Regarding the May 18 Wonkblog excerpt "How the IRS seized a man's life savings without ever charging him with a crime":

The Internal Revenue Service got a court order to seize Lyndon McLellan's bank account in a "civil forfeiture" action. No crime was alleged, just a pattern of suspicious actions-making bank deposits of less than $10,000. The article mentioned other civil forfeitures involving assets seized during traffic stops, on the premise that the assets might be tied to illicit activities. Why would law enforcement officers do such things? Clearly, the issue is not the solving of crime. Is it policy? Are there quotas? Do police and the government view all citizens as crooks - some caught, the rest guilty but not yet nailed?

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