Your Tax Dollars at Work

[Hawks Feather]

So this might be long, but is also the condensed version.  I talked with a good friend from town last night to confirm the story that I had heard â€" he said that it was true and talked about it.

About four or five months ago he had placed a 1970’s Weaver scope for sale on ePrey and it sold for $127.00.  He took it to the post office, filled out all the paper work, and sent it to a person in Alberta, Canada.  He had received payment and didn’t think anything about it.  Then about two months later he received an email from the person who purchased the scope asking if he could check on it since it had not arrived.  He went to the post office and since it was ‘nowhere to be found’ filled out a claim ticket for the package.  He kept checking and nothing showed and he got no results from the claim.  Then, about two weeks ago, there was a knock at his door and there were two men standing there.  The two had driven here from Cleveland, OH which is about a three hour drive each way.  They were from Homeland Security, showed him their identification, and said that they would like to talk with him.  They asked if he had sent a scope to a person in Canada and he said that he had.  He then asked if they had found the scope since it had not been delivered.  They proceeded to ask him question and finally told him that it was a Federal violation to send a scope to Canada.  He asked why ePrey didn’t have anything about that and was told that it was  ‘not their (ePrey’s) responsibility but the seller’s responsibility’ to know the law.  He then asked about the post office since he had filled out the forms there and was again given the same answer â€" not the post office’s job, but his.  They were there asking him questions and filling out papers for about 45 minutes.  At the end, they said that they were not going to charge him but if he sent anything like this again that this violation would show up and they would not be leaving town without him.  He asked about the scope and they said that they had it and he could check about getting it returned.  They also gave him the .gov website that listed the law that he had broken.

When he checked on the .gov section he said there were many things about shipping grain and manufacturing parts, etc., but nothing about anything like a scope.  He did find a place where he could email a question so he asked about getting his scope back.  He finally got to talk with a person and asked about it.  They said that he would need to pay a fine since it was a violation.  He asked what the fine would be and they asked the selling price of the scope.  He said that it had sold for $127.00 and the reply was that would be the amount of the fine.  So, rather than pay $127.00 to get his property returned he said that he would rather not pay the fine.  So the US Homeland Security has a 1970’s Weaver scope.  He also went to the post office to see what they knew about this law and they said they had never heard of anything like that.

So, Homeland Security paid two workers pretty much a full day’s pay each to come to town to investigate a person who I doubt has even had a parking ticket.  Assuming (what I think is pretty low) that they each have a salary plus benefits that would come to $60,000 a year - $230.00 a day â€" then we have spent $460 in salary plus mileage and turnpike tolls to interrogate a person who sold a $127.00 scope and sent it to Canada.  Personally, I think we might be better served by them going after larger fish in the sea, but that is just me.

So, what can be learned by this?  Don’t sell anything that even might be thought of as relating to shooting out of the US.  I was told later by another person that there actually is a way to send items, but you send the item to some holding point on the boarder and the Canadian comes across and signs for the item and then can go back across the border â€" but sending directly to a person if a Federal crime.

Jerry

[riverboss]

Wow!!  What a bunch of crap.

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[FinsnFur]

Thats kinda spooky
So I wonder how Cabelas, and Cheaper then Dirt, or MidSouth does it.

[Dave]

Thanks for posting that, Jerry.  I know I'll sleep better tonight knowing that Uncle Obama is really focusing on our border issues. 

[JohnP]

Thanks for posting that, Jerry.  I know I'll sleep better tonight knowing that Uncle Obama is really focusing on our border issues.

The border is secure.  If I'm not mistaken I don't think you can mail an e-caller to Canada.

[riverboss]

Only the northern boarder.
I would love to be able to live in a country like we had in the 50-60

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[HaMeR]

Yeah stupidity runs rampant at every level of gubment!!  The township I live in wants to buy an overpriced piece of property right at the local city corporation limit & build an apartment complex. My township taxes are going up to fund this project & the school district that this complex butts up against wants every tax revenue dollar from it!!!!! Guess I'm gonna be a landlord that really won't make any money off my investment.   

[trailtwister]

I put my boots on as I couldn't find that law. that is probably how Cabelas and others ship to Canada.


I do know my wife asked me to ship some flower seeds to a friend in Canada a couple years ago. All the seeds were in separate little Key envelopes that had been labeled then sealed. Then they wore pot in a box well taped and sent.

Wife commented that after 30 days she was surprised that the friend had not said any thing about the thousands of seed we shipped. Finally after about 60 days she got a thank you note for the seeds and said that customs must have opened the box and some of the little envelopes as seeds were floating around loose in the box and some of the envelopes had been cut open and tapes shut.

  Al

[FinsnFur]

Yah you know they arent Xraying these packages. Theyre ripping every one of them suckers open.

[trailtwister]

Yup wouldn't want some one shipping a rolling pin and it getting thru with out a rip open box check.

  Al

[Todd Rahm]

I ordered a hand call from Canada years ago. After about two months of not getting it, I wrote it off as lost in the mail. The maker made another and sent it to me. I got the replacement call about two weeks later.


6 Months down the road, the first call showed up with a Canadian Custom sticker on it. 

I how ever agree with all the other major issues going on, we shouldn't be worried about a guy selling a scope.

