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In the early 2000s, I worked for the Department of Revenue, collection "un-paid taxes." With more than 30 years in the financial industry, at that time, I was appalled by the way the Personal Tax and Compliance Department was run.

First, if anyone did not file a tax return, even if they'd had adequate taxes withheld from their pay checks. Many, many times when the delinquent returns were filed, refunds were due the tax payers.

Also, when personal taxes are assessed, those amounts are added to the State's assets figures...moneys due the State. Any business owner can tell you that long term unpaid debts, are not an asset, but are almost always charged off as bad debts.

I shudder at the thought that privately owned collection agencies are also benefiting from what might be unjustly assessed taxes. They have no power to correct filing or assessment errors, and indeed, have a vested interest in not resolving those cases where error have occured.

I have memories of many, many cases where people lived in fear of dealing with Dept of Revenue. Taxes assessed on young children, deceased people and obvious cases of identity theft, all came across my desk. And management at DoR was only interested in "getting those numbers up."

I am grateful that I no longer work there.

posted 2 years, 11 months ago
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It's been just over 27 years ago since I had to make the decision to have an abortion. Without question, it was the most difficult choice I've ever had to make. And while I deeply regret having to make that choice, I have never regreted my choice. At the time, I had a 14 yr old and an 11 year old, whom I had raised as a single parent for more than a decade. My relationship with the father of my new child was rapidly deteriorating and I knew I would end up raising this child without his financial or emotional support. I'd seen how the abandonment by their father had effected my older children and couldn't face watching another child suffer ths same way.

While I have never regretting the decision I made, I will always regret that the choice had to be made. I mourn the death of child, just like I mourn the loss of the baby I miscarried.

People who claim that woman use abortions as a form of birth control are woefully uninformed. No one would choose to under go such a painful proceedure a second time.

posted 4 years, 8 months ago
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