IRS Attempting to Intimidate Manassas Tea Party

You may have seen recent reports of the Internal Revenue Service's overly-burdensome and invasive demands for information in response to many Tea Parties around the country including the Richmond Tea Party applying for 501(c)(4) non profit status. Here is one article. 

In 2010 the Manassas Tea Party sent in our application and had not received any response until we too recently received a demand letter. While our IRS list of information required to be provided is similar, it is not as extensive as some groups. It nevertheless invades our rights.  Here is a brief exerpt from the list of questions (with highlighting added). 

Here is the complete letter we received from the IRS. 

Recently the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) announced it has agreed to defend a number of Tea Party organizations under assault.  It has also started a petition demanding that Congress conduct oversight hearings on this IRS action.  Over 30,000 signatures were obtained in only 2 days.  Here is the petition if you would like to add your voice to this effort. 

Our Board is currently considering what actions we will take in response to this letter. 

March Straw Poll Results

At the March monthly meeting on Super Tuesday Manassas Tea Party members again conducted a straw poll for the Presidential, U.S. Senate, and Manassas City Council races.  The winners of this straw poll were the same as February, but a shift in sentiment principally in the Presidential race did occur which appears to follow National polls.  At the Virginia Presidential Primary that day many voters could not vote for their candidate-of-choice. But in the straw poll they could. Mitt Romney increased from no votes to receiving 37% for the March poll while Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul declined. 

This is the same straw poll that last month made lots of news in the media and the internet.  See several articles on our blog.

The Manassas Tea Party will continue to measure and report it's member's sentiment in these three races each month until those elections are completed.  The Manassas Tea Party is not endorsing any candidate by reporting the results of this straw poll.