November 15, 2005
1 Square Inch of Land for Sale at $1,500
November 12, 2005 -SPENCER, Ind. -- Owen County officials are trying to sell a 1-square-inch plot of land for $1,500. At that rate, an acre of land would cost nearly $7 billion.
… the tiny piece of land west of Bloomington was deeded to someone in the 1960s, when people had to own property to use a nearby lake. First National Bank foreclosed on the property owner's mortgage, which covered the entire 1.12-acre tract, and the land was up for bid at the tax sale. There is a minimum bid of $1,500 for tax sale parcels.
County attorney Richard Lorenz said he wants to find a way for the county to get rid of the land and the responsibility of selling it, perhaps by giving it away.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/12/AR2005111200636_pf.html
Not on the Menu
November 11- Diners at a Shelby, Mississippi restaurant are questioning the mystery meat in their Chinese food. Police say they became suspicious after they confiscated a poisonous reptile from their kitchen. Customers thought they were eating beef fried rice; instead it could've been a slithering surprise.
...City worker Eddie Boone killed the snake with a pipe while cleaning the streets, then took it to the market to show it off. The owner of James Quality Market, Frankie Wong, decided to buy the dead cottonmouth [water] moccasin.
Chief William's thought the story was strange, so he went to the store. There he saw the skinned snake with the rest of the restaurants meats.
"I said what you gonna do with the snake? He said cook it. I said cook it? I said I needed to confiscate," explained Williams.
Shelby customers who shop at James Quality Market are now wondering what is in Mr. Wong's special meats. Chief Williams says there have been no prior complaints against the store, which remains open...
The Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks says it is a violation of state law to buy or sell a non-game species. The market owner could face a fine and jail time.
http://www.wlbt.com/Global/story.asp?S=4108783&nav=2CSf
Time to eat crow
Norway- A restaurant in Østre Bolærne, an archipelago on the outer fringe of the Oslo Fjord, has decided on menu innovation to attract new diners…additions of crow and seagull to the menu...
...The restaurant has already advertised their 'Christmas buffet with a difference', and the chef has prepared both crow and seagull in a variety of sauces. Sund checked long ago that it was legal to hunt the common birds...
http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article1154580.ece
Wedding painting of bride and groom signing register offensive to homosexuals
November 13, 2005 -Couples looking to tie the knot in Liverpool, England, no longer have an image of a traditional marriage overseeing their wedding, as the painting has been deemed potentially offensive to homosexual couples.
This portrait of a bride and groom was removed from the Liverpool Wedding Registrar's office, as it was ruled potentially offensive to same-sex couples
Starting Dec. 21, same-sex weddings, officially termed civil partnerships, will allow homosexual couples to sign documents in front of a registrar and witnesses, and have new pension and inheritance rights.
...Dr. Adrian Rogers, ex-director of the Conservative Family Institution, told the Sun newspaper: "This is ludicrous and the worst example of political correctness. This is an insult to every heterosexual couple that have been married at Liverpool register office."
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=47384
'In God We Trust' to come off coins?
November 14, 2005- Michael Newdow, perhaps America's best known atheist, has a new target in his personal war against God in the public domain: "In God We Trust" on U.S. money.
"I am about to file to get 'In God We Trust' off the front of our currency," he told the Oklahoman. "I plan to do that this week."
Newdow, of Sacramento, Calif., made the remarks Saturday night shortly before addressing the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Oklahoma Foundation Bill of Rights Celebration.
..."People say, 'Are you an atheist activist?' And I'm not," he continued. "I couldn't care less what anyone believes. I just care that our government treats everybody equally."
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=47387
Kurds Campaign Thanks U.S. for Liberation
10 Nov 2005- A group representing Kurdistan thanks America for liberating that nation from Saddam Hussein's dictatorship of terrorism.
"The Kurds of Iraqi Kurdistan just want to say ‘thank you for helping us win our freedom. Thank you for democracy. Thank you America.”
The ad campaign began Monday in the United States with ads in The Wall Street Journal and on Fox News Channel. Ads begin airing Nov. 14 airing in Europe.
The group describes Kurdistan as a place "where peace and prosperity have reigned since liberation from Saddam Hussein.”
Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, Chairman of the Kurdistan Development Corporation and Kurdistan’s High Representative to the UK, says the commercials are necessary to counter the American media’s largely negative coverage of Iraq.
