I’m a taxpayer and resident of Sparta, and I wanted to share my concern about the recently announced “anti-weaponization fund” (“Trump settles IRS lawsuit,” May 19.)
This is not about political parties for me. I would feel the same way no matter who was president. I just believe taxpayer money should be handled responsibly and transparently.
Like many families, we work hard, pay taxes and try to keep up with rising costs and everyday bills. That’s why it is difficult for me to feel comfortable with the idea of billions of taxpayer dollars potentially being tied to something that appears political and still lacks clear oversight.
I think many Americans are uneasy about where this money could ultimately go and who could benefit from it, especially with concerns that it could involve political allies, people connected to President Donald Trump’s businesses, or individuals involved in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot who were later pardoned.
If government agencies acted improperly in past cases, those situations should absolutely be handled fairly through the courts and normal legal processes. I just do not believe a large compensation fund tied to broad political claims is the right path forward.
No matter someone’s political views, I think most Americans still believe government power should have limits, taxpayer money should be used carefully and the law should apply equally to everyone.
Cory Fanta, Sparta
Public funds exist to serve the public. That is not happening in this case.
I hope all Journal Sentinel readers read the May 19 front page article, “Trump settles IRS lawsuit/$1.76 billion to go to victims of weaponization.”
Here is a short summary. President Donald Trump sued the IRS — an agency he controls — for $10 billion. His Justice Department appointees then quietly settled days before they would have had to defend the case in court, a sham of a case Trump would likely have lost. They created a $1.7 billion fund from taxpayer money that Trump’s administration can pay to whoever it wishes. There is absolutely no public disclosure or oversight. We will never know who our money is going to, though we can guess.
The likely beneficiaries? Many are the same people Trump has called “hostages” and “patriots” — participants in the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol who beat police officers and disrupted the peaceful transfer of power. Others will be whoever Trump requests his appointees to pay, for whatever reason he trumps up.
Americans across the political spectrum have long agreed that no one is above the law, and that public funds exist to serve the public. This action violates both principles.
Dennis Harkins, Fitchburg
Disregard for rule of law by Trump and allies is appalling
Ten years from now, possibly even sooner, our country and the world could look back at this time in our history and wonder “how did we let this happen?” The complete breakdown of the checks and balances inherent in the Constitution our Founding Fathers created has empowered President Donald Trump to pursue his authoritarian impulses to the detriment of everything America stands for.
Our country has been severely compromised by the actions of this administration. The disregard for the rule of law exhibited by Trump and members of his cabinet and his Department of Justice are appalling. And now with the “anti-weaponization” fund that Trump has proposed, not only would previously convicted Jan. 6 rioters be able to apply for monetary compensation in addition to the pardons that Trump granted them, but Trump, his family and his businesses would be granted immunity from any IRS prosecution (“Trump settles IRS lawsuit,” May 19).
Why hasn’t anyone been able to stop him? Is it because the Republicans in Congress, the only people with any real power to do something, are so afraid of Trump and of losing their positions that they acquiesce to whatever he proposes? Yes, but is it also because there has been so much of this unprecedented, unacceptable, unbelievable behavior coming from this White House that the American citizenry has become inured to it?
The only way we can say “enough” is to make our voices heard at the polls this November no matter what the Trump administration intends to do to make it harder for us to vote. Our democracy depends on it. We are the United States of America not the United States of Donald Trump.
Kathie Schlemm, Franklin
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Trump’s IRS settlement grossly mishandles taxpayer money | Letters
Reporting by Letters to the Editor, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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