[lbo-talk] Apple CEO rejects 'tax evasion' charges

Wojtek S wsoko52 at gmail.com
Wed May 22 06:24:49 PDT 2013


Eubulides: "In the next 20-30 years I'd be willing to wager that the legal nihilism that has ensconsed itself in the former USSR will become ever more fashionable in the US."

[WS:] Who knows, but I doubt. A predictable legal system functioning independently of who the incumbents are is perhaps the most fundamental requisite of market economy i.e. capitalism. Having the Soviet-style "telephone justice" is simply unacceptable in an advanced capitalist state like the US.

"Telephone justice" refers to phone calls that the judges, and for that matter most officers of the administration, would receive from the Communist Party headquarters to inform them what outcome of a case is "expected." In the US, it works rather differently - we have a fairly predictable and independent of who the incumbents are judicial system, but the laws themselves are written to favor capitalists and property owners, so there is no need to use "telephone justice."

On the other hand, the recent "scandal" involving the IRS is mind boggling and reminiscent of "telephone justice." The IRS officers scrutinizing the tax exemption status of tea party "nonprofits" did their job. It is illegal in the US to claim tax exempt status under Section 501c3 of the IRS Code for organizations that engage in political activity. An organization that vocally opposes the policies of the current administration is naturally a suspect - just like someone frequenting jihadist websites and then taking photographs of transportation infrastructure. In both cases, investigating these activities is perfectly justifiable law enforcement activity rather than "targeting" as the corporate media report it.

Clearly, someone must have made a telephone call to punish these IRS officers who were trying to enforce the law.

-- Wojtek

"An anarchist is a neoliberal without money."



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