BEREA NATIVE SAYS HE DOESN'T PAY U.S. TAXES

Though ignored by his competition, the Libertarian candidate for Kentucky's
6th District congressional seat views his fall campaign as a way to deliver
a message that voters don't often hear.

Mark Gailey, a native of Berea, joins Rep. Ernie Fletcher, a Republican,
and Gatewood Galbraith, running as an independent, in the Nov. 5 election.
The Democrats did not nominate a candidate.

Gailey, who is self-employed, most recently in landscaping, said his
campaign will bring out issues most candidates don't discuss, such as the
illogical U.S. income tax system.

Federal income taxes, which Gailey said he does not pay, are not allowed by
the Constitution, he contends.

Gailey said he sent a letter to the Treasury Department asking that his
Social Security number be revoked on the grounds that because he does not
pay federal income taxes, he would not be eligible for federal welfare
benefits such as Social Security or Medicare.

Internal Revenue Service spokesman Dan Boone said he is not aware of any
way to legally opt out of the federal tax system if U.S. residents have
taxable income.

Other issues that Gailey plans to discuss with voters are America's war on
drugs and what he views as an erosion of personal rights and freedoms since
the Sept. 11 suicide hijackings.

"I'm hoping the public will stand with me and just say no to Nazi America
... It's almost like letting the terrorists win by saying we'll adjust our
standards of values and freedoms," Gailey said.

Gailey supports the Libertarian view of drug legalization, arguing that the
nation's drug laws only create more criminal problems and fill streets with
people who threaten the safety of children and others.

"What we've got absolutely does not work and is destructive," Gailey said.

Gailey is not new to local politics. He ran unsuccessfully for the 36th
District Kentucky House seat in 2000.

He also has mounted three previous write-in campaigns for offices.

"He's going to be a non-factor," Galbraith said of Gailey, though he
conceded Gailey could take away some votes because the two share some
similar positions, such as favorable views on industrial hemp.

Fletcher's staff declined to comment on Gailey's candidacy.

"While my opponents are qualified to represent trial lawyers and the
corporate elite, like pharmaceutical companies, I am the most qualified
candidate to represent the common man, woman and young person," Gailey said.