11
Nov
2003
• A notice on the Department of Defense Web site invites citizens over the age of 18 to volunteer for local draft boards, raising questions about a possible revival of conscription. The board members will decide who can be exempted if a draft is needed. Pentagon officials have denied any move to reinstate the draft, saying that this would require a conflict of the magnitude of World War II. They say the Selective Service System, which runs the draft boards, is merely launching a routine recruitment drive, as 80 percent of places are now vacant. The notice by the Selective Service System (http://www.sss.gov), posted on the department's Defend America Web site (http://www.defendamerica.mil), says that in the event of a military draft, approximately 2,000 five-member local boards will be called upon to decide which young men are eligible for deferments, postponements, or exemptions from military service. You can see the notice for yourself at (http://www.defendamerica.mil/articles/sss092203.html).
• Iowa is receiving $30 million for training, emergency-response equipment, and terrorism-prevention and -deterrence grants from the Office for Domestic Preparedness at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Specifically, Iowa will receive $22.8 million in state grants for terrorism and disaster training, equipment, and response. Another $6.8 million will be directed to the state's law-enforcement community for prevention and deterrence efforts. Finally, $473,000 is for Iowa's "Citizens Corps" - an initiative modeled on the "Neighborhood Watch" program in which local residents develop and implement a plan for their communities to engage citizens in homeland-security, community-preparedness, and family-safety initiatives. At least 80 percent of the funds to be awarded to Iowa - $24 million - will shift from the state to cities and counties within 60 days. The remaining funds can be used to enhance other homeland-security-preparedness efforts throughout Iowa.
• Ballet Quad Cities has announced that it is a recipient of a $3,000 grant from Target Corporation to help underwrite the cost of tickets for the December 1 school matinee performance of The Nutcracker. Target Corporation's giving amounts to $2 million a week across the country. You can learn more about Ballet Quad Cities from its Web site at (http://www.balletquadcities.com) or by calling (309) 786-3779.
• The Fejervary Children's Zoo is again offering the opportunity to "adopt to animal friend" at the zoo. For $20 a year, you can choose to become a "friend" to any one of the creatures at the zoo. These donations go directly to the Fejervary Zoological Society and are use to provide special nutritional supplements, toys, special supplies, or exhibit enhancements for the animals. Adopters receive recognition on the "Friends" sign for one year, an adoption certificate, and zoo facts about the animal. To become a friend or to buy a gift for someone else, call (563)326-7859. The Fejervary Zoological Society is a not-for-profit organization, and all contributions are tax-deductible.
• The Scott County Sheriff's Office will be contacting residents of Scott County during the week of November 10 to 14 to gather information concerning the perception of information provided to 911 centers when cell phones are used to report emergencies. Sponsored by the Iowa Association of Public Safety Officers (APCO), the State of Iowa E911 Council, and the Scott County Sheriff's Office, the survey aims to determine if Iowans want to move forward with technology to have the location of an emergency reported by cell phones when they call 911. Approximately one half of the calls to 911 centers in Iowa are made from cell phones that don't show dispatchers the location of the caller. The information gathered during the survey will not be sold or used for any other purpose. Questions about this survey can be directed to the sheriff's office at (563)236-8625.
• According to the Scott County Auditor's Office, there are 95,180 registered voters in Scott County. Of those, 27,121 - or 28.5 percent - cast ballots in the off-year election. This means that a little over one quarter of the registered voters were able to choose new mayors for Davenport, Bettendorf, and almost all the other Scott County cities, determine the makeup of many city councils, and much more. The raw numbers can be seen at the Scott County Auditor's Web site at (http://www.scottcountyiowa.com/auditor/election_returns.shtml).
• Generations Area Agency on Aging is seeking volunteer drivers to deliver holiday meals to shut-ins on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day in the Scott County area. Home-delivered meals are provided at no cost to the seniors. Approximately 100 older persons depend on these hot, delivered meals during the holidays. Many do not have families to share the holidays with and cannot leave their homes because of health problems. Meals include an entrée, a starch, a vegetable, fruit, bread, and milk. Those unable to volunteer their time can make a donation to help offset food costs by calling Generations. Businesses are also encouraged to sponsor meals for one of the holidays. To volunteer, to make a holiday-meal donation, or for more information, call Cathleen Pratscher-Woods at (563)324-9085.
• An interesting report published by the Tax Policy Institute at (http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/research/Topic.cfm?PubID=900644) discusses tax evasion among other things. It says that former IRS Commissioner Charles Rossotti has estimated that in a given year, the IRS assesses almost $30 billion of taxes that it will never collect. This is not theoretical tax evasion. The $30 billion represents underpayments of tax that the IRS has identified but cannot collect because its staff is spread so thin. Rossotti estimated that it would cost about $2.2 billion to collect that money. Based on that estimate, the IRS could net almost $28 billion from tax fraud and errors that are identified and ripe for collection. According to IRS estimates, 60 percent of identified tax debts are never collected. These unclosed cases include : 75 percent of identified nonfilers, 79 percent of taxpayers who use "known abusive devices" to avoid tax, and 78 percent of taxpayers identified through document-matching programs. It is possible that some of these people simply cannot afford to pay their tax debts, but more than half - 56 percent-of non-compliant taxpayers with incomes over $100,000 - get off scot-free.
