Heads Up

ABOLISH THE IRS

Many in Congress are saying that legislation is needed to protect taxpayers from the Internal Revenue Service. Well, gee . . . where the hell have they been these past forty years? Reports show that at least half of the 33 million penalty and correction notices sent out by the IRS every year are incorrect. That is, the taxpayer really owed nothing. Yet, using the full power of the federal government, the IRS aggressively goes after the money anyway.

I seem to remember learning something about "Thou shalt not steal" when I was a kid. Evidently though, that does not apply to government. Not our central government, anyway. Cause the IRS commits thievery by force of government.

Analysts say a new "taxpayer bill of rights" is necessary to protect taxpayers from IRS abuse. What a scam! In effect, what Congress is telling us is that, "Yes, we know that the IRS misuses the law to take hundreds of millions of dollars from American citizens annually that they did not owe. So, we're going to fix it so they cannot steal quite so much."

That's like saying that they know a bully is hitting us too hard. But, Congress is still going to let the bully hit us, just not quite that hard. Absurd!

My all time favorite, though, is when a Member of Congress says -- with a straight face -- that they intend to force the IRS to treat citizens as innocent until proven guilty. Congress wants to "extend to taxpayers a constitutional protection accused murderers already have." Of course, that will only be "in some circumstances."

As said above, it seems as though many Members of Congress have not read the Constitution. We already have a Bill of Rights. It was put there to protect us from abuse from government agents. And, no matter how many people try to wish this fact away, the IRS is an agency of the federal government. Therefore, if an IRS agent does not follow the Constitution to the letter -- including the Bill of Rights -- that agent should be put in prison.

If we are to have a rule of law in this nation, the rule must be obeyed by each and every member of government. That means, we must not allow exceptions for any federal agency, for any reason.

But citizens have an obligation to obey the law, too. Our problem is that the IRS code is 5.5 million poorly written words long. Therefore, taxpayers cannot understand the tax law. Worse, probably not one of the 110,000 bureaucrats working for the IRS understands it all either.

So, when we stand back and look at the big picture, we see major problems that at first appear hopeless to correct. Congress keeps generating more changes in the tax law, which is exactly what we do not need. The bureaucratic culture at the IRS is totally out of control. The institution is oppressive and reeks with unconstitutional tactics. Therefore, it's no wonder that the outlook from the American citizen's point of view is that it's all going to get a lot worse before there are any significant changes for the better.

This new "taxpayer's bill of rights" should be an insult to any American respecting our Constitution. Because, when the question is the IRS, there is only one correct answer: Abolish it. Totally and completely, abolish it.

HONOR FOR SALE OR RENT

Fat cat partisans could always get an ambassadorship or a position on a commission for a "donation" of a couple hundred-thousand bucks. It took the Clinton Administration to sell these positions to foreigners -- foreigners whom Clinton should have known, and probably did know, were providing sensitive information to a foreign government(s).

Closing off a chunk of Utah to use by Americans was a nice payback for foreign campaign contributors, too. But let's look at that as more of a short-term lease arrangement. The presidential act was probably illegal in the first place; and, in part anyway, is already being reconsidered. Besides, they only gave the Clinton Campaign Committee and DNC a couple million bucks. That would be little more than a lease-option in the current scheme of things.

It's the Most Favored Nation designation for China that was the real payoff. That, and permission to purchase a dozen or more supercomputers and a whole lot of sophisticated technology suitable for arming the Chinese military against us.

We note too that the administration's ecology program -- consisting of Heritage Rivers, biospheres, wildland reserves, etc., etc. -- is right on schedule with the wishes of Clinton's socialist friends at the United Nations. We have not figured out exactly who is "contributing" to the administration to get them to do all this. But, it will come out eventually. Congress quietly rubber-stamped much of that, and even set aside money to purchase more American lands to be removed from human use. Clearly, someone with big bucks is behind the scam -- and they must be contributing handsomely to the right campaign committees, we might add.

Somewhere in Washington there must be a price list for all of this -- just as there was for the presidential coffees and the overnights in the Lincoln bedroom. But, that's got to be one of the best guarded secrets inside the Beltway.

So, when we read of the administration selling plots in Arlington National Cemetery to the unworthy, we shouldn't be too surprised. That's little more than a small brick in the foundation of the Clinton legacy: Honor for sale or rent. Federal laws apportioned to each, according to his campaign contribution.

THE SCANDAL(S) CONTINUES

On the other hand, some of this stuff is really juicy, and no one else is reporting it. . . .

