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Why more IRS agents?

In the latest bill that passed Congress and was signed by the President Joe Biden, 85,000 new Internal Revenue Service agents will be employed, more than doubling the number of IRS agents. Why?

To rake up the loose change that they ignored before? The Democrats routinely spend trillions of dollars on green energy fairy tales, and paying for that with the little additional money the IRS can coerce doesn’t even make sense.

At first, I thought Democrats were shooting themselves in the foot. Why antagonize voters with countless more audits? The true intention is hidden and much more thought out. I suspect former President Barack Obama. I disagreed with most of his policies, but he is a master politician.

If you are a supporter of former President Donald Trump and speak out, you will be audited. If you are a corporate donor to Republican campaigns, you will be audited. If your corporation does not follow woke ideologies, like Walt Disney and Coca-Cola, you will be audited.  Even banks are pressured into not granting loans for oil exploration and development. If they do, they won’t be bailed out during the next financial crisis.

Republican candidates have historically relied on donations from companies, but those funds are drying up. Republicans now rely on individual donations from voters, and are invariably outspent by their Democratic opponents. Biden contributes to companies he favors, and everyone lines up for the booty.

The year 1984 has arrived, admittedly a few decades late, though more cleverly than I would have thought. Yet more absurdly. In George Orwell’s book, 1984, he didn’t have kindergartners indoctrinated in gender ideology by the totalitarian state. Not even George saw that coming.

Arlan Edwards, Murphy

Service dog etiquette tips

Thousands of Americans, especially veterans, suffer from serious conditions such as post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury. For many of these people, a trained service dog is a lifesaving means of recovery and their best hope to continue a normal life.

September is National Service Dog Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness and showing appreciation for the extraordinary work service dogs do every day for the people in their care. However, it’s also an opportunity to familiarize yourself with service dog etiquette.

Unfortunately, many people don’t know how to appropriately interact with service dog teams. Service dogs are not pets – they have been specially trained to perform specific tasks for people with disabilities, and when they are in public, they are working. Many times, the handler’s physical and emotional safety depends on the service dog’s behavior.

American Humane is committed to harnessing the healing powers of the human-animal bond to assist veterans through its Pups4Patriots program, and our trainers have paired dozens of veterans with lifesaving service dogs. As such, here are some service dog etiquette tips that a veteran with a service dog wants you to know.

  • Talk to the handler, not the dog.
  • Do not ask what the service dog is for or why they need a service dog.
  • Do not pet or ask to pet a service dog – she/he is working.
  • Do not try to distract a service dog.
  • Do not offer food or treats to a service dog.
  • Do not let your dog get close to a service dog.

We hope the public will follow these tips to help ensure a safe, positive environment for all service dogs and their handlers.

Dr. Robin Ganzert, Washington

The writer is chief executive officer and president of American Humane.

‘Life’

Life is a very precious thing

A gift in every way

We take so much for granted

As we go about our day

The five senses we were given

Bring life to what’s around

Sight, smell, touch and taste

And the all important sound

The Bible describes life as a vapor

It appears then fades away

When gone it’s lost forever

Let us enjoy each and every day

Sickness may take away our strength

Our hearing and sight grow dim

Growing old is a process of life

It’s actually a blessing from Him

Our earthly body is temporary

We’ve had it since our birth

It’s been through a lot

While living here on earth

But there is coming a day

When to heaven we will go

A new body we will have

One that will never grow old.

Gerri Sneed, Murphy