"We feel the mainstream media,” she tells Newsmax, "is focusing on the negative stories coming out of Iraq and very rarely highlighting the good news.”
"The truth is that while there is violence,” she continues, "there are big strides being taken towards democracy in Iraq, particularly in Kurdistan. There are vast sections of Iraq, and again particularly Kurdistan, where the region is safe, stable, and people are getting on with their lives, doing business, trying to build a future.”
Indeed, not a single coalition soldier has died in Kurdistan since March 2003.
Rahman worries, however, about suggestions that the United States should pull out of Iraq.
The current peace and prosperity is a welcome change from conditions under Saddam Hussein, who targeted the Kurds throughout his rule.
Among other atrocities, Hussein ordered the use of chemical weapons against the Kurdish village of Halabja in 1988, killing an estimated 5,000 Kurds, a majority of which were women and children.
..."The people of Kurdistan and the government of Kurdistan,” she gushes, "admire President Bush’s courage in fighting Saddam Hussein despite some of the doubts of America’s international partners.”
In addition to the advertisments, the group maintains a Web site, www.theotheriraq.com , expressing its gratitude to the U.S. and the value of Kurdistan to the world community.
http://web.krg.org/articles/article_detail.asp?LangNr=12&RubricNr=&ArticleNr=7385&LNNr=28&RNNr=70
Military Recruiting Up...Despite Media...
11/10/2005- The Army got off to a strong start in the new budget year by exceeding its October targets for the active-duty Army as well as the National Guard and Reserve.
The other military services also met their goals for active-duty enlistments in October, the first month of the budget year. The Air National Guard got barely half the recruits it wanted and the Navy Reserve met 89% of its goal.
The Army said it signed up 4,925 for active duty, or 105% of its goal. It was the fifth straight month of meeting or exceeding its goal, following a severe slump last spring that prevented the Army from reaching its full-year goal for 2005.
...The Army National Guard signed up 102% of its October goal and the Army Reserve got 103%.
Re-enlistments, which were strong last year while recruiting slipped, got off to a weaker start in October. The active Army re-enlisted 91% of its goal for the month; the National Guard and Reserve both got 98%.
An Army spokesman, Lt. Col. Bryan Hilferty, said re-enlistments typically are lower in the early part of the budget year. In October 2005, for example, the Army got only 83% of its goal but finished the budget year with more than 100%.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-11-10-military-goals_x.htm
Al Qaida acquires Russian surface-to-air missiles
November 11, 2005 -LONDON — Western intelligence sources said Al Qaida-aligned cells have procured the SA-18 anti-aircraft missile from the former Soviet Union. The sources said the missiles were smuggled into Turkey and acquired by Al Qaida-aligned cells in the Middle East.
...On Oct. 28, the French daily Le Figaro reported that Al Qaida-aligned cells have obtained SA-18s for attacks against French airliners. The daily said the cells acquired the missiles in 2002 from the so-called Chechen mafia.
...In 2004 France foiled a plot to destroy passenger jets with the SA-18 Igla missile. An Al Qaida-aligned cell composed of Algerian and French nationals planned to shoot the missiles from near Strasbourg.
...Information on the missile plot reportedly came from an aide to Al Qaida network chief Abu Mussib Al Zarqawi. The aide, identified as Adnan Sadiq, is imprisoned in Jordan in connection with an Al Qaida plot in the Hashemite kingdom.
Le Figaro said French investigators interrogated Sadiq in prison. Sadiq told the investigators that the SA-18s were acquired from Georgia and transported to France. The missiles have not been recovered.
http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/05/front2453686.1305555557.html
Pro-Family Leaders: STD Facts Belie Condom Crowd's Safe-Sex Rhetoric
November 11, 2005 (AgapePress) - The director of the Culture and Family Institute says the rise in a couple of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) is proof that so-called "safe sex" does not work to prevent the spread of venereal diseases. Federal health officials say syphilis and chlamydia infection rates are on the rise.
The federal experts say part of the reason for the rise in syphilis cases -- 81 percent since 2000 -- is the cyclical nature of the disease. However, they also attribute the increase to a reported rise in risky sex among homosexual men. The report from the Centers for Disease Control says 64 percent of last year's reported early-stage syphilis infections occurred among that group.
