Tea Bagger Terrorism Strikes the Heartland

[Caliga]

After scanning it, he seems to be saying that the tax code is too complex.  That could be fixed.  On the other hand, there are enormous forces with huge incentives to block any such simplification:  The IRS, the tax preparation industry, lawyers and pretty much anybody clever enough to take the current system for a ride.

OMG YOU MUST BE CRAZY OR STUPID YOU ARE AGREEING WITH SOMETHING HE SAID!!!!1111111111

[Queequeg]

Since when is Texas the Heartland?   

[DontSayBanana]

OMG YOU MUST BE CRAZY OR STUPID YOU ARE AGREEING WITH SOMETHING HE SAID!!!!1111111111

To be fair, what Neil's saying is a little different than blaming his own misfortune (actually due to carelessness) on the complex tax code.

I'm not sure the IRS or the tax preparers would be the actual enemy, in any case.  Most of the complexity is due to bizarre pet tax cuts and the like, so I'd assume the bulk of the struggle would come from Treasury and Congress.

[Caliga]

I'm not sure the IRS or the tax preparers would be the actual enemy, in any case.  Most of the complexity is due to bizarre pet tax cuts and the like, so I'd assume the bulk of the struggle would come from Treasury and Congress.

Well I read this thing yesterday afternoon and now I don't remember all of the details, and don't care to read it again.  He did rail against Congress as I recall--he pretty much railed against "the Man" in general.  But he directed alot of his anger toward the IRS for what I think were specific issues related to his own failings.

There is a narcissistic/paranoid thread throughout his diatribe: I am a failure in life, but it's not due to my own shortcomings but due to the IRS/Congress who are all out to get me.  He probably also thought he was hard working, brilliant, and way better than most other people.

[Ed Anger]

I'm not sure the IRS or the tax preparers would be the actual enemy, in any case.  Most of the complexity is due to bizarre pet tax cuts and the like, so I'd assume the bulk of the struggle would come from Treasury and Congress.

Well I read this thing yesterday afternoon and now I don't remember all of the details, and don't care to read it again.  He did rail against Congress as I recall--he pretty much railed against "the Man" in general.  But he directed alot of his anger toward the IRS for what I think were specific issues related to his own failings.

There is a narcissistic/paranoid thread throughout his diatribe: I am a failure in life, but it's not due to my own shortcomings but due to the IRS/Congress who are all out to get me.  He probably also thought he was hard working, brilliant, and way better than most other people.

I was also amused by his thinking that it would spark a revolution.

[Caliga]

I was also amused by his thinking that it would spark a revolution.

McVeigh thought the same thing... which is amusing, because historically this is never how revolutions have started.  I guess it's how many of them end though.

[Scipio]

The tea bagger terrorist's ISP took down his website and his manifesto, but the smoking gun has preserved it for posterity.
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2010/0218102stack1.html

Interesting.  If the manifesto gets wide circulation I think a fair number of people are going to relate to it.  I doubt it will have any meaningful impact or anything, but it's the least insane terrorist manifesto I've seen that I can recall.

Also, if his entire website looked like the first page, it's no wonder he had trouble finding work.  It's impossible to tell what the dude could actually do or what he'd done in the past from the nebulous fluff he had up there.

Seriously.  This guy's tax problems were fucking MINOR.  If you have tax issues, the IRS is easy to work with.  This guy was a fucking nutter.

[Caliga]

I think it's likely that he was a charlatan and was angry that the government wouldn't let him con them as well.  I'd need to see the rest of his website to get a better idea, but the front page looks very questionable.  From that alone I would avoid working with the guy.

[Razgovory]

There is a narcissistic/paranoid thread throughout his diatribe: I am a failure in life, but it's not due to my own shortcomings but due to the IRS/Congress who are all out to get me.  He probably also thought he was hard working, brilliant, and way better than most other people.

In other words, the type of person who reads Ayn Rand and says, "Yes, that's why I'm not wealthy and respected."

[Caliga]

Learn to quote, Raz.

[grumbler]

There is a narcissistic/paranoid thread throughout his diatribe: I am a failure in life, but it's not due to my own shortcomings but due to the IRS/Congress who are all out to get me.  He probably also thought he was hard working, brilliant, and way better than most other people.

In other words, the type of person who reads Ayn Rand and says, "Yes, that's why I'm not wealthy and respected."

[Razgovory]

Easy for you to say.

[The Minsky Moment]

After scanning it, he seems to be saying that the tax code is too complex.

He does talk about that, but his actual gripe is the code section that supposedly prevented him from reporting as an independent contractor.  But reporting as an independent contractor is a much bigger hassle for the taxpayer - the taxpayer has to take on the paperwork burden that would ordinarily be handled by an employer and make quarterly estimated tax payments.  So clearly complexity is not his problem.

Being treated as an independent contractor does not lower one's tax burden and it certainly doesn't make things easier.  What it does do is make it a little easier to cheat on your taxes if one is so inclined (b/c there is employer sending forms to the IRS).

Thus, reading through the lines of this guy's whiny BS, what he is really complaining about is that Congress made it harder for him to cheat on his taxes, and the IRS caught him when he tried to do it anyway.

[Caliga]

He does talk about that, but his actual gripe is the code section that supposedly prevented him from reporting as an independent contractor.  But reporting as an independent contractor is a much bigger hassle for the taxpayer - the taxpayer has to take on the paperwork burden that would ordinarily be handled by an employer and make quarterly estimated tax payments.

This is one of the items I was referring to when I said people could relate.  Specifically, I meant me

[Faeelin]

Is it really fair to call this guy a teabagger?