“Its contempt for citizens ... is so routine, and so unlimited, that the agency has become a kind of Frankenstein, running wild and terrorizing Americans at will. The IRS hypocritically requires mistake-free returns when its own books are in shambles. It demands exorbitant sums of money without regard to the accuracy of its claims. It doesn’t hesitate to use every possible maneuver to get what it wants, sometimes destroying businesses -- and lives -- in the process.”

And that's with as much sugar coating as can be placed on it. I've heard sadomasochism is the first malignant requirement on the IRS employment application.

Pretty well describes the American version of the Ghestapo.

In a word - Psychopathic.

A 16 year old quote from a book which is just making unsubstantiated claims in an attempt to get people upset today about a governmental organization which handles its business in a completely reformed manner is just down right disingenuous on the part of the editor of this list. Liberty without intellectual honesty is no liberty at all, just another attempt to manipulate by underhanded methodologies.

Ah...there you have it. Reston is a Tax "person". Like I said...Psychopathic.

We should have contempt for tax cheats. They should all be burned at the stake. Tax cheats are no different than people who steals stuff from stores during a hurricane or other disaster.

That which is being referenced as an income tax is a nomenclature that is trying to put a good face to slavery. Anonymous sounds like Waffler. Waffler believes all that do not willingly pay tithes and other slave offerings to his slave master god is cheating. Suggesting a penalty equal to eliminating witches from Salem is a good overall description of the statist theocracy patrons that infest this land.

This is why Americans should stop paying taxes altogther.

Interesting that Waffler hasn't chimed in on this one -- as a retired IRS employee he is usually the first to defend them and call for higher taxes and stronger enforcement of 'voluntary compliance.' The fact remains, the IRS is completely unaccountable for its actions and cannot account for BILLIONS of dollars missing in its own books. A corrupt institution and frankly questionable about its ownership and authority. Why is the IRS incorporated in the federal territory of Puerto Rico? Weird.

I heard the same sorts of things, many specific examples, from a former co-worker whose wife worked for the IRS. Small-minded, bitter, evil people survive at the IRS--"people" who gave up early on their dreams and all possibility of joy--"people" who live only to make others as miserable as they've become. "Successful" IRS employees embody schadenfreude.