Bob Knight of the Culture and Family Institute says these statistics show the failures of the condom promotion done by "safe sex" advocates among the homosexual community. "They've spent millions of dollars in federal funds on safe-sex programs," he says. "They're basically telling these guys, 'Go on, do whatever you want with whomever you want, as long as you use condoms."
...Linda Klepacki is Focus on the Family's Analyst for Sexual Health. She says the new FDA regulations regarding the consumer information provided on condom packages still do not ensure truth in advertising on the part of the condom manufacturers.
"Up to this time, condom labeling has been notoriously misleading about the efficacy of preventing the spread of STDs, particularly the spread of HPV -- the leading cause of cervical cancer," Klepacki asserts. "Unfortunately, the guidelines released ... remain medically inaccurate."
...Even more disturbing, the Focus on the Family analyst asserts, is the knowledge that children are being "indoctrinated with this deception" in schools in the name of comprehensive sex ed. "Our kids are being assured that they should place their faith in a piece of latex -- never knowing that they are jeopardizing their own lives if they do so," she says.
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/11/112005b.asp
Battle Brewing Over Parental Notification Measure in Massachusetts
November 11, 2005 (AgapePress) - A Massachusetts pro-family leader says a new parental notification bill in the state legislature is the "worst nightmare" of Planned Parenthood and the homosexual movement.
Currently under Massachusetts law, parents are permitted to "opt-out" their children from public school programs dealing with homosexuality or sex education. However, a new bipartisan bill would change the law to an "opt-in" for parents who want their children involved in such program. Senate Bill 316, known as the "School Survey Consent Bill," would require schools to obtain prior written consent from parents or guardians before subjecting students to surveys, analyses, or evaluations that deal with such issues as sex behavior and attitudes, political affiliations, and "anti-social, self-incriminating, and demeaning" behavior. (See entire wording of bill below.)
...Article 8 offers as an example the questions comprising the "Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey," in which children are asked to assign themselves a sexual orientation ("Heterosexual (straight), Gay or lesbian, Bisexual, Not sure") and to admit on paper to sexual activities, criminal conduct, and thoughts of suicide and self-mutilation. The survey has reportedly been given to thousands of children in Massachusetts.
...According to Camenker, homosexual activists as well as representatives from Planned Parenthood turned out in force at the hearing to argue against parent notification -- and both groups, he says, have already begun a campaign to get the measure killed.
In April a Massachusetts parent was arrested and jailed for protesting a school's refusal to notify him before his kindergarten-age son is exposed to classroom discussions about homosexuality and transgender. Charges against David Parker were dismissed in October when the county district attorney decided not to prosecute him. However, the Lexington School District continues to bar him from setting foot on any school property.
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/11/112005a.asp
Peter Schweizer: Clintons Underpaid Taxes
Nov. 13, 2005 -Just last week, Bill Clinton decried the Bush tax cuts as "unethical" and "immoral," because they allowed wealthy folks like himself to avoid "paying their fair share."
"I must be the only person in America that every time - I pay the maximum tax rates - every time I sign that tax form, I smile," Clinton recently explained. However…
"A study of their income tax returns reveal that, since 1991, the Clintons paid on average about 7 percent less to the IRS than others in their income group," he writes. "While most Americans in their bracket were paying 27 percent in taxes, the Clintons were bumping along at 20 percent."
How did Bill and Hill keep their taxes so low? According to a Money Magazine report unearthed by Schweizer, "The Clintons appear to have repeatedly overstated their charitable contributions."
What's more, according to Gaines Norton, the former first couple's one-time accountant, some of the Clintons' deductions were "probably illegal" Norton told Whitewater probers that when he urged Mr. Clinton to pay his fair share, the then-Arkansas Governor told him: "Back off and leave the issue alone."
Other creative ways of lowering their taxes:
Not reporting as income Hillary's $100,000 in profits from commodities trading. Instead, says Schweizer, they actually claimed a loss.
The Clintons also failed to report as income "$74,234 in loans, payments, and forgiven debts that the IRS code counts as income."
Then there's the personal property tax that was due on a sportscar Hillary owned, which first couple declined to pay.
They also took thousands of dollars in deductions on their Whitewater investment that "Hillary admitted at the time she knew they were not entitled to."
In a bid to further reduce their tax exposure, the Clintons set up a contract trust, which "among other things will allow them to substantially reduce the amount of inheritance tax their estate will have to pay when they die."
http://newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/11/13/192614.shtml
November 12, 2005 -SPENCER, Ind. -- Owen County officials are trying to sell a 1-square-inch plot of land for $1,500. At that rate, an acre of land would cost nearly $7 billion.
