couple of times and you thought it was if not funny at least a little entertaining. Then, when they continue to make a fool of themselves it starts to not be funny anymore and then you feel embarrassed for them. Eventually if they continue you are not only embarrassed for them but for yourself for still associating with them.

This is the path our Governor has gone down. I honestly have lost track of how many times LePage has done or said something that goes beyond stupid into the embarrassing. Clearly this is a man that needs people to pay attention to him, even if it is for setting fire to himself.

In his most recent episode of insanity the Governor made his weekly radio address and referred to the IRS as the new Gestapo. This comment has created a great deal of heat on the Governor and correctly so. The comment was made in reference to the Affordable Healthcare Act commonly referred to as Obamacare. As we all know the Supreme Court, the Conservative led Supreme Court, has ruled that the health care law is constitutional. At some point our Government on all levels has got to move on. If, as Republicans you go to the Supreme Court for help, and they being Conservative vote against you it might be time to realize that you are not on the winning side here.

LePage does nothing to make things better with his Gestapo comments. Now most of the furor has been because the use of the word Gestapo is offensive to Jewish citizens. And of course that is the truth. For me though, and I am clearly in the minority here, the offense is the use of the word Gestapo to describe those people who work for the IRS.


Let us make sure we have a clear picture of what kind of people work for the IRS. People who work for the IRS are people who have families and children. They often work hard to help people with tax problems. One man who worked for the IRS was Vernon Hunter, a 68 year old Texas IRS worker who was killed when a man angry at the IRS flew his small plane into the IRS building in his Texas town. Hunter had been a military veteran, serving two tours of duty in Vietnam, eventually retiring from the service to enjoy his children, grandchildren and a well deserved retirement. As is the case with some people however Mr. Hunter had to stay busy. He was a substitute teacher until he was eventually recruited by the IRS to work for them. He had been doing so for a number of years. Does this sound like a member of the Gestapo to you?

When public officials and our very own Governor, as well as others including crazy Iowa Congressman Steve King, refer to government employees, including IRS employees as bureaucrats and worse, often much worse, like Gestapo they do nothing to further the lines of communication and respect in this country.

If you are upset with the IRS and our leaders refer to them as bloodsucking bureaucrats and members of the Gestapo is it really that big a leap to take action of a violent nature against them. Now, surely, most people can differentiate political rhetoric, even cheap, grandstanding, political rhetoric as just that but we must understand that some cannot.

I would like Mr. LePage to tell me, to tell us as his electorate, what he can possibly gain by referring to the IRS as the Gestapo. Does he think that he can make people hate the IRS more? Look, we all wish our taxes were lower. Myself included. Next year my son is 17, and we will lose our child care tax credit of $1000.00. I do not like that, trust me my son is not eating any less, but I do not blame the IRS workers for it. The fact is this. If you are paying taxes then you are making money. If you are paying a great deal in taxes you are making a great deal of money. Fifty years ago it was common for people, including Republicans, to consider paying their taxes as a patriotic thing to do.

Now it is done begrudgingly. Mr. LePage by using comments such as this shows unfortunately what he is. A cheap, grandstanding, thug. Do you know a German word that fits that definition. Maybe THAT would be applicable.