What’s interesting in the news today?

1. The IRS is continuing to harass, and still attempting to silence conservative groups. And yes, it’s still being orchestrated by the White House and Democrats.

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2. More here on their war on the Tea Party.

From USNews  “One of the reasons why this may have happened became widely known  only after the election: the IRS had singled out tea party and other  conservative groups for special treatment when they applied for  tax-exempt status, leading to costly delays and the elimination of part  of the Republican Party’s ground game. After initial claims that  low-level employees in the IRS’ Cincinnati office had been solely  responsible for this targeting were shown to be false, two acting commissioners of the IRS, Steven Miller and Danny Werfel, and the head  of its section on tax-exempt organizations, Lois Lerner, were forced to  resign. In the aftermath of the revelations, President Obama referred to  the IRS’ activities as “outrageous,” claimed that had been unaware, and  called for accountability, “so that such conduct never happens again.”

That was then. This Tuesday, the administration decided that instead  of making sure the 2014 midterm elections will not be tainted by similar  restrictions on the activities of 501(c)4 organizations, it was going  to legalize and institutionalize the IRS’ practices.  I guess that’s one  way to do it. British comedian Harry Enfield first suggested this  strategy in a skit about police officers in Amsterdam, a city well known  for its lax attitude toward the consumption, possession and sale of  soft drugs. In the skit, one of the Dutch policy officers explains that  burglary used to be a major problem in Amsterdam, but then it was  legalized, and the problem was solved.”

“That was arguably funny. The IRS’ actions, of course, were deeply  frustrating to the conservative activists involved, and went to the  heart of people’s trust in government and electoral competition. The tea party movement had, after all, had a major impact on an election just a  few months before it became subject to the tax service’s targeting.”

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3. The ObamaCare Medicaid expansion will worsen the doctor shortage.

From TheNYTimes  “But now, as California’s Medicaid program is preparing for a major expansion under President Obama’s health care law, Dr. Mazer says he cannot accept additional patients under the government insurance program for a simple reason: It does not pay enough.       

“It’s a bad situation that is likely to be made worse,” he said.       

His view is shared by many doctors around the country. Medicaid for years has struggled with a shortage of doctors willing to accept its low reimbursement rates and red tape, forcing many patients to wait for care, particularly from specialists like Dr. Mazer.       

Yet in just five weeks, millions of additional Americans will be covered by the program, many of them older people with an array of health problems. The Congressional Budget Office predicts that nine million people will gain coverage through Medicaid next year alone. In many of the 26 states expanding the program, the newly eligible have been flocking to sign up.”

And who pays for all this without the paying customers they currently lack? Why taxpayers of course.

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4. George Will is predicting bad news for Democrats when the other shoe drops.

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5. A new book on the Fast and Furious scandal is coming out.

From  TheNYPost “How the US gave guns to Mexican cartels”

“By John Dodson from the forthcoming book “The Unarmed Truth”

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6. The media is still not happy about the propaganda photos the White House is forcing them to use.

From TheTelegraph  “Barack Obama’s White House has been accused of producing Soviet-style   propaganda by press photographers who are furious at being denied access to   the US president.

Mr Obama’s aides routinely block independent photographers from capturing him   at work, before distributing flattering pictures shot by Pete Souza, his   official photographer.