… the tiny piece of land west of Bloomington was deeded to someone in the 1960s, when people had to own property to use a nearby lake. First National Bank foreclosed on the property owner's mortgage, which covered the entire 1.12-acre tract, and the land was up for bid at the tax sale. There is a minimum bid of $1,500 for tax sale parcels.
County attorney Richard Lorenz said he wants to find a way for the county to get rid of the land and the responsibility of selling it, perhaps by giving it away.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/12/AR2005111200636_pf.html
Not on the Menu
November 11- Diners at a Shelby, Mississippi restaurant are questioning the mystery meat in their Chinese food. Police say they became suspicious after they confiscated a poisonous reptile from their kitchen. Customers thought they were eating beef fried rice; instead it could've been a slithering surprise.
...City worker Eddie Boone killed the snake with a pipe while cleaning the streets, then took it to the market to show it off. The owner of James Quality Market, Frankie Wong, decided to buy the dead cottonmouth [water] moccasin.
Chief William's thought the story was strange, so he went to the store. There he saw the skinned snake with the rest of the restaurants meats.
"I said what you gonna do with the snake? He said cook it. I said cook it? I said I needed to confiscate," explained Williams.
Shelby customers who shop at James Quality Market are now wondering what is in Mr. Wong's special meats. Chief Williams says there have been no prior complaints against the store, which remains open...
The Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks says it is a violation of state law to buy or sell a non-game species. The market owner could face a fine and jail time.
http://www.wlbt.com/Global/story.asp?S=4108783&nav=2CSf
Time to eat crow
Norway- A restaurant in Østre Bolærne, an archipelago on the outer fringe of the Oslo Fjord, has decided on menu innovation to attract new diners…additions of crow and seagull to the menu...
...The restaurant has already advertised their 'Christmas buffet with a difference', and the chef has prepared both crow and seagull in a variety of sauces. Sund checked long ago that it was legal to hunt the common birds...
http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article1154580.ece
Wedding painting of bride and groom signing register offensive to homosexuals
November 13, 2005 -Couples looking to tie the knot in Liverpool, England, no longer have an image of a traditional marriage overseeing their wedding, as the painting has been deemed potentially offensive to homosexual couples.
This portrait of a bride and groom was removed from the Liverpool Wedding Registrar's office, as it was ruled potentially offensive to same-sex couples
Starting Dec. 21, same-sex weddings, officially termed civil partnerships, will allow homosexual couples to sign documents in front of a registrar and witnesses, and have new pension and inheritance rights.
...Dr. Adrian Rogers, ex-director of the Conservative Family Institution, told the Sun newspaper: "This is ludicrous and the worst example of political correctness. This is an insult to every heterosexual couple that have been married at Liverpool register office."
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=47384
'In God We Trust' to come off coins?
November 14, 2005- Michael Newdow, perhaps America's best known atheist, has a new target in his personal war against God in the public domain: "In God We Trust" on U.S. money.
"I am about to file to get 'In God We Trust' off the front of our currency," he told the Oklahoman. "I plan to do that this week."
Newdow, of Sacramento, Calif., made the remarks Saturday night shortly before addressing the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Oklahoma Foundation Bill of Rights Celebration.
..."People say, 'Are you an atheist activist?' And I'm not," he continued. "I couldn't care less what anyone believes. I just care that our government treats everybody equally."
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=47387
Kurds Campaign Thanks U.S. for Liberation
10 Nov 2005- A group representing Kurdistan thanks America for liberating that nation from Saddam Hussein's dictatorship of terrorism.
"The Kurds of Iraqi Kurdistan just want to say ‘thank you for helping us win our freedom. Thank you for democracy. Thank you America.”
The ad campaign began Monday in the United States with ads in The Wall Street Journal and on Fox News Channel. Ads begin airing Nov. 14 airing in Europe.
The group describes Kurdistan as a place "where peace and prosperity have reigned since liberation from Saddam Hussein.”
Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, Chairman of the Kurdistan Development Corporation and Kurdistan’s High Representative to the UK, says the commercials are necessary to counter the American media’s largely negative coverage of Iraq.
