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Whenever tax time comes
around we start moaning, groan¬
ing and wondering how such an
inequitable, evil and sinister boon¬
doggle ever crept into our society.
We blame politicians, faceless
government bureaucrats and cold¬
blooded I.R.S agents when we
should be blaming OURSELVES
for not drawing a line and putting
a stop to those cruel, unjust ex
tractions snatched from our
paychecks while the fat cats from
the land of plenty pay little or no
tax at all. Even the ancient, il¬
literate Indians of the
Southeastern United States were
able to devise at least a fair and
EQUITABLE system of levying
taxes.
Their society was very much
like our own in that it had a form
of government that served its peo¬
ple and naturally needed a means
of support to accomplish those ob¬
jectives. Since the Indians did not
have printed money, they had to
“pay” their taxes with what they
did have - goods and or services
(labor).
Indians in different areas of the
Southeast had varying attitudes
toward taxation. Some tribes
viewed the giving of goods (usual¬
ly food) to the chief as a way of
showing appreciation and admira¬
tion. The chief would only keep
what he needed and would then
redistribute the excess to people
in need or to entertain important
guests. Above all else he was ex¬
pected to be benevolent and fair in
the way he used these resources,
and at all cost, he was to conduct
his affairs in such a way as to
never appear stingy.
To the Southeastern Indians,
the worst reputation one could ac¬
quire was that of being stingy. It
was just a way of life to share any
excess food or labor. The com¬
moners shared among family
members first and to neighbors
secondly.
In some areas, the chiefs would
call for “taxation” only as the
need arose but more often, the
chief would require food stuffs to
be placed in a public storehouse
which was elevated on tall poles
near the center of town. The chief
would then pull from the
storehouse to entertain travelers,
outfit war parties, help feed the
needy or redistribute food to all
of the population during times of
hardship. The population to
whom the food actually belonged
was not necessarily just one town
because usually a chiefdom was
made up of numerous towns and
small hamlets.
The Indians’ fear of being called
stingy did not always make them
eager to “pay their taxes.” One
reason for this was that some of
their taxes had to be paid in the
form of actual work - and, Indians
not being different from anyone
else, were well-known for their
aversion to activities which made
them sweat.
In order to insure that everyone
participated in the public works,
the chief had a group of “Second
Men” who were part of the chief
council. They came from the
“white (peace) clan,” sat at the
southern end of the council
chambers, advised the chief and
oversaw the public works pro¬
gram.
The work program included
building or repairing structures
and organizing the major
That's |
entertainment
Jackie
v
Cooper I «
Out of the blue Sydney Poitier has suddenly returned to
the motion picture career he abandoned several years ago. He
is still a wonderfully competent actor but the amazing thing is
that he hasn't aged. He and Dorian Gray must have used the
same artist and old Sidney must have a portrait too up in his
attic aging away.
His new movie is called Shoot To Kill and it is a thriller of
a film. His next will also be an action adventure called Little
Nikita in which he co-stars with the rising teen star River
Phoenix.
In Shoot To Kill Poitier plays the dramatic role of FBI In¬
vestigator Warren Stantin, but he also imbues this man with a
sly sense of humor that gives him more dimensions than are
expected. Tom Berrenger is also featured as mountain man
Jonathan Knox who joins Stantin in the search for a cold¬
blooded killer.
Cheers star Kirstie Alley plays Sarah, Knox’s girlfriend
and the hostage of the killer the two men are chasing. The
killer is using Sarah as his guide through the wilderness to the
Canadian border and the terrain is as rugged as the men who
chase him.
Most of the action of the film involves the treacherous
weather conditions of the mountains and the impact they have
on tenderfoot Stantin. He is a man at home on the city streets
but entirely out of his element on the mountaintops.
At sixty-one Poitier looks and acts at least 20 years
younger. It is though his role of Virgil Tibbs in In the Heat of
the Night was filmed last month. The spirit of that character
lives in Warren Stantin and demands your attention whenever
Poitier is on screen.
Berrenger has macho down to an art but this time out
macho is no match for genius star quality. Alley gives her role
all it demands but that is not much. She just acts tough and
looks frightened at the appropriate moments.
The film is rated R for profanity and dramatic violence.
Shoot To Kill is unique for the tact its initials S.T.K. are
also the initials of the three stars: S as in Sidney. T as in Tom,
and K as in Kirstie. That will probably be its most unusual
claim to fame. Let me know if you can name another film that
has that same star/title initial similarity.
The movie is enjoyable but nothing out of the ordinary
content. Its attraction comes purely from Poitier who eleva
the film from the ho-hum to the pretty interesting. With
Poitier Shoot To Kill would be firing blanks. With him the
plosive potential of the film is enhanced.
I scored Shoot To Kill a wounding 5 out of 10.
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CHAPTER 13 *9 CHAPTER 13
Indian Footprints
by Maxwell Duke
Tax collectors — a old breed
agricultural projects. To this end,
one of the “Second Men” (whom
we would call a “tax collector”)
would arrive in the middle of the
town at daybreak and start yell ¬
ing loudly for everyone to wake
up and get to the corn fields to
start work. The men would go
first and the women would
follow. They were required to
work continuously, all day long
until sunset. Anyone who failed
to work had to pay a fine and
could be subject to ridicule from
the community at large.
Capitol Hill Commentary
BY CONGRESSMAN RICHARD RAY
February has been designated as Black History Month. It is
important to use this month to recognize those individuals in
the black community who have dedicated their lives to improv¬
ing our nation.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., born in Atlanta was the catalysis
for the civil lights movement. Dr. King was the first president
of the SCLC, and was one of its founders. In 1964, the Nobel
Peace Prize was awarded to Dr. King in recognition of his
adherence to the principles of non-violence.
