Taxes require gathering together records of income, as well as deductions allowed by the Internal Revenue Code. The taxpayer takes his tax preparer-generated return and files it along with a check for what he owes. This is the system, and the IRS can either accept the return as is or question it.

Lois Capps approved a TV ad stating a vote for Abel Maldonado is a vote for someone who doesn’t pay his taxes. A form is shown (Maldonado as “petitioner”) to legitimize this claim. I challenge Capps to prove without a doubt that Maldonado “did not pay taxes,” or withdraw the ad with formal apology for the lie. Investigation will show he paid what his accounting firm calculated, and there may be a dispute. It is common under the Internal Revenue Code, including taking your case to tax court. This is not nonpayment of taxes.

Capps doesn’t understand the code, yet you would elect such ignorance to propose our national budget? No wonder we’re sinking. Get rid of the freeloader spenders and vote conservative out of self-defense! Pass a 26th Amend ment making all our government officials subject to any requirements legislated to citizens, including health care, Social Security and retirement benefits. That would at least take the fox out of the henhouse and save billions of dollars!