"We feel the mainstream media,” she tells Newsmax, "is focusing on the negative stories coming out of Iraq and very rarely highlighting the good news.”
"The truth is that while there is violence,” she continues, "there are big strides being taken towards democracy in Iraq, particularly in Kurdistan. There are vast sections of Iraq, and again particularly Kurdistan, where the region is safe, stable, and people are getting on with their lives, doing business, trying to build a future.”
Indeed, not a single coalition soldier has died in Kurdistan since March 2003.
Rahman worries, however, about suggestions that the United States should pull out of Iraq.
The current peace and prosperity is a welcome change from conditions under Saddam Hussein, who targeted the Kurds throughout his rule.
Among other atrocities, Hussein ordered the use of chemical weapons against the Kurdish village of Halabja in 1988, killing an estimated 5,000 Kurds, a majority of which were women and children.
..."The people of Kurdistan and the government of Kurdistan,” she gushes, "admire President Bush’s courage in fighting Saddam Hussein despite some of the doubts of America’s international partners.”
In addition to the advertisments, the group maintains a Web site, www.theotheriraq.com , expressing its gratitude to the U.S. and the value of Kurdistan to the world community.
http://web.krg.org/articles/article_detail.asp?LangNr=12&RubricNr=&ArticleNr=7385&LNNr=28&RNNr=70
Military Recruiting Up...Despite Media...
11/10/2005- The Army got off to a strong start in the new budget year by exceeding its October targets for the active-duty Army as well as the National Guard and Reserve.
The other military services also met their goals for active-duty enlistments in October, the first month of the budget year. The Air National Guard got barely half the recruits it wanted and the Navy Reserve met 89% of its goal.
The Army said it signed up 4,925 for active duty, or 105% of its goal. It was the fifth straight month of meeting or exceeding its goal, following a severe slump last spring that prevented the Army from reaching its full-year goal for 2005.
...The Army National Guard signed up 102% of its October goal and the Army Reserve got 103%.
Re-enlistments, which were strong last year while recruiting slipped, got off to a weaker start in October. The active Army re-enlisted 91% of its goal for the month; the National Guard and Reserve both got 98%.
An Army spokesman, Lt. Col. Bryan Hilferty, said re-enlistments typically are lower in the early part of the budget year. In October 2005, for example, the Army got only 83% of its goal but finished the budget year with more than 100%.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-11-10-military-goals_x.htm
Al Qaida acquires Russian surface-to-air missiles
November 11, 2005 -LONDON — Western intelligence sources said Al Qaida-aligned cells have procured the SA-18 anti-aircraft missile from the former Soviet Union. The sources said the missiles were smuggled into Turkey and acquired by Al Qaida-aligned cells in the Middle East.
...On Oct. 28, the French daily Le Figaro reported that Al Qaida-aligned cells have obtained SA-18s for attacks against French airliners. The daily said the cells acquired the missiles in 2002 from the so-called Chechen mafia.
...In 2004 France foiled a plot to destroy passenger jets with the SA-18 Igla missile. An Al Qaida-aligned cell composed of Algerian and French nationals planned to shoot the missiles from near Strasbourg.
...Information on the missile plot reportedly came from an aide to Al Qaida network chief Abu Mussib Al Zarqawi. The aide, identified as Adnan Sadiq, is imprisoned in Jordan in connection with an Al Qaida plot in the Hashemite kingdom.
Le Figaro said French investigators interrogated Sadiq in prison. Sadiq told the investigators that the SA-18s were acquired from Georgia and transported to France. The missiles have not been recovered.
http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/05/front2453686.1305555557.html
Pro-Family Leaders: STD Facts Belie Condom Crowd's Safe-Sex Rhetoric
November 11, 2005 (AgapePress) - The director of the Culture and Family Institute says the rise in a couple of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) is proof that so-called "safe sex" does not work to prevent the spread of venereal diseases. Federal health officials say syphilis and chlamydia infection rates are on the rise.
The federal experts say part of the reason for the rise in syphilis cases -- 81 percent since 2000 -- is the cyclical nature of the disease. However, they also attribute the increase to a reported rise in risky sex among homosexual men. The report from the Centers for Disease Control says 64 percent of last year's reported early-stage syphilis infections occurred among that group.
Bob Knight of the Culture and Family Institute says these statistics show the failures of the condom promotion done by "safe sex" advocates among the homosexual community. "They've spent millions of dollars in federal funds on safe-sex programs," he says. "They're basically telling these guys, 'Go on, do whatever you want with whomever you want, as long as you use condoms."
