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4A Daily News – Tuesday, April 17, 2012 Opinion DAILYNEWS RED BLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY T H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U N T Y S I N C E 1 8 8 5 Greg Stevens, Publisher gstevens@redbluffdailynews.com Chip Thompson, Editor editor@redbluffdailynews.com Editorial policy The Daily News opinion is expressed in the editorial. The opinions expressed in columns, letters and cartoons are those of the authors and artists. Letter policy The Daily News welcomes let- ters from its readers on timely topics of public interest. All let- ters must be signed and pro- vide the writer's home street address and home phone num- ber. Anonymous letters, open letters to others, pen names and petition-style letters will not be allowed. Letters should be typed and cannot exceed two double-spaced pages or 500 words. When several letters address the same issue, a cross section of those submit- ted will be considered for publi- cation. Letters will be edited. Letters are published at the discretion of the editor. 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How to reach us Main office: 527-2151 Classified: 527-2151 Circulation: 527-2151 News tips: 527-2153 Sports: 527-2153 Obituaries: 527-2151 Photo: 527-2153 On the Web www.redbluffdailynews.com Fax Newsroom: 527-9251 Classified: 527-5774 Retail Adv.: 527-5774 Legal Adv.: 527-5774 Business Office: 527-3719 Address 545 Diamond Ave. Red Bluff, CA 96080, or P.O. Box 220 Red Bluff, CA 96080 Tax day is upon us There is no national tradition more strictly enforced than tax day with an Internal Revenue Service empowered with essentially limit- less authority to review, inspect, audit, assess, seize and encumber private or business funds and assets. The dizzying array of com- plex and continually changing tax laws, definitions, and deductions leave most Americans either exhausted or clueless about just what they owe and are compelled to report as they calculate their taxes. The advent of computers and auditing software have reduced the mundane mathematics and calculation errors associated with these annual rituals, but do lit- tle to help Americans understand exactly how their tax liabilities are determined, and offer no informa- tion with regard to how they are spent. fiscally prudent from a taxpayer's standpoint, it does not come with- out a significant degree of investi- gation, soul searching, and ethical challenges to balance what the government is entitled to and what is appropriately kept private, such as is the case with off-shore trans- actions and undocumented income. During my most productive years I diligently computed all of my earnings each tax year with the assistance of my employers, kept records of charitable donations and tax deductible expenses, reviewed the applicability of various allowances for education and busi- ness expenses, real estate invest- ments, retirement savings, and unearned income to ensure I fol- lowed my father's advice to "pay the government everything I owe, but not a penny more." While this practice is the one most legally and My consternation about tax day has been all but eliminated now that I am disabled and my income is below the level where IRS requires annual accounting. This is truly a Godsend since the disabili- ty stems in large part from the stresses and strains of dealing with unreliable people and situations that adversely affect the accumula- tion of wealth. It is both ironic and reassuring that a fall from grace in a downward spiral of illiquidity manifested a clinical depression that qualified me for Social Securi- ty benefits that I never believed I would receive although I made maximum contributions to same for over 25 years of continuous professional employment. However, as with nearly every tax that year. To make matters worse they added $1,100 interest by asserting they have been unable to contact me in the interim. This is incomprehensible to me since I have been listed in the phone book and been a recipient of Social Security checks since 2007 and reported my address as required to probation officers in prior years. Had the sum they demand been larger it might be worth the effort to contest at least the late charges, but in light of my disability I am left to ponder if and when such retarded accounting by arguably incompetent govern- ment servants might end. It is gratifying however to worker, I am still subject to the indefinite oversight of IRS agents. Just last month I received notice that they are of the opinion my 2001 federal tax payment was deficient in the amount of approx- imately $1,500 despite the fact that I paid more than $25,000 in know that President and Michelle Obama reported paying $162,074 in federal taxes in 2011, about 21% of income, and donated $172,130, about 22% of their income, to 39 different charities. It is accomplished and grateful American's such as them who give much of what they receive to support our national needs and charitable causes that makes our country the wonderful oasis it is. While my annual contributions were not nearly as great in Richard Mazzucchi Positive Point and debt are not in our best inter- ests, and the 4.5% used for Gov- ernance needs to be better gov- erned. In contrast the investment of 21.4% for Medicare and health, 12.2% for Social Security, unemployment, and labor, 4.4% for veteran benefits, and 16% for everything else seem appropriate allocations that provide for the health and welfare of our most precious asset of all – the people and those that have served them the most. absolute terms, like many middle income Americans they often exceeded such levels in percentage terms, and as such I feel proud that a significant portion of my earnings were invested in pursuits that help others and that by circumstance ultimate- ly help me. For this reason I am quite passionate about how federal tax dollars are spent, and share the concerns of many that the 27% spent on the military is indefensibly large in peacetime, the 14.5% spent on interest Richard Mazzucchi makes his home in Los Molinos and can be reached at living-green@att.net. Your officials STATE ASSEMBLYMAN — Jim Nielsen (R) State Capitol Bldg., Room 6031 Sacramento, CA 95814 (916) 