Re: [Fwd: Fw: Birding Tax !!]

["Reed L. Stone" <sage2222 at juno dot com>]

This Bird Tax is for the birds.  It is important that all concerned read
this letter and let your representatives know how you feel.   It is easy
to get the E-mail addresses on the internet.  I put a search out for the
E- mail addresses of  members of congress.  They are all there.  Senator
Robert Bennett: District office phone, 379-2525, E-mail address;
senator@bennett.senate.gov   For Senator Hatch, District  office, phone
375-7881, E-mail address; senator_hatch@hatch.senate.gov
I just listed the Utah senators and their local phone numbers.  The rest
are onthe internet.  Send this on to any others inerested.  Do it today. 
Phone and send a letter.
Reed


On Tue, 01 Apr 2003 23:35:02 -0700 Mark Stackhouse <westwings@sisna.com>
writes:
> 
> 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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