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Established in 2006 as a Community of Reality

Welcome to the Neno's Place!

Neno's Place Established in 2006 as a Community of Reality


Neno

I can be reached by phone or text 8am-7pm cst 972-768-9772 or, once joining the board I can be reached by a (PM) Private Message.

Established in 2006 as a Community of Reality

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Established in 2006 as a Community of Reality

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    EPA accused of singling out conservative groups, amid IRS scandal

    wciappetta
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    EPA accused of singling out conservative groups, amid IRS scandal Empty EPA accused of singling out conservative groups, amid IRS scandal

    Post by wciappetta Tue 04 Jun 2013, 5:05 pm

    EPA accused of singling out conservative groups, amid IRS scandal





    By Eric Shawn

    Published June 04, 2013
    FoxNews.com


    Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/06/04/epa-accused-singling-out-conservative-groups-amid-irs-scandal/#ixzz2VHqWF4ab


    EPA accused of singling out conservative groups, amid IRS scandal 060413_shawn_epa_640




    It's not just the IRS.


    A second federal agency is facing a probe and accusations of political bias over its alleged targeting of conservative groups.


    The allegations concern the Environmental Protection Agency, which is
    being accused of trying to charge conservative groups fees while
    largely exempting liberal groups.
    The fees applied to Freedom of
    Information Act requests -- allegedly, the EPA waived them for liberal
    groups far more often than it did for conservative ones.


    The allegations are under investigation by the House Energy and
    Commerce Committee and the House Oversight and Government Reform
    Committee, which is also holding hearings on the Internal Revenue
    Service targeting of conservative groups.



    "I don't think it is fair at all. It is not fair to the American
    taxpayer -- the American taxpayer should expect and demand that the EPA
    treats everyone equally in regard to these requests," said Pennsylvania
    Republican Rep. Tim Murphy, a member of the Energy and Commerce
    Committee. "This cannot be tolerated. As we see more federal agencies
    with this kind of bias, it is and should be a concern for all of us."



    Research by the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), a
    conservative Washington, D.C., think tank, claims that the political
    bias is routine when it comes to deciding which groups are charged fees.
    Christopher Horner, senior fellow at CEI, said liberal groups have
    their fees for documents waived about 90 percent of the time, in
    contrast with conservative groups that it claims are denied fee waivers
    about 90 percent of the time.



    "The idea is to throw hurdles in our way," charged Horner, who says
    he decided to look into the fee structure after the EPA repeatedly
    turned down his group for waivers.



    "In 20 cases of ours, since the beginning of last year, we were
    expressly denied, or denied by them simply refusing to respond, in 18
    out of 20 cases," said Horner, explaining that the batting percentage
    for fees waived in favor of liberal groups is overwhelming.


    "Earth Justice was batting 17 out of 19, the Sierra Club was the
    worst, at 70 percent granted, 11 out of 15. You add up some other groups
    and we found that 75 out of 82 groups granted, because these are the
    groups that the EPA has decided are the favored groups."


    The EPA has denied any favoritism.


    Acting EPA Administrator Bob Perciasepe told the House Energy and
    Commerce Committee on May 16 that "our policy is to treat everybody the
    same," and the agency is considering pursuing an investigation.



    In a statement to Fox News, the EPA said: "The Office of Inspector
    General received from the Environmental Protection Agency the official
    request to look into this matter just over a week ago, so the request is
    currently under review by the OIG at this early stage."


    But Horner, who has studied federal government agency practices as
    the author of "The Liberal War on Transparency: Confessions of a Freedom
    of Information 'Criminal,'" says that charging fees or denying
    information requests is a underhanded method that government agencies
    use to try and stymie the free flow of information or political
    dissent.


    "This is no different than denying a group that you don't agree with
    ... whether you are the IRS or the EPA, their tax-exempt status," said
    Horner.


    "You're talking about essentially making or breaking them, or at a
    minimum, snuffing out their ability to pursue their objectives."

    Murphy said treating groups differently is simply not right.


    "We are hoping that the acting administrator of the EPA can already
    send a message out to his people that this will not be tolerated,"
    Murphy said. "It is wrong. Similar with the people with the IRS who
    testified that, 'well some of things may not be illegal,' they can still
    be wrong. People expect their government to not be acting in these
    ways, but to be fair and just and truthful in these informational quests
    and in their investigations."


    Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/06/04/epa-accused-singling-out-conservative-groups-amid-irs-scandal/#ixzz2VHqFRkRg


    _________________
    Even to your old age, I will be the same and I will bear you up when you turn gray.
    I have made you, and I will carry you; I will sustain you and deliver you. -Isaiah 46:4

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