User talk:Famspear

--Hi sorry for the roundabout communication- I noticed that you removed my external link from an entry regarding United States Bankruptcy. The link contained a directory of people involved in the American Bankruptcy Institute- was there any particular reason? - (SpockTeam2008 (talk) 22:27, 2 July 2008 (UTC)SpockTeam2008)

See generally [1] and other Wikipedia rules and guidelines. Showing that link in the article on bankruptcy would be like having a link, in an article on lawyers, to a website for a directory of lawyers in the United States or having a link, in an article on accounting, to a website for a directory of accountants. Wikipedia articles should not be used for these kinds of links. See also the comments posted on your user talk page. Famspear (talk) 12:08, 3 July 2008 (UTC)

Help if you have time

Famspear, your help would be appreciated on the FairTax article if you have the time. I can't keep up and, like our tax protest articles, it gets it share of people screaming (at least when featured on the main page of wikipedia). We need some more people that are familiar with the policy to keep the random IP and new editors in check. I don't want to look like the article nazi. Not to suggest that I dismiss their opinion but some of this is a misunderstanding of policy or it has been discussed over and over. As you know, I tend to gain wikistress on these war-zone articles. Thanks Morphh ^(talk) 17:30, 16 July 2008 (UTC)

FYI, this article has been brought up at WP:FRINGE. Wikipedia:Fringe_theories/Noticeboard#FairTax Dealing with this is getting quite stressful. As an active member of the Tax Wikiproject, your viewpoints would be greatly appriciated. Morphh ^(talk) 20:47, 27 July 2008 (UTC)

I was wondering if you would be able to rejoin the discussion over at FairTax. This has become too difficult to address by disputing parties and the introduction of a first time moderator has recently made it worse. It looks like we may be heading to an arbitration, but we just need more people in the discussion. This article is seriously wearing me out. Most of the discussion is not really about content, it's more about policy and the basis for including and excluding content. Debates over WP:FRINGE, WP:V, and WP:NPOV. Thanks Morphh ^(talk) 16:20, 21 August 2008 (UTC)

Feeding the trolls

Hey there, just some friendly advice after reading your response on Talk:Federal Reserve System. I understand that it's terribly frustrating that a constant stream of users finds the need to ask the same misguided questions about the Fed. I've found it's not necessary to respond to all, or even most, of these comments. I make it a point only to deal with users who make it clear that they want to work with us to improve the article, rather than just complain. Check out meta:What is a troll?#Not feeding the trolls, which I've found supremely useful. Looking forward to continue patrolling Federal Reserve System with you. -FrankTobia (talk) 01:37, 21 July 2008 (UTC)

Thanks. Guess I'm feeling a bit grumpy today. Yours, Famspear (talk) 01:45, 21 July 2008 (UTC)

Random question for you

I am considering someday getting an LLM in tax law. But what I would like to know is: is it necessary to have a CPA or an accounting background to become a tax lawyer? --Eastlaw (talk) 11:08, 23 July 2008 (UTC)

Dear Eastlaw: I would say that it is definitely not necessary to have a CPA certificate or an accounting background to become a successful tax lawyer. (I believe that having the accounting background does help, though. I myself became a CPA, and practiced public accounting for several years, before I went to law school -- but lots of people do not take this route.) I'll try to get back to you with more on the topic later! Yours, Famspear (talk) 12:46, 23 July 2008 (UTC)

It seems Mpublius is back

Hello again Famspear; thanks for the earlier career advice. Anyway, it seems that your good buddy <sarcasm> Mpublius has returned to Wikipedia and is writing new articles. For example, these about Rindge Co. v. County of Los Angeles and the Petroleum Nationalization in Mexico. I've made a few minor changes to the former, but perhaps you should have a look at them. I don't see anything majorly wrong with the articles, but I don't trust this guy to obey WP:V and WP:NPOV. --Eastlaw (talk) 03:16, 25 July 2008 (UTC)

OK. By the way, I notice on your user page that your undergraduate degree is in economics. I was majoring in economics for a while, right before I switched my major to accounting. I believe I got about 15 semester hours of economics under my belt. I probably don't remember much, though. I do remember that I enjoyed micro-economics a lot more than "macro." And one of the courses was an economic history of the USA, which started, literally, with the fall of the Roman Empire and went quickly through the Middle Ages before getting into the details of the economic development of North America. Pretty good course, as I recall. Famspear (talk) 04:09, 25 July 2008 (UTC)

Funny, I liked macro better than micro, largely because the courses I took were more focused on the social/political science side of economics. I would have liked to take economic history, but the course list always filled up within about five minutes of opening! I guess that's one of the drawbacks of going to a huge state school. --Eastlaw (talk) 04:18, 25 July 2008 (UTC)

