Dear Editor,

Our paper’s editorial page has exhibited an increasing drift to the right and is now publishing opinions from conspiracy theorists. An example is the recent Stephen Moore piece proclaiming the IRS is “armed and dangerous”; according to him recent Democratic legislation provides funding for 87,000 IRS agents who will soon be “knocking on your door”.

The facts of the matter, as reported previously by The Times Leader’s AP wire service article, are these: approximately two years ago (well before the Inflation Reduction Act’s funding of it,) the request for 87,000 employees (not just agents) over the next ten years was made. So approximately 87,000 secretaries, bookkeepers, parking lot attendants — and agents — will be hired per year, in large part to replace retiring employees.

As for the “armed” part of his assertions, the IRS has always maintained approximately 2,000 enforcement agents to retrieve funds illegally held in offshore accounts, bit-coin speculations, organized crime funds and the like.

This leads to the obvious question: why does The Times Leader give space to previously debunked malarkey?!

Tom Morgan

Belmont