Is anyone really surprised to learn that the IRS was targeting conservative groups for additional scrutiny?

As Charlotte wrote earlier today, it’s a scandal, clearly, and should be jaw-dropping since one of the bedrock principles of the country is that justice must be blind and rules applied fairly.  Yet sadly it’s just not shocking to learn that the IRS has been politicized.

I am, however, fairly shocked by the brazen denial that political motivation played a role in the practice of singling out groups with words like “patriot” or “tea party” in their names.  As Charlotte wrote when the scandal broke, what else could it possibly be?

But the idea that the American government machine applies different rules to different groups has become positively commonplace, from Congress trying to sneak out of ObamaCare rules to the taxpayer giveaways to the President’s buddies in the so-called “green energy” business to exemptions handed out to unions and the AARP for health care rules they wanted foisted on everyone else.

When will America decide enough is enough? Electing a new set of politicians who encourage Americans to have the “audacity” to trust them that they really, really, really won’t engage in this kind of corruption clearly isn’t enough.  The only effective mechanism for reducing government corruption is reducing government’s power.  So long as bureaucrats in Ohio or Washington or anywhere else have the power to write, interpret, and selectively apply rules that radically alter people’s fortunes, you’ll have backroom deals and the abuse of power.

President Obama constantly derides cynics.  Yet he is giving Americans plenty of reason for cynicism.