Defense Department may call on IRS to help find reservists

[Newsjock]

http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/nation/8689193.htm

BY CHRIS VAUGHN
Knight Ridder Newspapers

FORT WORTH, Texas - (KRT) - The Defense Department, strapped for troops for missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, has proposed to Congress that it tap the Internal Revenue Service to locate out-of-touch reservists.

The unusual measure, which the Pentagon said has been examined by lawyers, would allow the IRS to pass on addresses for tens of thousands of former military members who still face recall into the active duty.

The proposal has largely escaped attention amid all the other crises of government, and it is likely to face opposition from privacy rights activists who see information held by the IRS as inviolate.

... Lt. Col. Bob Stone, a spokesman for the assistant defense secretary for reserve affairs, said the proposal was developed several years ago and is unconnected to the Army's current shortage of troops.

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[bluestateguy]

1. Nixonian

The IRS's job is to collect taxes, nothing more. This Administration would love to take manpower away from tax investigations of corporations to do the dirty work of the military. If the Pentagon wants to track down people they lost track of they can set up their own institution to find them. Lord knows they have the budget to do it.

[progressiveBadger]

2. Star Wars

Note to DofD: I know you are busy building the death star or whatever, but maybe you could divert some of those funds to purchase this application that many people use to track personal items. It's called Microsoft Access, and it's pretty cheap. Well, at least it's cheap in comparison to your average daily spending.

[UpInArms]

3. does everybody else feel that draft coming

through the country?

[Just Me]

4. This is,...alarming,...very alarming. n/t

[Walt Starr]

5. I wonder how much lost revenue there will be because taxes

go unpaid by reservists.

:shrug:

[struggle4progress]

6. I bet this will make the Administration wildly popular! eom

[lanparty]

7. Turn in an AWOL reservist ... I have one's address right here .

George W Bush
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20500

In addition to going AWOL, he also refused to take a drug test. That makes him a terrorist as well.

[peacetalksforall]

8. Here we are...we're fighting a war for some corporations and we show

the world how vulnerable we are for resources.

This is a pitiful situation.

[nadinbrzezinski]

9. Damn they are going after the innactive reserve

and it is pretty blatant

The draft is not that far off