Oil Spill Victims - Have your paperwork in order!

The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration.

The Internal Revenue Code is law. It was passed by the United States Congress. It does not come from the IRS. The IRS writes regulations that help implement the Code, but the Code itself was passed by Congress. Under the Constitution, if a bill is passed by both houses of Congress and signed by the President, it is the law. That's what happened with the Internal Revenue Code, so the Code is the law.

The Code is called the "Internal Revenue Code" because that's the name chosen for it by the Congress. (See section 7701(a)(29).) So it does have the word "Code" in its name. But it is, absolutely, law passed by the Congress.

I was Born in Metairie, Louisiana - a few miles from New Orleans.

Raised on red beans and rice, gumbo, seafood. Family and friends - fisherman - Americans - legal immigrants - hardworking ...

I am saddened, profoundly saddened by the oil spill.

I do NOT believe BP Oil if their tongues came notarized (as Judge Marilyn Millian would say).

I am sad that some believe "fisherman do not / should not" have to "keep books." I am frightened for them. Why do some fishermen believe their industry is "cash 'n carry."

Do employees of Walgreens believe they do not have to pay income tax? Do movie stars? Newscasters? ALL self-employed people?

I am self-employed. Sadly, I make less now than I ever did in my multitude of decades alive. I thought I would get a few hundred dollars back on my income tax. I had to pay.

My point - no one would ever know if I did not turn in a tax form. I am self-employed.

But - by turning it in, the money I pay to the government is put on file as to my social security, medicaire/medicaid, etc.

Those who do not declare income - when you try to get your social security (if there is any left), you better be ready NOT to complain when you do not get any ...

And if you do not get any social security and you end up on some type of public assistance - well, you did it to yourself. You screwed yourself. You screwed your neighbors who now will have to pay taxes so you can get some sort of public assistance.

My heart bleeds for the fishermen and their families. I am saddened to hear you have no proof or paperwork or W-2 or any documentation of how much you made last month, last year, the previous year.

Even if you went to a small claim's court, you would lose. You have no proof - no paperwork.

It would be easy for anyone to say - I made $27,000.00 a month BEFORE the oil spill. It would be easier to say I made $57,000.00 a month before the oil spill.

BOTH of those amounts could be true. But do you have paperwork? Do you have copies of the taxes you payed, the forms you filed to the government stating business loss, business gain, net, gross ...?

The spill was a dastardly accident. BP Oil tried to cut corners. They fucked everyone.

However, by not paying income tax, declaring monies earned - well, NO ONE should be rewarded for bad behavior.

You did not do you part Fishermen.

Now, you expect to be compensated.