Jeff Quinn
Special to the Bonanza
October 28, 2005
Well, well, well. Let's see - this week it came to light that it's not only us who are "enslaved" to the system which, some would say, seeks to perpetuate fraud against the American people, in the form of the Constitution and the country's related tax laws. We guess the jury of ordinary folk (not to mention Nevada District Court Judge Dawson) which found tax scofflaw Irwin Schiff guilty (again) has also been hoodwinked all these years by the illegal shenanigans foisted upon all of us by the IRS, Congress and God knows who else, in perpetrating the tax laws of this land.
Or could it be, simply, that once again the ridiculous and inane arguments proffered by Schiff, his codefendant losers and others out there are simply the vacuous ruminations of people with either too much time on their hands, or folks who have truly lost their way when it comes to rational debate within the structure of laws which govern us all?
That's probably why a Federal jury in Las Vegas, this week, convicted Schiff and two associates of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false income tax returns filed by other taxpayers, and convicted Schiff on all counts, including income tax evasion and of filing false income tax returns for the years 1997 through 2002. This makes Schiff a three time loser when it comes to tax offenses. He faces the potential of a very long time in the slammer, and the payment of hefty monetary penalties.
It's more than simply arguing over whether the Internal Revenue Code could pass muster in a high school English class, for the manner in which it defines "gross income." It just comes down to the fact that even though we may not like all of the rules which bind us, in this free country, it is an obligation on us all to either live by them, or go about changing them within the parameters prescribed by the system.
Does that mean that law-abiding citizens are all "slaves?" We think not. Does it mean that folks with a legitimate gripe shouldn't have access to the judicial system? No, of course not. But what it does mean, we believe, is that at some level, the shrill bleats of folks whose often absurd, and seemingly endless protestations should be exposed for what they are. And if that means harsh punishment should be imposed, then so be it. The fact is that most law-abiding taxpayers probably aren't too happy about the fact that somebody (namely, them) had to make up the more than $2 million in taxes evaded by Schiff from 1979 to 1985, according to evidence put forth in the recent trial. Not to mention whatever unknown amount of taxes went unpaid by the legions of other Schiff lemmings who bought into the Schiff programs (to the tune of $4.2 million in books, tapes, and related products sold by Schiff's "Freedom Books" business) which espoused the reporting of zero taxable income, based on meritless, frivolous legal theories.
Nobody we know thinks the tax laws are the paragon of perfection. Fact is, most of us don't like them at all. But our respect goes to folks whose reform efforts are expended within the legitimate system. Those who do nothing more than dream up ludicrous, inane arguments, and blow smoke at the rest of us, in the form of accusations ranging from stupidity to professional cronyism do nothing to advance legitimate debate, and only get in the way of progress toward reform.
Schiff reports that he's "done more research on the income tax law than any Federal judge in this country." We guess all that research comes up just a little short.
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