Posted on 05/17/2013 11:08:31 AM PDT by grundle
Two Congressmen are asking the Treasury Department if it inappropriately scrutinized conservative-owned businesses the same way it targeted Tea Party groups filing for tax-exempt status.
Republicans Mike Kelly (PA-03) and Jim Renacci (OH-16) circulated a letter Thursday requesting Treasury Secretary Jack Lew release documents detailing the process and methodology the Automotive Task Force used to shut down General Motors dealerships in 2009 during the automotive industry crisis.
Renacci's Northeast Ohio Chevrolet dealership was closed in 2010 after losing a battle with General Motors. Congress loaned General Motors $50 billion in 2009 after declaring bankruptcy, which resulted in the federal government owning a majority share of the company. Roughly 2000 dealerships received "wind-down" agreements, and while hundreds were able to survive an exhaustive arbitration process, Renacci-Doraty Chevrolet in Wadsworth did not. Renacci, then a Congressional candidate challenging incumbent John Boccieri, placed the blame squarely on President Obama.
“I jumped into the campaign because of what happened to the car business,” Renacci said in 2010. “This is another example of the devastation of this administration’s massive government intrusion into the private sector.” He went on to describe the government takeover of GM as "the Obama Administration dictating to small-business owners whether they can continue to operate privately owned businesses."
Mike Kelly has a similar story. He decided to run for Congress when it was announced that Obama's Automotive Task Force slated Wayland Chevrolet in Butler, Pennsylvania for closure. The dealership was started by Kelly's father in 1953.
Now that it has been confirmed that the Treasury Department unfairly profiled conservatives around that time, the Congressmen are wondering if that could have been a factor in the selection of certain dealerships for closure.
(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
We knew of someone who got a very good deal on a nice piece of property. The seller was/had been a GM dealer...for many years. They targeted him. The stress finally got to him and he took his own life. His spouse basically had a fire sale. Very sad.
He DID build that, then it all came crashing down.
Oh my, how sad. I’m sorry for that poor man’s family.
I remember that one of the hosts on Fox & FRiends said when they were closing the car dealerships, that her fathers car dealership was closed, and it was one of the dealerships that were actually making money.
Of course it was but the GOP never did anything about it.
Carney said “what scandals” - they are just denying that there are any scandals and the press is acting like they’re being Jedi mind tricked.
IIRC, it actually began with the government-brokered sale of Chrysler to Fiat. Conservative-leaning Dodge dealers were the first victims of this new brand of political warfare.
The political party of ‘no morals’ shows their true colors. Of course... There is no limit to what is done to ‘achieve their goals’
Oh yes there were targeted and punished dealers and nobody did or said a thing. Archer Dodge here in Houston was wiped out. Biggest dealer in the area. Supposedly they only closed “underperforming dealers”. Largest dealer in the area? Underperforming? Not bloodly likely.
Yeah, that is why Kelly is on the warpath. He is a GM since the 50s and now also a KIA dealer...
I’ll NEVER buy another GM or Dodge... NEVER. To hell with the UAW and ostoner!
Rage people, rage is what is needed! Don’t get mad though and don’t get even. Get ahead.
In Alexandria, Louisiana, there were two Dodge/Crystler Dealerships. One was owned by a black man who was in the local papers partying with Jesse Jackson when he came to town. Guess which dealership stayed open.
You can believe, it’s all meaningless. These are “show trials”, in a different sense of the phrase. No one is going to be punished. Hundreds of scandals have passed by without notice, this isn’t even a case of “better late than never” because nothing’s going to come of it, nothing real and meaningful. Hussein will finish his term. Even if they got serious, so many scandals have gone under the bridge that they could never catch up. What happened to those attempting to persecute Christians in the military? What happened to Fast and Furious from years back? Hussein and his people have nothing if not chutzpah. They will do whatever they want and dare anyone to seriously touch the people at the very top responsible for tyranny this country is turning into. Sure, he’ll pass the buck, lie in our teeth and dare anyone to call him on it, anyone with the power to do anything about it. He’ll throw a few small fish nder the bus if absolutely necessary, but the real powers, his own people in his inner circle who are behind it all, and hmself, will remain untouched, and will continue the shenanigans,
Yes they were is there any doubt.
My Chevy dealer...Holler....was an institution in the Orlando area....and the top Chevy dealer in sales....when it was closed down. Shifty eyed David Maus opens a Chevy dealer about a yr later
I distinctly remember Gretchen Carlson on Fox & Friends saying that her family’s GM car dealership which they had for about 90 years or so, and which was very profitable, was closed even though some dealerships in Minneapolis were allowed to stay open - because they were liberal friends of the Mpls Mayor.
Now that the IRS double dealing has come into the open, maybe the GM franchises will also be scrutinized more clearly.
Yes, but it’s old news. What does it matter? /PIAPS
Congress loaned General Motors $50 billion in 2009.... uh no, the American taxpayers were forced to loan GM $50 billion in 2009
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It’s amazing what $50 billion of our money given involuntarily to a company can do.
Their cars are really good now. I drove the Cadillac ATS. The car corners like it’s on rails. But the CUE system needs a lot of work. I’m going to wait until 2014 until they work the bugs out.
I am glad they are bringing this up. It shows an enduring pattern of discrimination and civil rights violations. There is really no Freedom of Speech or Association if they are able to do things like they did.
I’ll still never buy a GM product, and I’m eligible for the GM employee discount because my grandfather worked there for 50 years. Until they can compete with the Japanese brands from a quality perspective, and pay back what they owe the taxpayers, they’ll never receive my business.
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