[Fwd: Fw: Birding Tax !!]

[Mark Stackhouse <westwings at sisna dot com>]

Subject: Birding Tax !!
 Subject: URGENT: Unfair Birding Tax Is Imminent

From: Bernardo Alps

Date: 1 Apr 2003 3:41am

This time George W. has really outdone himself!!!

It is no secret that not everything is going according to plan in Iraq, and the worldwide public
outrage has effectively put an end to the Bush administration's plans to pay for the
"liberation" of Iraq with sales of Iraqi oil. It was to be dubbed the "oil for freedom" program,
and would have skimmed 17% off the top of all sales of Iraqi oil for as long as it would take to
reimburse the US for the war effort.

As it became increasingly clear in the past few days that such a proposal would never pass a UN
vote, National Security Advisor Condoleeza Rice came up with an alternate plan. Apparently she
had just read an article in the Rush Limbaugh newsletter stating that birding is the most
popular outdoor activity in the United States, and has suggested a national birding tax.

Make no mistake, this is not some vague idea, it has already been put into the form of a bill
that is going to be introduced into the United States Congress by Utah Republican Senator Orrin
Hatch.
The way the bill is written, it will be a progressive tax on birders' life lists. The first 133
birds on every individual life list (how did they come up with this figure?) will be untaxed,
the next 133 will be taxed at $.25 per bird and from then on the tax increases
dramatically. The first 10 birds after 266 cost $1 each, the next 10
cost $2, the next 10 cost $3 and so on until you reach 500. After 500 EVERY bird is taxed at a
whopping $100!

And that is not all! The Bush administration has already sent out a memo to every ornithologist
employed by the government, be it on the national, state or even county level, threatening them
with immediate and summary dismissal if they don't support a wholesale, across-the-board
splitting of bird species. The goal is to bring the total of ABA are species to at least 3500
within 18 months. That means that even beginners who have a modest life list might pass 700
species before they know it.

The most outrageous part of this bill is that contains a self-enabling loophole that will allow
it to take effect retroactively. With newly developed, post 9-11 technology, the FBI can scan
every citizen's computer hard drive for bird names, be they in a list or even sent emails. There
is no hope of fraudulently shortening one's life list.

So far, California Democrat Barbara Boxer is the only Senator who has gone on record opposing
this outrageous legislation. You must contact your elected representative immediately!!! The
bill is HR 0401.

The Bush administration is counting on the war in Iraq and the onset of spring migration to keep
birders from noticing that is being done to them. Please forward this post to any birding
listserv that you subscribe to, this issue is too important to ignore.

Bernardo Alps

[!!looF lirpA]

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