Hey

Yep it is me over there, been lurking for awhile. Decided to join in a bit. Tmtoulouse (talk) 18:05, 12 August 2008 (UTC)

Federal government of the United States

Hi Famspear. The categories seemed to have disappeared from Federal government of the United States. If you have the time, perhaps you can track them down. Thanks. Suntag (talk) 00:21, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

request for arbitration

Current requests

[edit]Supreme Court and U.S. code quotes 'Initiated by Self-represented access to courts is vital for democracy (talk)atSelf-represented access to courts is vital for democracy (talk) 16:30, 8 September 2008 (UTC) [edit]Involved parties Kay Sieverding (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · block user · block log), filing party Arthur Rubin (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · block user · block log) Famspear (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · block user · block log) Non Curat Lex (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · block user · block log) When I found the "pro se" page, it contained statements that were contrary to the U.S. code and Supreme Court statements. No sources were cited for the misrepresentations. I pasted in the U.S. code and Supreme Court cases concerning the subject both with footnotes and they were repeatedly deleted by "Non Curat Lex", "Famspear" and/or "Arthur Rubin". One of them also deleted a quotation, with references, from the ABA journal interviewing Justice Scalia. They appear to have an agenda of wanting Wikipedia to keep these Supreme Court decisions, the U.S. code, and Justice Scalia's statements secret. They keep calling Supreme Court decisions "primary sources" and "case dumps". In other articles on legal issues, Supreme Court decisions are simply summarized or quoted with footnotes. One of them deleted a Supreme Court discussion of William Penn. It does not appear that they have posted anything with any footnotes. I deleted only a few unsupported sentences that were contrary to the Supreme Court and the U.S. Code. My character is being attacked for adding quotations of the U.S. code, Supreme Court and various constitutions. I don't know what to do but I hate to see Wikipedia spreading misinformation. I don't have a problem with them posting laws, cases, quotations etc. but they are not posting verifiable authorities, they are just deleting my verifiable major authorities and criticizing me personally. They also deleted a scholarly U.S. 2nd circuit decision that quoted 2 law review articles and 4 history books. Much of what they deleted they removed to "sub pages". I don't have all the Wikipedia formatting figured out and I tried to post a request for style. I guess I did that wrong somehow because it didn't appear but they wouldn't help me do that right. All that I want to do is make sure that the U.S. code and relevant Supreme Court decisions are posted so that Wikipedia users see them. I thought the Justice Scalia interview was relevant and that the deleted 2nd Circuit discussion of history was much better than the postings without footnotes that it supplemented. There is extensive discussion on the article discussion board. Some of it they removed to subpages

Request for arbitration

A request for arbitration involving you has been filed. Please see this page and add any statements or comments that you consider necessary. Stifle (talk) 17:17, 8 September 2008 (UTC)

Thank you for the intelligent and effective message on the request for arbitration page, Famspear. You hit all the key points. Non Curat Lex (talk) 21:20, 8 September 2008 (UTC)

You're welcome! Famspear (talk) 00:15, 9 September 2008 (UTC)

I have never done a wiki arbitration. Do you know how many votes are needed to reject? How long before we find out if it has been accepted? Non Curat Lex (talk) 00:36, 9 September 2008 (UTC)

I don't know either. Would you believe -- I can't even remember whether I've ever participated in any arbitration. Famspear (talk) 03:48, 9 September 2008 (UTC)

I know I have't. But seriously, in the mean time, "Kay Sieverding" is still screwing with, and screwing up that article, with obtuse and pointless quotations. I think we're dangerously close to an edit war. Non Curat Lex (talk) 19:43, 9 September 2008 (UTC)

I was involved in a remarkably long arbitration back in 2005-6, and it is like any adversarial proceeding -- not fun for those involved. I believe that it currently takes the consent of four of the ten arbitrators within a ten day period to hear a case. I consider that vanishingly unlikely in this instance -- Arbcom does not arbitrate content disputes, only conduct disputes -- unless one of the named parties allows frustration to degenerate into incivility, violates the 3RR, etc. The important thing is for everyone to remain calm and polite and to clearly explain edits, while not compromising an insistence on quality writing and citations. It is also important to discuss and establish a consensus -- ideally including Kay, but of everyone else if need be -- on how sections should be phrased. There is currently an article RfC. I hope that need never escalate to a user RfC. Robert A.West (Talk) 05:34, 10 September 2008 (UTC)

Adversarial proceedings are fun for me - as long as they are between other people. How do you think I earn a living?! Non Curat Lex (talk) 07:01, 10 September 2008 (UTC)