Take bribes, for instance. My dictionary describes a bribe as: anything promised or given as illicit payment. It is a felony to give, or promise to give, money or any other type of consideration, to a politician for a political favor. In American law, the crime is serious enough to get both the payer and the payee some serious time in the slammer.

Now we see that government ombudsman Kenneth Conboy disqualified Teamsters union boss Ron Carey from running for re-election as president. Why? Conboy said that Carey had telephoned President Clinton's finance director to thank him for raising improper campaign cash.

Yeah? Big deal! It's no secret that they were laundering cash back and forth between the Clinton Campaign Committee, the DNC, and the Carey Campaign Committee. The cash originated, of course, from the Teamsters Union treasury. Most of it went to the Clinton Campaign Committee and the DNC -- which was also used as an adjunct of the Clinton Campaign Committee.

What did Ron Carey get out of this -- besides some of the money returned for his own campaign? The Teamsters Union got big favors. Carey got continuous access to the White House and lots of political favors. And remember, some of those favors came during a major national strike, no less.

Not enough proof of a bribe yet? OK, try this one:

When the Clinton administration tried to shove the Fast Track bill through Congress, a lot of Democrats balked. Consequently, the administration couldn't line up the votes to get the Fast Track bill passed.

No big deal. That happens a lot. Clinton then started dialing Congress for votes. That's fair. He was acting like his own lobbyist. Even so, they could not get the votes necessary to pass the Fast Track bill. So, the White House changed tactics slightly. They offered "incentives."

First the administration offered the reluctant Democrat Members of Congress the normal enticements: a little something extra for their respective districts -- in million dollar increments, of course. However, that didn't work, either.

By the end of the Congressional session, the administration was getting desperate. So they offered the nay-saying Democrats something every politician wants. Cash money. Free greenbacks. Bucks.

Of course, it wouldn't do for the President, Co-President and Vice-President of the United States to be seen walking the halls on Capitol Hill passing out cash for votes. So, they devised a more acceptable method. The administration commissioned lobbyists to do it for them.

Therefore, as it came to pass, the negative voting Democrats in the House were discretely informed that there would be an instant $100,000 to $150,000 fund-raiser scheduled for any of them who changed their vote in favor of Fast Track. In other words, they were offered an out and out bribe.

This was no big secret on Capitol Hill, either. At least a couple hundred people had to know about it. And, why this never made the news is understandable. As investigative reporter Ambrose Evans-Pritchard writes: "The rule of law was derelict, the press craven."

Anyway, that's how it works in Washington. He who has the money gets the favorable rule, regulation or law passed. But, this time, there were too many Democrats against the Fast Track bill. And the Clinton Administration was tardy in getting enough of the cold hard cash lined up to pay them all enough. The administration will probably not let that happen again.

THE END IS NEAR FOR AUTO POLLUTION

First, a team of researchers at Arthur D. Little Co., a Boston-based energy consulting firm, announced a fuel cell that produces energy by combining oxygen and hydrogen from gasoline. The byproduct -- pollution, if you will -- is primarily water vapor.

The plan, the company said, is to work with major automakers to develop the system in an electric car. That would cut auto emissions by 95 percent, and double fuel efficiency. They estimate the fuel cell to be in commercial production as early as 2005. Company officials said the remaining problems include reducing the cost, getting the system smaller to fit under a car's hood and developing more power than the laboratory model.

Chrysler Corporation reports that it will have a prototype car using the technology in about two years and expects to have the cars for sale by 2010.

True electric vehicle (EV) technology has been developing a little slow in the United States. Since last December, General Motors Corp. has only sold about 575 electric cars and pickups. Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler Corp. didn't even start marketing EV's yet. Both plan to start with small-scale launches of electric minivans next year. Maybe.

But that's typical for Detroit: a day late and a dollar short. All three auto companies have had working hybrid technology for a few years. Yet, they don't market it. Now it's too late.

Because, now comes the best news: By the end of next year, there will probably be a mass produced automobile available that gets 60 miles to the gallon and emits only about 5% of the pollution of typical 1997 model cars. We're not talking a golf cart here, either. This one will be a four door sedan, loaded with everything anyone wants.

Toyota built it. And, they're already taking orders in Japan. This is a hybrid automobile, in that it runs on both electricity and gasoline. The best part, though, is it charges its own batteries as you drive. You just add gasoline once in a while. So, for you folks who wanted a low-emission vehicle, here comes the Toyota Prius. And, it's in production now.

