October
12,
2006
Opening the “Kimono”
Foundation’s
Tax Filings
Document Crippling Damage
From IRS Attacks
WTP
Needs Your Help
As we reported in our last update, this past week the Plaintiffs in the
Right to Petition lawsuit formally filed an Emergency Motion for Injunctive
Relief seeking the protection of the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, DC
from IRS “enforcement” actions.
The
Motion’s supporting documents included a
Declaration by Bob Schulz that included copies of all of the
Foundation’s tax returns. Until now they had not been published by WTP.
Federal law requires foundations such as ours to provide a copy of our tax
filing (Form 990) to persons so requesting one.
Interestingly, only David Cay Johnston of The New York Times and
financial consultant J.J. McNab have contacted the Foundation requesting
copies of the Foundation’s tax filing(s). They made their requests about two
years ago. We complied. We have not received a similar request since then.
David
Cay Johnston, the lead tax reporter for the Times is fairly well
known to those who have been following our Right to Petition process since
1999.
However, J.J. McNab is not so well known. Some of our readers may remember
it was JJ McNab who, while testifying before the Senate Finance Committee in
2001, pointed to an enlarged copy of our full-page USA Today ad that
featuring former IRS agents Joe Banister, John Turner and Sherry Jackson,
and told the committee that the sponsor of the ad (WTP) was asserting the
Government was not answering its questions about the income tax laws. She
specifically suggested to the Committee that it might be better if the
government did answer the questions.
J.J. McNab and her husband, tax attorney Tim Hanford make an interesting
pair, unique to say the least. For more information about J.J. McNab, just
Google, “JJ McNab”. Here is a
link to the first article that appears on the Google search results.
But we
digress. Returning to the substance of this article…
Because of the historic stakes involved in the outcome of the
Right-to-Petition lawsuit and the crippling damages that the Foundation and
many of the Plaintiffs have endured under the iron-fisted, “tunnel-vision”
enforcement practices of the IRS (i.e., “We have no interest in your Rights
under the Constitution; we are only interested in enforcing what we believe
are your obligations under the IRC”) the Foundation has supplied these
documents to the Court in support of our Motion for Injunctive Relief and is
now making them freely available.
Now
everyone supporting the Petition process can examine how the Foundation has
expended and cared for the precious, limited resources that our supporters
have entrusted to us.
In
addition, people can now see the extent of the financial injuries that the
IRS has inflicted on the Foundation since the lawsuit was initiated in 2004.
Although the Form 990 filed for FY 2005 is not yet due, we informed the
Court that revenue received by the Foundation began to decline precipitously
in 2005 ($322,613). Revenues received by the Foundation for the first nine
months of 2006 have totaled just $75,000.
The Foundation believes these sworn documents are evidence of the
exceptional stewardship of the gifts donated to the Foundation, and that
they also document the organization’s ability to have begun the process of
reversing the erosion of our Constitution with admittedly, a relatively
modest level of funding.
Several key facts, consistent over the years, demonstrate that in each year,
the vast, vast -- lion’s share of all expenses incurred by the Foundation
support the direct execution of the Foundation’s programmatic activities,
followed in magnitude only by the direct costs of outside vendors and
subcontractors necessary to support those activities and the ongoing
operations of the Foundation.
The filings document conclusively that there are virtually NO management or
“overhead” costs such as salaries, benefits or other “soft” expenses that
divert in any manner to WTP Chairman Bob Schulz or any other person or
employee.
In fact, the Form 990 filed for each of the years included (2001-2004)
clearly show that neither Bob Schulz (Chairman) or Burr Deitz (Treasurer)
have ever received a nickel for their Foundation related work.
Not one cent -- ever.
With
these documents, the finances of the Foundation have been provided for your
inspection.
RIGHT-Click to download WTP Foundation
IRS Form 990 filings for
2004
2003
2002
2001
As you
review the documents, please remember what WTP has accomplished in just a
few years, with a minimal amount of funding:
For instance, we have run full page ads in USA TODAY, the New York Times and
the Washington Times.
We have conducted multiple, national-scale educational efforts including the
production of informational resources, detailed legal research and
constitutional activism.
We have conducted multiple events of such compelling interest and importance
that they were broadcast nationally -- and repeatedly, by C-SPAN.
