http://www.kentucky.com/mld/heraldleader/news/state/3874488.htm

Posted on Fri, Aug. 16, 2002

BEREA NATIVE SAYS HE DOESN'T PAY U.S. TAXES
By Scott Sloan
HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITER

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.