Toyota's hybrid system provides higher fuel efficiency and cleaner emissions by combining drive power from a 1.5-litre gasoline engine and an electric motor. A computer decides which operates when, depending on the speed of the vehicle and other factors.

There are a whole slew of energy saving tricks built into the Prius. For instance, fuel efficiency is boosted by automatically cutting the engine when the vehicle is at a stop (it reverts to a totally electric car), regenerating the energy accumulated during deceleration, and regenerative breaking. In other words, driving down hill, and/or breaking, will both help to charge the batteries. And, so will the gasoline engine.

For you mechanical types: The power split device in the hybrid transmission allocates power from the gasoline engine either directly to the vehicle's wheels or to the electric generator. At the same time, the gasoline engine is automatically controlled to keep its rate of revolution (RPM) in the most efficient range. The power to drive the vehicle is appropriated from the gasoline engine or from the electric motor in response to driving conditions.

For the rest of us: Reporters testing the car say that it is so quiet and smooth that they could not tell whether it was running on electric power or gasoline. Therefore, Toyota installed a gauge on the dashboard so the driver will know (if they care). Also, as can be expected with most electric cars, it moves out quite briskly.

So OK, it's not 100% electric. But it is a comfortable four-door sedan, you do not have to plug it in for a charge, and it will get you from New York to California for about fifty bucks in gas costs. Toyota advertises it as "Better Than Electric, Better Than Gasoline, Better Even Than Hybrid." We see it as an excellent beginning in the transformation of the automobile -- the type of vehicle Detroit should have been marketing for the last decade.

Anyone interested can go over to: http://www.toyota.co.jp/e/green/ and take a look. Toyota makes you look at another environmental advertising screen first. Then, click on the "continue" to get to see the new hybrid car.

In one blurb, Toyota says it has no plans to market the Prius in the United States. In another, Toyota says that they may in a year, and the price would be about $17,500 in today's market. They plan to manufacture only 1,000 units a month for a while, which is good. Let them get all the bugs out there, before sending them over here.

LAND GRAB INFORMATION

Apparently, they didn't miss much. And what is not posted there, perhaps some of us could contribute. Since Congress is on vacation for the next two months, this might be a very good time to provide the web page information to them and their staffs. Who knows, some of them might take a look and see just how prevalent the problem actually is. Regardless, this looks like an excellent research page for all property rights groups. There are reams of good background material there.

There is also an American Heritage Rivers "Opt Out Kit" available at: http://www.libertymatters.org/AHRI%20No-way.htm This information may be of use to many groups around the country.

DRUDGE CALLS FOR HELP

But there are other ways to skin this free speech cat and keep us under control. One way is to cause fear in the hearts of those who would write about government officials. And that is exactly what is going on right now with Matt Drudge.

Matt Drudge (http://www.drudgereport.com/) reports: "A Drudge legal defense fund has been established to help pay the costs of fighting the litigation that threatens to shut this column down and turn the DRUDGE REPORT off. Ace First Amendment lawyer Manny Klausner is heading up my defense, the Individual Rights Foundation here in Los Angeles is providing fantastic backup muscle."

According to the Drudge Report Defense Fund (http://www.pacificnet.net/~bodiaz/): "The latest salvo against the First Amendment comes in the form of a $30 million dollar lawsuit approved by the President and Vice President of the United States against the leading Internet reporter, Matt Drudge.

"On August 27, 1997, journalist and newly appointed White House Communications aide Sidney Blumenthal filed a $30 million dollar civil lawsuit against Internet columnist Matt Drudge and one of his carriers, America Online.

"In his suit Blumenthal contends that he and his wife, Jacqueline Jordan Blumenthal, were defamed by the August 11 edition of the Drudge Report.

"Within 24 hours Drudge issued a full retraction of the piece to his entire readership."

Among other ridiculous statements, the lawsuit states that: "Prior to August 10, 1997, defendant AOL knew that, or acted with reckless disregard whether, defendant Drudge was a political conservative." -- Paragraph #174 of Blumenthal v. Drudge lawsuit

Yup! It appears that one reason Blumenthal is suing Drudge is because Drudge is a conservative. Blumenthal, of course, is about as far to the left as they come. That's one reason the White House hired him.

We on the Internet must do our part to insure Drudge wins this case. That is for our own protection, as well as that of Matt Drudge. With proper financing, this too may become a precedent setting case.

Checks and money orders of any amount should be payable to Drudge Legal Defense at P.O. Box 67398 Los Angeles, CA 90067. Or, call 1-800-752-6562 ext. 205 for more information