Re: Privatization ad absurdum

[Eugene Coyle <eugenecoyle@xxxxxxx>]

When did a [theoretical] democrary start having rulers?


On Mar 9, 2007, at 2:35 PM, David B. Shemano wrote:

> Michael Perelman writes:
>
> > > David Cay Johnston, who does a masterful job covering the IRS,
> > > reports that the IRS
> > > is letting tax lawyers craft tax laws.  Why not leave the
> > > insurgency help to write
> > > the rules of engagement in Iraq; or the narco trafficers write
> > > the drug laws; or if
> > > you really want to turn matters over to scoundrels, let Congress
> > > write rules to
> > > cover its own behavior ....  Wait a minute.  They already do that.
> > >
> > > Johnston, David Cay. 2007. "I.R.S. Letting Tax Lawyers Write
> > > Rules." (9 March): p. C
> > > 1.
> > >
> > > "The Internal Revenue Service is asking tax lawyers and
> > > accountants who create tax
> > > shelters and exploit loopholes to take the lead in writing some
> > > of its new tax
> > > rules.  The pilot project represents a further expansion of the
> > > increasingly common
> > > federal government practice of asking outsiders to do more of its
> > > work."
>
> Isn't this how legislation should be written in a democracy-- as a
> collaborative process between the rulers and the ruled?  Since the
> tax lawyers are the ones who will have to interpret and apply the
> tax rules, doesn't it make sense to involve them in the drafting
> process to avoid unnecessary ambiguity?  I don't get what appears
> to be a reflexive emotional response to some unidentified impropriety.
>
> David Shemano