...Linda Klepacki is Focus on the Family's Analyst for Sexual Health. She says the new FDA regulations regarding the consumer information provided on condom packages still do not ensure truth in advertising on the part of the condom manufacturers.
"Up to this time, condom labeling has been notoriously misleading about the efficacy of preventing the spread of STDs, particularly the spread of HPV -- the leading cause of cervical cancer," Klepacki asserts. "Unfortunately, the guidelines released ... remain medically inaccurate."
...Even more disturbing, the Focus on the Family analyst asserts, is the knowledge that children are being "indoctrinated with this deception" in schools in the name of comprehensive sex ed. "Our kids are being assured that they should place their faith in a piece of latex -- never knowing that they are jeopardizing their own lives if they do so," she says.
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/11/112005b.asp
Battle Brewing Over Parental Notification Measure in Massachusetts
November 11, 2005 (AgapePress) - A Massachusetts pro-family leader says a new parental notification bill in the state legislature is the "worst nightmare" of Planned Parenthood and the homosexual movement.
Currently under Massachusetts law, parents are permitted to "opt-out" their children from public school programs dealing with homosexuality or sex education. However, a new bipartisan bill would change the law to an "opt-in" for parents who want their children involved in such program. Senate Bill 316, known as the "School Survey Consent Bill," would require schools to obtain prior written consent from parents or guardians before subjecting students to surveys, analyses, or evaluations that deal with such issues as sex behavior and attitudes, political affiliations, and "anti-social, self-incriminating, and demeaning" behavior. (See entire wording of bill below.)
...Article 8 offers as an example the questions comprising the "Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey," in which children are asked to assign themselves a sexual orientation ("Heterosexual (straight), Gay or lesbian, Bisexual, Not sure") and to admit on paper to sexual activities, criminal conduct, and thoughts of suicide and self-mutilation. The survey has reportedly been given to thousands of children in Massachusetts.
...According to Camenker, homosexual activists as well as representatives from Planned Parenthood turned out in force at the hearing to argue against parent notification -- and both groups, he says, have already begun a campaign to get the measure killed.
In April a Massachusetts parent was arrested and jailed for protesting a school's refusal to notify him before his kindergarten-age son is exposed to classroom discussions about homosexuality and transgender. Charges against David Parker were dismissed in October when the county district attorney decided not to prosecute him. However, the Lexington School District continues to bar him from setting foot on any school property.
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/11/112005a.asp
Peter Schweizer: Clintons Underpaid Taxes
Nov. 13, 2005 -Just last week, Bill Clinton decried the Bush tax cuts as "unethical" and "immoral," because they allowed wealthy folks like himself to avoid "paying their fair share."
"I must be the only person in America that every time - I pay the maximum tax rates - every time I sign that tax form, I smile," Clinton recently explained. However…
"A study of their income tax returns reveal that, since 1991, the Clintons paid on average about 7 percent less to the IRS than others in their income group," he writes. "While most Americans in their bracket were paying 27 percent in taxes, the Clintons were bumping along at 20 percent."
How did Bill and Hill keep their taxes so low? According to a Money Magazine report unearthed by Schweizer, "The Clintons appear to have repeatedly overstated their charitable contributions."
What's more, according to Gaines Norton, the former first couple's one-time accountant, some of the Clintons' deductions were "probably illegal" Norton told Whitewater probers that when he urged Mr. Clinton to pay his fair share, the then-Arkansas Governor told him: "Back off and leave the issue alone."
Other creative ways of lowering their taxes:
Not reporting as income Hillary's $100,000 in profits from commodities trading. Instead, says Schweizer, they actually claimed a loss.
The Clintons also failed to report as income "$74,234 in loans, payments, and forgiven debts that the IRS code counts as income."
Then there's the personal property tax that was due on a sportscar Hillary owned, which first couple declined to pay.
They also took thousands of dollars in deductions on their Whitewater investment that "Hillary admitted at the time she knew they were not entitled to."
In a bid to further reduce their tax exposure, the Clintons set up a contract trust, which "among other things will allow them to substantially reduce the amount of inheritance tax their estate will have to pay when they die."
http://newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/11/13/192614.shtml
posted by David Bennett | 5:30 AM
<< Home