• Iowa is receiving $30 million for training, emergency-response equipment, and terrorism-prevention and -deterrence grants from the Office for Domestic Preparedness at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Specifically, Iowa will receive $22.8 million in state grants for terrorism and disaster training, equipment, and response. Another $6.8 million will be directed to the state's law-enforcement community for prevention and deterrence efforts. Finally, $473,000 is for Iowa's "Citizens Corps" - an initiative modeled on the "Neighborhood Watch" program in which local residents develop and implement a plan for their communities to engage citizens in homeland-security, community-preparedness, and family-safety initiatives. At least 80 percent of the funds to be awarded to Iowa - $24 million - will shift from the state to cities and counties within 60 days. The remaining funds can be used to enhance other homeland-security-preparedness efforts throughout Iowa.
• Ballet Quad Cities has announced that it is a recipient of a $3,000 grant from Target Corporation to help underwrite the cost of tickets for the December 1 school matinee performance of The Nutcracker. Target Corporation's giving amounts to $2 million a week across the country. You can learn more about Ballet Quad Cities from its Web site at (http://www.balletquadcities.com) or by calling (309) 786-3779.
• The Fejervary Children's Zoo is again offering the opportunity to "adopt to animal friend" at the zoo. For $20 a year, you can choose to become a "friend" to any one of the creatures at the zoo. These donations go directly to the Fejervary Zoological Society and are use to provide special nutritional supplements, toys, special supplies, or exhibit enhancements for the animals. Adopters receive recognition on the "Friends" sign for one year, an adoption certificate, and zoo facts about the animal. To become a friend or to buy a gift for someone else, call (563)326-7859. The Fejervary Zoological Society is a not-for-profit organization, and all contributions are tax-deductible.
• The Scott County Sheriff's Office will be contacting residents of Scott County during the week of November 10 to 14 to gather information concerning the perception of information provided to 911 centers when cell phones are used to report emergencies. Sponsored by the Iowa Association of Public Safety Officers (APCO), the State of Iowa E911 Council, and the Scott County Sheriff's Office, the survey aims to determine if Iowans want to move forward with technology to have the location of an emergency reported by cell phones when they call 911. Approximately one half of the calls to 911 centers in Iowa are made from cell phones that don't show dispatchers the location of the caller. The information gathered during the survey will not be sold or used for any other purpose. Questions about this survey can be directed to the sheriff's office at (563)236-8625.
• According to the Scott County Auditor's Office, there are 95,180 registered voters in Scott County. Of those, 27,121 - or 28.5 percent - cast ballots in the off-year election. This means that a little over one quarter of the registered voters were able to choose new mayors for Davenport, Bettendorf, and almost all the other Scott County cities, determine the makeup of many city councils, and much more. The raw numbers can be seen at the Scott County Auditor's Web site at (http://www.scottcountyiowa.com/auditor/election_returns.shtml).
• Generations Area Agency on Aging is seeking volunteer drivers to deliver holiday meals to shut-ins on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day in the Scott County area. Home-delivered meals are provided at no cost to the seniors. Approximately 100 older persons depend on these hot, delivered meals during the holidays. Many do not have families to share the holidays with and cannot leave their homes because of health problems. Meals include an entrée, a starch, a vegetable, fruit, bread, and milk. Those unable to volunteer their time can make a donation to help offset food costs by calling Generations. Businesses are also encouraged to sponsor meals for one of the holidays. To volunteer, to make a holiday-meal donation, or for more information, call Cathleen Pratscher-Woods at (563)324-9085.
• An interesting report published by the Tax Policy Institute at (http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/research/Topic.cfm?PubID=900644) discusses tax evasion among other things. It says that former IRS Commissioner Charles Rossotti has estimated that in a given year, the IRS assesses almost $30 billion of taxes that it will never collect. This is not theoretical tax evasion. The $30 billion represents underpayments of tax that the IRS has identified but cannot collect because its staff is spread so thin. Rossotti estimated that it would cost about $2.2 billion to collect that money. Based on that estimate, the IRS could net almost $28 billion from tax fraud and errors that are identified and ripe for collection. According to IRS estimates, 60 percent of identified tax debts are never collected. These unclosed cases include : 75 percent of identified nonfilers, 79 percent of taxpayers who use "known abusive devices" to avoid tax, and 78 percent of taxpayers identified through document-matching programs. It is possible that some of these people simply cannot afford to pay their tax debts, but more than half - 56 percent-of non-compliant taxpayers with incomes over $100,000 - get off scot-free.