[Carolina Coyote]

It sounds like the Anti's are doing anything and everything they can to get at the Gun owners, I saw the other day where either Washington State or Oregon had put a tax of $25.00 on every gun you owned plus a big tax on ammunition. Backdoor Politics, A lot is in the works to destroy America by this administration.   

[trailtwister]

" A lot is in the works to destroy America by this administration"

Boy some of you sure have a short memory or you just like PI$$ about who the present president is.

Seems Like way back in the REAGIN era bills were introduced to congress that Effected gun owning Americans.

His presidential administration did not bring about any new gun control laws of significance. But once out of the line of fire storms it happened.


in his post-presidency, Reagan cast his support to a pair of critical gun control measures in the 1990s: 1993’s Brady Bill and 1994’s Assault Weapons Ban.

For you who have short memory's Brady was a Elephant man along with his family.
As you all know those laws have really curbed gun crimes in this country too.

We would be well served if we got laws passed that Every American child going to a school in the USA had to take and pass a Fire arm safety and training course.

Back when I was a Kid Dad and/or Grandpa and some times both taught fire arm safety at home. Today many homes do not have a dad or grand father to do the teaching.

  Al

[trailtwister]

Shall we dig in a bit on the Elephant men and gun control?

George Bush’s first major political encounter with the gun issue came when Congress was enacting the Gun Control Act of 1968. Representative Bush was the only Texas Congressperson to vote for the Act, and when doing so, he said that much more needed to be done.

In 1972, Representative Bush captured the Republican nomination for Senate in Texas. But Bush was defeated by Democrat Lloyd Bentsen, who heavily stressed his own opposition to gun control, and Bush’s support for it. (Bentsen maintained a very strong pro-gun record in the Senate until 1990).

But once George Bush became President, this manâ€"who had claimed loyalty and trustworthiness as his prime public virtuesâ€"almost immediately began betraying his election promises. The “no new taxes” pledge as least lasted until 1990. But opposition to gun control was abandoned within weeks of the Bush inauguration

the White House decision to back gun prohibition was based less on deep conviction than the desire to get out in front on what appeared to be a popular issue, after the political setback stemming from the Senate’s rejection of John Tower as Presidential nominee for Secretary of Defense.

Do I need to remind Ya more about the Elephant man and his stand with law abiding gun owners of the Untied States Of America?

  Al

[trailtwister]

Even more.

:alscalls:For the rest of the Bush administration, gun rights advocates were shut out of the White House. Even with President Bush trailing badly in the polls in the late summer of 1992, the Bush administration refused to have anything to do with the gun lobby, or to do even the most minor things to help the interests of gun owners.

Instead, the White House pushed for the magazine ban at every opportunity. The White House offered to sign the Brady Bill and a more comprehensive ban on semiautomatics (including a retroactive registration requirement) if the gun control laws were included in a crime bill that the White House wanted.

The aptly titled drug “czar” William Bennettâ€"on his first day in officeâ€"convinced the Treasury Department to outlaw the import of several models of so-called “assault weapons.” The NRA, attempting to preserve a relationship with the White House, praised the “temporary” import moratorium as providing a cooling-off period for a rational discussion of the “assault weapon” issue.

But a few weeks later, President Bush dramatically expanded the import ban to cover many dozens of additional firearms models. Bush Press Secretary Marlin Fitzwater added that President Bush wished that he had the additional authority to simply outlaw the domestic manufacture of so-called “assault weapons.”

President Bush Signs H.R. 660 - H.R. 3690 - S. 863, and H.R. 2640! 

H.R. 2640, the "NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007," which requires accurate information on individuals prohibited from possessing firearms to be transmitted by State and local government and Federal agencies to the Justice Department-administered National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS); and provides incentives for facilitating electronic transmission of such information to NICS.


So after a brief look back at history it can be said that the present people in Washington did not start the death of America as we know it.

You also should dig deep into a candidates back ground before you vote of him or her.
Only 38% of Americans voted in the last presidential election.

I took the time to vote and I feel I have a right to bitch about things, And I don't believe hear say Show me the money!!!!!!

  Al

[Carolina Coyote]

AL, How about reading about current events. You sound like a Liberal in your post.

[trailtwister]

No a liberal and I do live in this day and age. I do also have a memory and Do well remember where the big push for gun control started and came from. If you want to Pi$$ in the black guys Wheaties that fine with me but don't place the blame for gun control on him. 
Nothing new today just a renewal of OLD RULES AND WANTS.

I personally like the Donald, Doesn't need corporate money so can be his own man and not have to answer to those who donate like the others will have too.

   Al

[Carolina Coyote]

I think your name is Tale twister I also think you support Obama. I do not like Obama or anyone that supports him. I don't think you know as much as you think, I'm not going to get into a pissing contest with you, keep your liberal bs to yourself. 

[JohnP]

I think your name is Tale twister I also think you support Obama. I do not like Obama or anyone that supports him. I don't think you know as much as you think, I'm not going to get into a pissing contest with you, keep your liberal bs to yourself.

Darn it Carl, don't hold back tell us how you really feel.  But I'm agreeing with ya.  I too live in the present and not the past, not a darn thing I can do about what happened then.

[trailtwister]

You are welcome to your thoughts. But every word I posted is a matter of public record.
I still would like the law that covers shipping a rifle scope to Canada. I have been looking for it and just plain can not find a thing that says you can not legally do so.

   Al