We have been able to acquire and apply levels of information and broadcast
technology, including complex on-line database applications and live
Internet video broadcasts that, even today, remain beyond the reach of many
even moderately sized commercial corporations.
We
have been able to organize and engage in a sustained program of on-going
public events and confrontations against government officials that have
refused to answer to the People or follow the Law, including the
Truth-in-Taxation Hearings, the Freedom Drive to DC, the IRS headquarters
“Walk-Around”, and the Give Me liberty 2004 conference to name just several.
And most importantly, we have championed the Right-to-Petition process, from
it’s first twinkling as the solution to tyranny and despotism in America, to
the prosecution of our landmark federal lawsuit that will soon result in a
government more accountable for the unalienable Rights of the People as
guaranteed by the Constitution. Our case is currently awaiting the decision
of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
Time to Help
In less than six years, and with less than $2 million dollars this
Foundation, without any “financial angels” but with the assistance of
thousands of individual donors, now stands poised to alter the course of
this nation’s history and potentially restore the Constitution, finally
halting the continuing loss of Rights and erosion of our Liberty.
Although our Right-to-Petition lawsuit holds the promise of Freedom and our
organization is committed to it and a still more extensive agenda of
constitutional activism and education, we cannot continue to prosecute the
RTP lawsuit (we still owe Mark Lane $85,000) and move forward if we remain
financially crippled.
It is crucial for each of our supporters to understand that We The People is
now under direct attack by the IRS, which has substantially impaired our
ability to further our mission.
Unless
our base of supporters rallies quickly and sufficiently, our Foundation --
YOUR Foundation -- may become incapacitated to the point where it can no
longer continue its mission.
Anyone that has attended any WTP event or read our communications knows that
WTP does not engage in pandering for donations and has never exploited the
trust of our supporters that we have earned with much honest effort and
diligence. Quite frankly, and to our own current detriment, fund raising has
never been a driving organizational priority for the Foundation. Our belief
has always been, “Do good work, and the rest will take care of itself.”
Despite the high order ideals and values possessed by our organization, and
the remarkable progress toward Liberty we have made, these intangible
successes cannot be used as currency to pay those that provide our
technology services, office supplies or computer equipment, nor by those
that provide us with legal counsel, hotels, gasoline or airline tickets.
In the end, we hope that these financial documents provide additional
insight into the stewardship our organization has tendered over your past
donations and will provide each of you -- perhaps the final defenders of
Liberty -- with the personal inspiration needed to stand strong, and help
shoulder, as you can bear, a portion of the Foundation’s financial burden.
In the
past we have repeatedly stated that our work cannot move forward without
your assistance. We now find ourselves asking for your gracious help so
that we can survive as a functional organization. With your generosity we
will be able to continue using the Right To Petition as both a sword and a
shield, and to otherwise move toward achieving the highest vision of Freedom
that our hearts can aspire to together.
Please help us meet our short-term needs by making a “one time”,
tax-deductible
donation
that will be processed immediately on our secure on-line system.
Please also consider setting up a separate, repeating monthly (or
twice-monthly) “subscription”
donation
using the same secure WTP donation Internet page. Subscription donations are
processed beginning the following month or the next time your chosen
scheduled processing date is encountered.
Please know that if significant numbers committed to contributing even
modest recurring subscription donations, the Foundation would have a
substantial and predictable source of revenue upon which it can plan for its
much needed work.
Completely anonymous donations will be reported by the Foundation for anyone
sending a donation in cash or money order and requesting anonymity.
You have our sincere thanks for your consideration and your generosity.
Click here to
make a tax deductible
Donation
to the We The People Foundation
“V”
In
closing we would like to remind everyone to rent the DVD, “V for Vendetta”
this weekend. By Sunday evening we will be asking for your answers to the
questions we posed in our
previous article.
For your convenience, here are several preview links for this important
concept movie that highlights the conflicts between men and governments and
their resistance to tyranny:
Bob Schulz
Chairman,
We The People Foundation
For Constitutional Education, Inc.
Our address:
We The People Foundation
2458 Ridge Road
Queensbury, NY 12804
Important Links from This
Update:
Emergency Motion For Injunction
33-page
Declaration by Bob Schulz
RIGHT-Click to download WTP Foundation IRS Form 990 filings
for
2004
2003
2002
2001
Click here to make a tax deductible
Donation
to the We The People Foundation
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