319-2002; Fax (916) 319-2102 STATE SENATOR — Doug LaMalfa (R) State Capitol Bldg., Room 3070 Sacramento, CA 95814 (916) 651-4004; Fax (916) 445-7750 GOVERNOR — Jerry Brown, State Capitol Bldg., Sacramento, CA 95814; (916) 445-2841; Fax (916) 558-3160; E-mail: governor@governor.ca.gov. U.S. REPRESENTATIVE — Wally Herger (R), 2595 Ceanothus Ave., Ste. 182, Chico, CA 95973; 893- 8363. U.S. SENATORS — Dianne Fein- stein (D), One Post Street, Suite 2450, San Francisco, CA 94104; (415) 393-0707. Fax (415) 393-0710. Barbara Boxer (D), 1700 Mont- gomery St., Suite 240, San Francis- co, CA 94111; (510) 286-8537. Fax (202) 224-0454. Justice: Pursued goal or miscarriage? Commentary Please note that former state senator and candidate for Con- gress, Dr. Sam Aanestad, will appear at tonight's Tea Party Patri- ots meeting, 6 PM, Westside Grange. It seemed little deserved further attention in the killing of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman in Sanford, Florida, until I heard the overdone press conference by the prosecutor, Angela Corey, com- plete with a heart-tugging recita- tion of having prayed with young Martin's family. Not a peep from the usual liberal suspects about the supposed "separation of church and state," just like the stunning silence over Attorney General Eric Holder's asking race hustler Al Sharpton for his prayers when Holder glowingly praised Sharp- ton's "Action Network." I found the whole spectacle remarkable and unnerving, consid- ering that the first prosecutor found no grounds for filing charges, meaning Zimmerman justifiably defended himself, while the second prosecutor leaped all the way to "second degree murder." The ver- biage used by Corey, "justice for Trayvon" for instance, hardly sug- gested impartiality in the pursuit of Zimmerman for murder. It all came across as an excessive and choreographed example of mis- placed prosecutorial resources, most likely in response to the very same public outcry and staged protests that Ms. Corey denied as her motivation. I even found the predictable objections by my nemesis, R. Maz- zucchi, in online comments ("your column is far more incendiary than the wearing of hoodies …") easily dismissed as shamelessly partisan observations from someone having no concept of the "presumption of innocence." So, Zimmerman was culpable because he didn't follow "the instructions of police"; how- ever, the dispatcher on the non- emergency line didn't "instruct" anything, only saying "you don't need to do that" (follow Martin). The "watch volunteer" Zimmer- man had every right to determine if a young man, acting oddly, was about to engage in mischief in his crime-suffering community. He also had a legal right to own, and carry, a handgun, without the use of which he might have suf- fered serious injuries, a concus- sion, or even been left in a coma, by the physically superior Martin. R.M.'s contention that Zimmer- man "created a volatile situation" and "apparently assassinated" Martin is unsupportable by facts we know, including that Martin cold-cocked him, broke his nose, and drove him to the ground. We do know of several miscar- riages of truth by media and blog- gers, all to the detriment of Zim- merman: 1) His injuries, ques- tioned by them, were visible and proven by video and witnesses; 2) He had no opportunity to retreat, observed a witness, making the "stand your ground" law irrelevant and self-defense paramount; 3) NBC edited the audio phone call to make it sound as if Zimmerman was offering that Martin "looked black," when it was the police dis- patcher asking what race the sus- pect was; 4) CNN and amateur analysis of recordings couldn't prove that Zimmerman used any racial epithets, or that screams heard were Martin's, meaning failed narrative on their part. Let's allow the legal process its due, ok? Zimmerman may find that he's being railroaded to assuage outrage by parts of the public seeking not justice but vengeance. He may have to wait years for vindication; however, he may be guilty – but he's innocent until it's proven "beyond a reason- able doubt." Much pre- suming of guilt is ema- nating from the same crowd cheering every attempt to free convicted murderers. I say that legal gun owners are more law-abiding than the gen- eral population simply by virtue of not having stolen their weapons; legally permitted gun- carrying citizens commit a quantifiably lower rate of gun crimes than the general population. Had Zimmerman not defended himself, he might well have been left to languish or die; at least he is alive to have his day in court. Also, such neighborhood "watchers" would be well advised to travel in pairs, and possess non- lethal means to defend themselves if confronted. Remember, it is a heavy burden to take another life, even an intruder in your own home. If a threat or intruder can be commanded to cease moving, lay a weapon down and slowly hit the floor, law enforcement will be on your side. You have every right to your own self-defense, but not to escape the ramifications of your decisions. Don Polson The way I see it while he shamelessly beat racial drums over what ultimately turned out to be a completely phony story of rape and abuse by a black girl, Tawaney Brawley. Finally, never forget the living hell that Richard Jewell, a peace officer and security guard at the 1996 Summer Olympics, endured for months while the media and public rushed to judgment, turn- ing his heroic efforts to spare injury and death to many people from a bomb in Centennial Park, into suspicion that he planted it himself. I am reminded of several gross miscarriages of justice by a "Today in History" entry from last Wednesday, April 11: "Five years ago: North Carolina's top prosecu- tor dropped all charges against three former Duke University lacrosse players accused of sexually assaulting a stripper at a party, saying the ath- letes were innocent vic- tims of a 'tragic rush to accuse.'" Those inno- cent young men were dragged through the mud of public accusa- tion for months before being exonerated. Also, never forget the role Al Sharpton played in sullying the reputations of six white men, including peace officers, for a year Don Polson has called Red Bluff home since 1988. He can be reached by e-mail at donplsn@yahoo.com.