Pub Finance box on TASC

Should this maybe be removed from Taxing and Spending Clause? I put it in there around the start of the year with the whole overhaul of the article from the old General Welfare Clause page, and that was only so it'd have some nice filler at the time, and to make it look better. Any advice on taking that box out. Also, any advice on some other design-wise things that might spruce the page up some? Foofighter20x (talk) 23:00, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

Well, the box looks fine to me as it is in that article. I wouldn't take it out - just my opinion. Yours, Famspear (talk) 03:29, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

Edward Nottingham

Good grief. To have two people who stood before him both show up to edit the article - what are the chances? Whether or not the website cuts it, there are links to several news articles there that might be useful, but I will let you and the other editors make that judgment. I only had this article on my watchlist to make sure Kay didn't return. Risker (talk) 04:42, 3 November 2008 (UTC)

Famous Rico Case-88-50143WS David W. Harbin v. US

Sorry that the article did not meet your criteria. I had trouble at every other turn, so why should I think this would be any different. The case was passed around to about 5 different Federal Judges until it wound up on the desk of the Chief Judge of the Northern Distict of Florida where it remained until its end. Anytime I wanted to review the case, it was on his desk. To me that might be considered monumental.

You say that I am rambling. Sorry, but I am not now or will I ever be an attorney. The flow may not be to your liking, but that is just the way I presented it. It is in honest and down to earth form and it does not take a rocket scientist to realize what happened.

Your opinion is well noted, but it still does not change the facts. This case had a lot more merit than you gave it credit for.

Thanks for your time and if there is anything I can do to help clarify my position or if more informantion is desired, please e-mail me at panamaed1@gmail.com

P.S. The part about threats to my life and the IRS Agent being found dead and an IRS Inspector interviewing me in a murder investigation were true. As a matter of fact, I am getting some input from someone on another site that connects here. There aren't any clear threats there, but you have to appreciate the situation to understand sometime just the occurance needs to be considered a threat. Panamaed (talk) 19:39, 4 November 2008 (UTC)

Dear User Panamaed: I understand that you are talking about the commentary on the talk page for the article on the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. What you are driving at is somewhat unclear here. The material about the Harbin case had been removed from the article a while back -- for a variety of reasons, not the least of which that the material was not properly sourced. We couldn't even tell where the case was filed. A citation to a court case is pretty much meaningless without naming the actual court in which the case was heard. Of course, you have now added a piece to the puzzle -- that the case may have been filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida. I just did a search on the online PACER system for that Court for the case number and name you provided, but so far I have not found the case. I did find one or two cases with the name Harbin, but they're not "RICO" cases, and they're not under the case number you just gave me.

I'm not sure what you mean by saying that this was a "famous RICO case." If no one has heard of it, how could it be "famous"? I am also puzzled by your statement that the case "had a lot more merit than you [Famspear] gave it credit for." I obviously can have no idea about the merit or lack of merit of the case, since I haven't even located an official record of the case. I simply moved the material from the article to the talk page for discussion.

In any case, Wikipedia might not be the proper place for you to contribute material about your own court case, no matter how important you believe the case to be. To contribute to Wikipedia articles, you should instead look for information from reliable, previously published third party sources. Also, you should consider whether contributing to Wikipedia about your own court case might violate Wikipedia rules on conflicts of interest. Yours, Famspear (talk) 20:37, 4 November 2008 (UTC)

I can accept that, but the corporation was never allowed to appear, even though it was seized by the Government. They would not let me represent the interest of a ficticious name Company, Florida Title, the stockholders, or, since the case went on for years, even the dissolved corporation. This same court "made" Joe Francis of Girls Gone Wild fame (an I am in no way saying that I support his cause, appear on behalf of his corporation saying an individual must appear on behalf of a corporation. They just can't have it both ways. The term Panamaed came from a partner of mine that was a crooked preacher, it turned out, and there is a real story there on what I did that caused all of this to occur. I was trying to do right and they ganged up on me. It was the Dixie Mafia I am told and they say I should be glad that I am still alive. That is what makes this case outstanding. That and the fact the case was filed qui.tam. with notice to the Justice Department 90 days before filing the original complaint. They returned it in a plain manilla envelope with no cover letter to let me know they had rejected it. It took three subsequent filings for the court to accept it and was passed around to several judges before it wound up on the Chief Judges desk. It took ten years to get to the Supreme Court and it wound up being a wasted trip. I appreciate your time. Sorry for the confusion, but to say that it is rambling was harsh. The file was a foot thick and in two volumes and had 32 Defendants, 12 Counts and every motion that I filed was with a request for oral arguments due to pro.se. status and all were denied. Never got a hearing. No Discovery Conference, no seizure of assets of defendants that failed to appear. One of the main defendants wrote a letter to the Judge saying that all the documents served to him were a nusance to him and that is why he did not respond. I WAS Panamaed so sayeth the Preacher. It happens so frequently there they have a name for it. Now this is probably rambling on for sure. Sorry. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Panamaed (talk • contribs) 23:21, 4 November 2008 (UTC)

Reasonable person

just overhauled the whole article... could you review it for errors, please? Foofighter20x (talk) 06:30, 30 November 2008 (UTC)

How do we know

I just read the tax protester article and it doesn't seem very neutral to me. How do we know that you don't work for the IRS? Or other government organization, which is dependent on US citizens continuing to pay their taxes. 98.204.240.195 (talk) 23:32, 21 December 2008 (UTC)

First, which article are you referring to? There are several articles in Wikipedia on tax protesters.