Dr. Carter G. Woodson, born in Virginia, was an author,
editor and publisher. In 1926, he established “Black History
Week” which was later extended into Black History Month.
Mrs. Mary McLeod Bethune, was born in South Carolina.
She was founder of Bethune-Cookman College in Daytona,
Florida. As an educator she served as special advisor to five
successive presidents.
Mayor Andrew Young, presently the mayor of Atlanta, has
served as a member of Congress, ambassador to the United
Nations, and a close associate of Dr. King. Mayor Young was
the director of the SCLC citizen education program.
Congressman John Lewis was raised on a farm as the son of
a sharecropper in Alabama. He went on to earn degrees from
Seminary.‘John Fisk University and the American Baptist Theological
Lewis has been on the vanguard of leadership
for change in the struggle for civil and political rights for
blacks in America.
Earlier this month I hosted a Black History Program in Col¬
umbus and Fort Valley, and was honored to have as my guest
Congressmen Charles Rangel (D-NY) and Bill Gray (D-PA).
Congressman Rangel is serving his 18th consecutive year in
the House of Representatives. He represents the 16th Con¬
gressional District of New York. He is an effective member of
the coveted Ways and Means Committee. In addition he very
effectively chairs the Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse
and Control, which is trying to stop the flow of drugs into our
nation.
Congressman Gray is in his tenth year in the House, and is
the Chairman of the House Committee on the Budget. He has
authored the Anti-Apartheid Acts of 1985 and 1986, of which I
am a co-sponsor. He is presently seeking the post of
Democratic Caucus Chair, and I am giving him my full support.
Each of these individuals is an example of how much our
system can change when people of conscience dedicate and
unite in their efforts. It is this abilty to make changes even
when they are difficult or painful, which has kept our
democracy alive and strong. I salute these Americans, in their
work to reach the goal Dr. King had to make this nation a land
where a person is not judged by the color of their skin, nor the
preference of their religion, but rather by the content of their
character.
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TID BIT OF TRIVIA
It would be incorrect to assume
that all Indians participated in
society as they were expected to
do. All of them did not “pay their
taxes” and some fell into the
category of “neer-do-well” or
“bum.” They would walk around
naked, beg for food and sleep in
vacant buildings. Nevertheless
their society, just as ours today,
continued to protect and support
their parasitic habits - it would ap¬
pear that like death and taxes,
some things never change.
Paga 5A
L
I B Peach A h
A R Poster
R
Y
HAPPENINGS
GUESS THE PRESIDENT!!!
The next President of the United States is anyone’s guess. But
how much do you know about our past Presidents? Here is a quiz
to test your knowledge by matching each of the names of the left
with the correct corresponding item on the right. The answers
are given below:
1. George Washington a. declared war on poverty
2. John Adams b. Hero of San Juan Hill
3. Thomas Jefferson c. Fireside Chats
4. James Madison d. duelist
5. John Quincy Adams e. on $2 bill
6. Andrew Jackson f. owned a dog named “Checkers"
7. James Buchanan g. his attempted assasins were Squeaky &
Sara Jane
8. Abraham Lincoln h. “the buck stops here”
9- Andrew Johnson i. Mount Vernon
10. Ulysses S. Grant j. shot in Ford Theatre
11. William McKinley k. his mother was in the peace corps
12. Theodore Roosevelt l. NATO commander
13. Woodrow Wilson m. first president born in 20th century
14. Warren G. Harding n. his father was president too
13. Calvin Coolidge o. first president to live in White House
16. Herbert Hoover p. first bachelor president
17. Franklin D. Roosevelt q. his slogan: Let's Make America Great!
18. Harry S. Truman r. highest point in US named for him
19. Dwight D. Eisenhower s. president during crash of 1929
20. John F. Kennedy t. “Fourteen points”
21. Lyndon B. Johnson u. wife; Dolley
22. Richard Nixon v. Brigadier General during Civil War
23. Gerald Ford w. first president to face impeachment I
24. Jimmy Carter x. Teapot Dome Scandal
23. Ronald Reagan y. “I do not choose to run for president
in 1928”
ANSWERS: 1-i; 2-o;3-e; 4-u; 5-n; 6-d; 7-p; 8-j; 9-w; 10-v’ 11-r; 12-b; 13-t; 14-x; 15-y;
16-s; 17-c, 18-h; 19-1; 20-m; 21-a; 22-f; 23-g; 24-k; 25-q. This quiz was taken from
the article which appeared in the February issue of GOOD HOUSEKEEPING.
Magazines can be checked out for three days from your Peach Public Libraries.
COMING UP:
Young People’s Programs. Puppet shows: BPL Tues., March 1,
3:30 p.m.; TPL Sat., March 5, 1:00 p.m.
Story Times for all ages: BPL - every Tuesday at 4 p.m.; TPL -
every Monday at 4 p.m.
Adult programs. Video Program - Mon., March 28, 7 p.m. “Lov¬
ing Relationships with Leo Buscaglia” at TPL & BPL.
.
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CITY OF BYRON
NOTICE OF SPECIAL ELECTION
TO BE HELD ON APRIL 6, 1988
The City of Byron will hold a Special Election on
Wednesday, April 6, 1988
( ) YES Shall the Act be approved which
authorizes the City of Byron to have and
to exercise all redevelopment and other
powers authorized or granted municipa¬
( ) NO lities pursuant to the ‘Redevelopment
Powers Law,’ as now or hereafter
amended?”
City of Byron residents who wish to vote in this Special
Election on Wednesday, April 6, 1988, are are not %
registered, must register by the close of business on
Monday, March 7, 1988.
The Special Election will be held at the Byron Elemen¬
tary Auditorium Lobby, West Campus.
MARCH 2, 1988 FRANCES MCDANIEL ELECTION SUPERINTENDENT
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