Just wonderful - spending another half-billion just to piss off your constituency

That may not be his intent but it sure does it for me. From The Hill:

Obama administration diverts $500M to IRS to implement healthcare reform law
The Obama administration is quietly diverting roughly $500 million to the IRS to help implement the president�s healthcare law.

The money is only part of the IRS�s total implementation spending, and it is being provided outside the normal appropriations process. The tax agency is responsible for several key provisions of the new law, including the unpopular individual mandate.

A bit more:

The Obama administration has plowed ahead despite the legal and political challenges.

It has moved aggressively to get important policies in place. And, according to a review of budget documents and figures provided by congressional staff, the administration is also burning through implementation funding provided in the healthcare law.

The law contains dozens of targeted appropriations to implement specific provisions. It also gave the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) a $1 billion implementation fund, to use as it sees fit. Republicans have called it a �slush fund.�

HHS plans to drain the entire fund by September � before the presidential election, and more than a year before most of the healthcare law takes effect. Roughly half of that money will ultimately go to the IRS.

HHS has transferred almost $200 million to the IRS over the past two years and plans to transfer more than $300 million this year, according to figures provided by a congressional aide.

The Government Accountability Office has said the transfers are perfectly legal and consistent with how agencies have used general implementation funds in the past. The $1 billion fund was set aside for �federal� implementation activities, the GAO said, and can therefore be used by any agency � not just HHS, where the money is housed.

The Federal Government does not make any money -- all of what monies it has have come from either loans or through our taxes. There is a small revenue stream from oil and gas leases on Federal lands but that is a drop in the bucket. We are talking a half-billion of our tax dollars. Looking forward to hearing the Supreme Court's decision in June. 5-4 is almost a given. 6-3 would be nuclear. Be sure to look at some of the 1,340+ comments -- some excellent thoughts.