Second, you may want to review the Wikipedia rule on "Neutral Point of View."

Third, what difference do you think it makes, for purposes of Wikipedia, whether I work for the government? Yes, the government is dependent on people paying their taxes: so what? And, yes, government employees probably do contribute to Wikipedia: so what?

Fourth, I am not a government employee; there is nothing you can do about that.

Fifth, in Wikipedia, an argument that the contributor is biased because he or she works for the government (assuming that this is what you are implying) is simply not allowed. First, it could be considered a personal attack. Second, there is no requirement that a Wikipedia editor be unbiased.

I repeat: There is no requirement that a Wikipedia editor be unbiased. What is essentially required is that each editor put aside any bias when contributing to Wikipedia. Essentially, the texts of articles should be presented in a neutral way. That is quite different from saying that the editor himself/herself must be neutral or unbiased.

Sixth, I am just one editor. I have no unilateral control over Wikipedia content.

Perhaps if you could be a bit more specific. Yours, Famspear (talk) 00:35, 22 December 2008 (UTC)

And now, for Fvasconcellos' traditional nonsectarian holiday greeting!

Wherever you are, and whether you're celebrating something or not, there is always a reason to spread the holiday spirit! So, may you have a great day, and may all your wishes be fulfilled in 2009! Fvasconcellos (t·c) 14:30, 24 December 2008 (UTC)

Is this a combination of my Christmas greeting from 2006 and my New Year's greeting from last year? Why, it most certainly is! Hey, if it ain't broke...

Need a little common sense wisdom...

The following offices: President, Vice President, Speaker of the House, Pres pro tem, Chief Justice. Did these offices come into existance on the day the constitution took effect (i.e., March 4, 1789) and remain vacant; or, did they come into existence when the first holders of those offices, elected to apparently non-existant offices, were sworn in?

If you can, tell me your answer, and whatever it is, please weigh in here. These guys don't get simple logic. Foofighter20x (talk) 23:53, 21 January 2009 (UTC)

Wikiproject Accounting

Seeing that you are a CPA, perhaps you would be interested in supporting my WikiProject proposal for accounting at Wikipedia:WikiProject_Council/Proposals#Wikiproject Accounting.Smallman12q (talk) 02:06, 16 February 2009 (UTC)

		The Law Barnstar
		I hereby award Famspear the Law Barnstar for his endless efforts in explaining the meaning and legality of various monetary policies and institutions. Cheers!Smallman12q (talk) 02:06, 16 February 2009 (UTC)

Thanks! Famspear (talk) 14:01, 16 February 2009 (UTC)

Thank you for reverting IRS

Thank you so much for getting the entry back to normal. The vandalism in that article was getting out of hand, and I am thankful you fixed it up again. At least it shouldn't have inappropriate vandalism for some time now. 24.107.56.201 (talk) 22:05, 23 February 2009 (UTC)

Wikipedia:WikiProject Council/Proposals#Wikiproject United States courts and judges

Greetings, friend! Since this proposed project will cover the Tax Court and its judges, I hope you will find it worth supporting. Cheers! bd2412 T 03:21, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

Wikipedia:WikiProject United States courts and judges

Wikipedia:WikiProject United States courts and judges is now open for business - let's get it organized and outline our tasks! bd2412 T 16:40, 5 March 2009 (UTC)

I sent a former tax professor of mine (who happens to have clerked at the Tax Court) an email asking for help in getting the full list of Tax Court judge names. By the way, can you make Tax protester 861 argument a bit clearer? I thought the argument was deficient because the provision only applied to foreign businesses or something like that, but I may be wrong. Cheers! bd2412 T 21:58, 8 March 2009 (UTC)

OK. Boy, it's been a while since I've really looked at that article (though it's on my watch list, of course). On the Tax Court judges, are you talking about all current judges, or all judges who have ever served on the Court? Famspear (talk) 02:13, 9 March 2009 (UTC)

"Fundamental rights"

Fam- are you not bothered by the fact that "fundamental rights," an article which we have both edited - has been merged into "human rights?" I know I am! Non Curat Lex (talk) 01:23, 29 March 2009 (UTC)