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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Mr. Whist who wrote (55491)	10/31/2000 9:33:59 PM
From: Frank Griffin	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769670

First, I do believe Bush will do something about tax reform. I am hopeful he will even bring Steve Forbes aboard to consider options that will be fair to all Americans and American Companies while having a safety net for the more vulnerable. I believe that is all most Americans want. Secondly, I don't truly know the exact percentage offhand on a mean. I know I pay a lot of 39.6% dollars. I would guess I pay around 25 to 30% on average and I should know that but don't. I cannot do my own taxes. I am subchapter "S" and pay KPMG Peat Marwick a tidy sum to do them for me. I wouldn't even know where to start. I just save the documentation and present it to them. I want simplicity. Another thing, two workers can make exactly the same money and have the same deductions. One, with professional tax help will probably pay substantially less than the other fellow who can't afford (he feels) or simply wants to independently do his own return. It should be simple enough a working person can easily do the return.

To: Mr. Whist who wrote (55491)	10/31/2000 9:58:12 PM
From: Tom Clarke	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 769670

Workers Sue Local Teamsters Union for Hiding Political Spending In the midst of a close election, secretive union is socked with federal charges FOR RELEASE: October 31, 2000 Janesville, WI. (October 31, 2000) -- Eight employees filed federal charges today against a local Teamsters union for illegally forcing them and countless workers to pay union dues for politics. With Wisconsin playing a pivotal role in the outcome of this year’s presidential election, forced union dues may tip the scales toward Big Labor’s handpicked candidate. National Right to Work Foundation attorneys filed unfair labor practices charges against Teamsters union local 579 with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) on behalf of eight employees at Janesville Products, after union officials demanded that the employees pay almost full union dues, much of which the employees assert is used for politics. “During one of the closest presidential elections in American history, union bosses have stripped workers of their right to participate freely in the democratic process,” said Foundation Director of Legal Information Randy Wanke. In a letter to the employees, who are not members of the union, Local 579 union officials demanded that they pay nearly full union dues or be fired. Under the Foundation-won U.S. Supreme Court decision CWA v. Beck, union officials cannot force employees to pay union dues for activities not related to collective bargaining, like politics. In an attempt to protect their rights, employees requested that union officials provide an independent audit to prove that the forced union dues were not being used for politics. Under the Foundation-won decision in Chicago Teachers Union v. Hudson, the U.S. Supreme Court requires union officials to provide an independently audited financial disclosure and justify the lawfulness of their expenditures before seizing any forced union dues from the employees. Secretive Teamsters union officials have refused to provide the Supreme Court-mandated independent audit. The charges also state that union officials have failed to set up a procedure through which employees can challenge the forced dues amount and illegally demanded that employees sign a dues check-off authorization. During this year’s election, union officials are depending heavily on forced union dues to influence the outcome. It’s estimated that Big Labor could spend nearly $800 million, most of which comes from forced union dues, during the election. “With Wisconsin playing such an important role in this year’s presidential election, forced union dues may tip the scales toward the Teamsters union’s handpicked candidate,” said Wanke. The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation is a nonprofit, charitable organization providing free legal aid to employees whose human or civil rights have been violated by compulsory unionism abuses. The Foundation, which can be contacted toll-free at 1-800-336-3600, is assisting thousands of employees in over 500 cases nationwide. nrtw.org

To: Mr. Whist who wrote (55491)	11/1/2000 6:51:03 AM
From: Joseph F. Hubel	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769670

Flap, I am far from being a big entrepreneur and over the years have been reluctant to form the usual entities under the tax code in order to keep my life simple. I do not take a salary and was exempt from SS tax. As a matter of fact under my current setup, the government denies me the right to pay into SS or to even set up an IRA. From the governments stand point I have been unemployed for more than thirty years and am considered to derive my income from investments. As such there is no avenue available to me unless I were to make myself an employee. The tax code does not like people like myself. They would prefer all of us to be "employees" be it as a CEO or common laborer, it allows taxation from your first dollar earned and to keep perfect tabs on your income. I choose to take the path I did purposely to get out from under the burden of the 15% SS tax and to allow more flexibility. Regardless, I end up with a tax return of more than 45 pages and several days of preparation. Over the years this has worked well for me with the exception of the last two where I found myself paying no tax and had deductions of more than $18,000 I could not use or carry over and were simply lost. The point is, don't be so alarmed because some corporations seem to pay no tax from time to time. You have no way of knowing if it could be from loss carryovers or tax credits for capital upgrades, R&D, depletion or any number of such things. Sometimes we see a number and immediately become judgmental. Always keep in mind corporations do not write the tax code and I am sure you and most on this board try to pay no more than the law requires. JFH