IRS Nonsense Bomb

"I want to abolish the IRS" proclaims the Republican National Committee (RNC) as they direct viewers to a donation page. It's provocative but what does it even mean? Is it a call for tax reform? The abolition of all federal income taxes? How can it be taken for anything but a nonsense bomb, intended to stir agitation, not results.

Sadly, this tactic works. But like any bomb, it has the potential to blow up in our faces. To suggest we eliminate the IRS without any plan for improvement is regressive and lazy. They are calling to action the misinformed extremists with half-baked ideas that won't succeed.

The anger and frustration with the IRS is understandable. Most Americans, regardless of political affiliation, don't celebrate the act of paying taxes. It is a sore subject for many as we see our tax dollars wasted. Adding salt to the wound, suspicion grows regarding whether partisanship played a role in the handling of conservative and other groups' request for tax-exempt status, though the IRS has since granted many applications according to POLITICO.

When we see failing schools, should we abolish the educational system, or should we do the hard work of reform? When rogue police officers abuse their power, should we abolish law enforcement? How much nonsense are we expected to take until we say ENOUGH? The role of the RNC is not to indoctrinate people with nonsense, it's to support good government.

As the RNC deploys these tactics to excite a withering base, Republican-minded Americans will look elsewhere for representation. It is the un-Republican actions of the RNC that may seal its own demise, leading to the success of alternatives like the Libertarian Party. We need leadership that can unify and excite Libertarians and Republicans alike by calling for positive reforms and laying out a vision for what success looks like. But we don't have that right now. We have leadership that can only dwell on an opposition's failure, not illuminate a better vision. And when the RNC does lay out a plan of action, it is so ridiculous, it leaves the only question that can be asked: "OK...Then what?"