Bad Government, Bad Press

Re “The Rise and Fall of the Copley Press” (Cover Story, February 28), I would have liked more of a discussion of the Copley Press’s support of city hall that was under the control of the mob and now by the developers. They all have corrupted city hall, democracy, and San Diego taxpayers. Recent examples of a bad government supported by a bad press include attempts to discredit the city attorney and lack of accountability for the city budget.

Roger Newell

College Area

A Federal Gig

The quotation in “Don’t Tax Me, Bro!” — “The reporting rule is that if you pay someone $600 or more over the course of the year, you must issue a Form 1099” — is incorrect (“Blurt,” February 28). The actual law specifies receipt of “income” or “wages” of $600 as the minimum for filing returns.

These are custom-defined legal terms that mean “earnings derived from the exercise of federal privilege.” So, unless musicians work for the feds (“taxpayer”), they are not obligated to pay the “income tax.” Crooked lawyers, accountants, and judges lie about this in order to help the IRS collect from nontaxpayers through fraud and force (jail, confiscation).

Bands are conned into volunteering to pay. How? By being advised to agree with perjured W-2 and 1099 testimony when they file their own 1040/540 testimony. For nonfederal earners, the true figure to put on the 1040/540 would be zero wages, except for bank interest. Correct the false W-2 and 1099 testimony with Form 4852 (3525 for CA), and send those instead. See www.losthorizons.com for details.

Pat Palmer

Normal Heights

Hope on the Horizon

As an Oceanside resident, I was reluctant to pick up this issue due to my own preconceived thoughts as to what your cover story would entail (“To Live and Die in Oceanside,” Cover Story, February 21). I presumed that it would chastise the Oceanside community for producing a youth that has been a menace to society. Luckily, I gave in and I read the entire article, and I’d like to express my utmost gratitude to your editor and author for a job well done. Your sources and the individuals that were interviewed were well chosen and are true leaders of our community. The article conjured up a sense of hope and encouragement to make a difference, to take a stand and promote nonviolence. The author’s reflection on the Polynesian/Samoan culture was genuine and sincere and conveyed its beauty, strong convictions, and values, rather than attempting to define the Samoan culture and Samoan people by the acts of brutality of a few teenagers. I’m a firm believer in the fact that in order for us to eradicate social discrimination, we must all build cultural and societal awareness. This article helped facilitate that notion very well. Thank you once again.

Anna Sapa’u