Government by gangster might -- might -- be too strong a term for the direction our nation is headed. But you wouldn't know it from a recent scam unearthed at the General Services Administration.
The GSA offered contractors a tax deduction if they would make federal buildings more energy-efficient.
There was a catch, though: Contractors first had to agree to kick back nearly 20 percent of the value of the tax break to the GSA.
You read that correctly.
And so did U.S. Rep. Charles Boustany, R-La., chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.
"It was brought to our attention that certain people at agencies were asking for what looked like kickbacks in order to get allocations of a tax deduction," he said, calling for an investigation.
What is as troubling as the scheme, though, is the brazenness with which it was carried out. The GSA says it was perfectly legal and nothing but a way to make more money for the agency than what Congress authorized for energy-efficiency programs.
GSA officials even have a hilarious nickname for the scam: They call it a "giveback requirement."
Do tell, Orwell.
The idea of government leaning on the private sector is scarcely new in this administration, however.
Recall the letter that Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, sent to health insurers a couple years back when they dared to state the obvious: that ObamaCare is forcing up premiums.
She warned that the government would show "zero tolerance" for any insurer caught "falsely" blaming increases on ObamaCare.
"[We] will require state or federal review of all potentially unreasonable rate increases filed by health insurers. ... ," she stated. "We will also keep track of insurers with a record of unjustified rate increases: those plans may be excluded from health insurance exchanges in 2014. Simply stated, we will not stand idly by as insurers blame their premium hikes ... on the requirement that they provide consumers with basic protections."
In other words, shut up, do as you're told and like it -- or else.
Here is a better idea: If the Obama administration can't handle criticism of bad legislation such as ObamaCare, maybe the president shouldn't promote ruinous laws to begin with.
And maybe kickback schemes aren't a good way to run the greatest nation in history.