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A. Tax Bill says, "Up the Ante!"

# Reward offered for proof of legal ratification of 16th Amendment (income taxes)

Sacramento, California (July 24, 2002) - Today a new website was unveiled, challenging anyone who has information proving the legal ratification of the 16th Amendment (the income tax amendment) to step forward and collect a reward. The website address is http://sacto.com/taxes Sacramento native and long time political activist, Gerald Klaas ( http://sacto.com/g ), created the website in response to a months long effort to get anyone in the federal government to answer specific questions about the legality of the ratification process of the 16th Amendment. Instead of clear, concise, historically provable answers, he received the bureaucratic runaround. Mr. Klaas states, "The lack of verifiable proof, and the circular arguments I've received out of Washington, led me to start this website. If my elected representatives can't prove to me their legal authority to enforce the income tax, I'll open it up to anybody. So please, somebody, prove to me that the 16th Amendment was legally ratified. I'll even give you a reward for your efforts if you do. If we're going to allow the federal government to use the 16th Amendment to override our protections granted in the 1st (privacy), 4th (unlawful seizures), 5th (freedom from self-incrimination), 7th (trial by jury) and 13th (servitude) amendments, then someone better be able to prove to me the legal authority. So far, I haven't seen it." Mr. Klaas believes that the evidence documented by the We The People Foundation at their Truth in Taxation hearing on February 27 and 28, 2002, is sufficient to prove that the Secretary of State, Philander Knox, committed fraud in 1913 when he certified the 16th Amendment as ratified. He further believes that Article V of the Constitution leaves the only remedy in the halls of Congress. Mr. Klaas states, "there is a definite conflict of interest here, Congress maintains it's power through the income tax, so they aren't likely to clear up the situation until there is a wave of constituent demand. Most people are resigned to the fact that the federal income tax will be replaced by another tax that generates just as much revenue, so why worry about it? And the IRS points citizens to court cases as proof of validity, when the courts have no say in the matter. The courts cannot validate the amendments, they must accept them as is, or else they'd be violating Article V of the Constitution. For me it's not the money, I pay my taxes just like everyone else. To me it's about due process and the use of the income tax to trample other rights guarranteed in the Constitution. We've all seen the types of abuse documented in Congressional hearings, and supposedly corrected through the Taxpayers' Bill of Rights, but the system itself is unconstitutional when you consider that the 16th Amendment may have been fraudulently declared ratified. I believe that our current income tax system is not only illegal in origin but unconstitutional in practice and mutually exclusive to a free society. Congress must address this issue and come up with a constitutionally allowed manor of taxation, specifically, indirect taxation, like tariffs, excise, or apportioned to states." Gerald Klaas, is a Sacramento native. He currently works as a computer security specialist and is an adjunct faculty member at a local college. In 1998 he ran on the Libertarian ticket for the California State Senate District 6, against then Assemblywoman Deborah Ortiz, and then wife of the Insurance Commissioner, Chris Quackenbush. Mr. Klaas may be reached by e-mail at gklaas@sacto.com. Or by snail-mail at: Sacto.com; P.O.Box 255427 PMB 147; Sacramento, CA 95865