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The Untold Story of Latinos in America “We are all Americans of the New World, and our most dangerous enemies are not each other, but the great wall of ignorance between us.”
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"Meet powerhouse artist/activist Favianna Rodriguez — a leading voice in the movement of artists raising awareness about U.S. ...
Showing posts with label Anaheim. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Anaheim. Show all posts
Sunday, June 9, 2013
The IRS Owes Me - Crazy Wagon Part III
I got diagnosed with exhaustion and dehydration this
week. I’m blaming the IRS. Thursday I completely lost my mind, tore up
my flip-flops (throwing them at the t.v.) and went straight to the brink of
death. The Crazy Wagon keeps on rolling this week and I am trying to jump off.
The Congressional hearing on the IRS
Conference Spending featured testimony from Faris Fink, IRS Commissioner and
32-year IRS veteran. Why he still has
his job, is beyond me.
In 2010, the IRS decided to have a “leadership” conference in Anaheim, California to the tune of $4 million. They made videos, with one spoofing Star Trek, that
cost a measly $60,000 and in other instances, IRS employees that attended the conference and lived
in Anaheim double-dipped, getting paid to eat in essence. Do you understand why
my flip-flops look like they’ve been through the shredder?
January 1st of every year, I take mental
inventory of all that is and has to go on in the upcoming year. Birthdays in
January, February, April, May and July…anniversaries, family reunions and
weddings. And usually like a bolt of lightning, I remember Tax Day, April 15th
- exactly one month before my birthday. How much do I owe? Where are my
receipts? How much did I make last year? The butterflies in my stomach stay there
until I get the taxes done which is usually in February sometime. Like anyone
else, I’ve had my issues with the IRS, but it never crossed my mind that they
were abusing the privilege of counting our money.
The flip-flop throwing commenced when, during the hearing, Mr. Fink stated that
he did indeed, stay in the presidential suite of some luxury hotel. I run a business. I’ve worked for other
businesses. Luxury-anything has never entered the conversation. Along with a
picture of some IRS worker sitting in a hot tub during this same convention, it
is noted that they “lost” receipts,
so $4 million, give or take a few hundred thousand.
I have turned in taxes without the appropriate paperwork,
including receipts. And not because I did not have them, but they were not
included in the envelope by mistake. Trust me, I paid for that mistake. These clowns, on the other hand, sat in
front of our elected officials and pretty much flipped them the finger. Yes, Mr. Fink apologized, and stated more
than once that he felt embarrassed by the whole thing. But really? I apologized
and still got fined.
How are we expected to trust these people? Next year
Obamacare kicks in full-tilt. Guess who’s
responsible for making sure that it runs smoothly? Yep, the IRS. Are they going
to accidentally lose your paperwork and let you slide?
As far as I’m concerned,
the IRS owes me. They owe me for lost
wages (Thursday and Friday), the Excedrin I took, the gas for the trip to my
doctor’s office, and the money I spent on Pedia-Lyte (for dehydration). In all about $400….oh yeah, plus interest,
just like they do the rest of us.
All of us are working hard for the few dollars we get. At
the very least, the IRS should be able to budget just like we do, keep receipts
like we do, and negotiate the best deals they can for everything…just like we
do. If not, what are we paying them for?
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Police Brutality in Anaheim | Democracy Now!
Comments by Glenn Robinson
Latinos treated worse than animals #2012 #California #USA
I'm looking for an officer to apply pressure to the wound and drive the man to the hospital. Didn't happen.
But officers did terrorize the Latino neighborhood even with the children and infants present.
Transcript from Democracy Now!
"Police in the California city of Anaheim are facing allegations of murder and brutality after fatally shooting two Latino men over the weekend and firing rubber bullets at crowds of protesters. On Saturday, Anaheim police shot and killed 24-year-old Manuel Diaz after he reportedly ran away from a group of officers who confronted him in the street. Diaz was unarmed. Hours after his death, a chaotic scene broke out when police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at a crowd of local residents protesting the shooting. Another Latino resident, Joel Acevedo, was shot dead by police the following day. Police say Acevedo was suspected in a car robbery, but the circumstances around his death remain unconfirmed. We discuss the situation in Anaheim with Gustavo Arellano, editor of the alternative newspaper, OC Weekly, and Theresa Smith, who has worked with families to call for police accountability in Anaheim since 2009, when officers shot and killed her son, Cesar Cruz, a 35-year-old father of five. "Given the fact that this is the eighth officer-involved shooting within one year in the city of Anaheim ... the community is going to be very upset," Arellano says. "There’s a lot of angry residents, and rightfully so." [includes rush transcript]" source
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