OPINION

TheMesaTribune.com | @EVTNow /EVTNow

BY DAVID LEIBOWITZ

Tribune Columnist

Somewhere in this sprawling state of ours, there are precisely 849 people that I would like to meet. I’ll buy a cup of coffee, a beer, lunch, steak dinner for two. Whatever it takes to have one of these 849 individuals sit down with me for a few minutes, the length of a simple conversation.

Those of you who understand text messaging shorthand will appreciate the single question I intend to use as an icebreaker.

WTF?

Some circumstances in life require such a blunt approach, because they are so stupefying, so insane, they defy all logic. Truth be told, while I do not condone murder, there are circumstances where I understand what the murderer was thinking. But these 849 Arizonans? I haven’t a clue.

Each year on our Arizona tax returns, a number of boxes appear that allow taxpayers to make voluntary gifts. You can donate to the Special Olympics, to prevent child abuse, to support veterans in need. Then there’s the box that 849 people checked last year, making voluntary donations that totaled $25,735.

That would be the state revenuers’ I Did Not Pay Enough taxes fund.

I want to know – no, I need to know – what these 849 people were thinking?

All day, I’ve tried to imagine Joe and Jane Arizona at the kitchen table, tax documents spread out, sweating over their state 140A form.

Joe: “Dammit, looks like we’ve got a refund coming to us again. How do you want to handle that?”

Jane: “I guess we could take the grandkids to Outback. They love that Bloomin’ Onion.”

Joe: “Oh, hey, here’s an idea. The state government only collected $24 billion in tax revenue last year. Let’s give it to them!”

Jane: “Now that’s good thinking, sweets. Either that or we can donate it to Jeff Bezos. Maybe he can buy more scalp.”

These 849 neighbors of ours represent a record number of donors to the I Did Not Pay Enough fund, established in 2010 by that noted band of deep thinkers, the Arizona Legislature. According to a recent story in the Phoenix Business Journal, the fund has collected about $185,000 total – or about $185,000 more than anyone would have predicted.

Look, I understand that Arizona is a relatively low-tax state, especially compared to California, which taxes top earners at more than 13 percent of annual income versus Arizona’s top rate of 4.5 percent.

But gifting the government more money? Voluntarily? I don’t get it, especially when you consider that we collectively paid $14.2 billion in state sales tax last year and another $8.3 billion in state income tax. And that was before recreational marijuana taxes really ramped up – $116 million contributed to the state in six months last year – and before the legalization of sports betting statewide in September 2021.

Toss in a few billion extra dollars from the feds in COVID relief funds, and the state is looking Bezos-style wealthy, even as inflation bites residents hard.

To my way of thinking, checking the I Didn’t Pay Enough box is like seeing a family of homeless people in need seeking donations at a stoplight, reaching into your pocket and handing a few crumpled singles to the guy in the Porsche next to you. He was doing just fine, thanks.

At least one of these 849 people should sit for an interview to explain their thought process, and I want to be the guy. Then again, maybe a free meal isn’t much of an inducement to these folks.

How about we go out to eat, we chat, and you pay the check? Since all 849 of you clearly have more money than you know what to do with.

BY JD HAYWORTH Tribune Columnist

Comedian Robert Klein offers a lament-for-laughs, regretting that life does not come with an audible soundtrack.

He jokes that we would be spared mistakes, mishaps, and maybe even an “apocalyptic occurrence” if only we could hear foreboding music to warn us.

You can be forgiven if current events have your “internal speakers” blaring a certain song.

Based on the tenor and tone of developments over recent months, perhaps you’ve been hearing an “age appropriate” tune-of-doom in your own mind. Based on a very limited survey conducted exclusively for this column, it seems that “StarTrek” enthusiasts of the baby boom generation hear the threatening “BAHHM-bum-bum-bum-bum-buhBAHHM” that would inevitably usher the audience into a commercial break as Captain Kirk and crew confronted the latest peril unfolding in the plot of that particular episode.

Curiously, the melodic “theme-of-undoing” for the American Left enjoys a widebut-weird appeal across all demographic groups who share that political ideology, despite the fact that it first permeated the collective consciousness of our culture in the monochromatic mid-20th century.

It’s the “Dragnet” Theme, with those unmistakably ominous opening notes, now updated with a one word lyric: “TRUMP-Trump-Trump-Trump! TRUMPTrump-Trump-Trump-TRUMP!”

And, just as Jack Webb revised and reintroduced “Dragnet” in living color for NBC in the late sixties, so too does the Left fear that Donald Trump will return as a “Twenty-First Century Grover Cleveland,” only this time as a Republican, employing a makeup artist who was trained using the “golden tan” pancake so prevalent in the colorful productions emanating from “Beautiful Downtown Burbank” decades ago.

The memory of “Mister Rogers,” on loan from his estate and PBS, courtesy of the generosity of taxpayers (and perhaps “viewers like you”) might put it this way: “Can you say 45th and 47th President of the United States? Sure you can! No worries for you, King Friday…After all, you rule the ‘Neighborhood of Make Believe!’ But for our friends’ parents and their Volvo-driving pals, this is all-too-real!”

Of course, on the other side of the political street, the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue prompts fears that are also all-too-real…not to mention contemporaneous. Conservatives are often accused of a desire to “turn the clock back,” but based on the current calamitous atmosphere in the USA, who can blame them?

With war raging in Europe, runaway inflation here at home, and our southern border still wide open as an “invitation for invasion,” what’s a right-winger to do?

You guessed it…”turn back the clock,” but with a high-tech twist.

Since late night network television has abandoned any pretense of even-handed political humor, (much as their news divisions have deserted any efforts at ob-

■ ARIZONA AREA RESIDENTS CASH IN: It’s hard to tell how much these unsearched Vault Bags loaded with rarely seen Gov’t issued coins that everyone will be trying to get could be worth someday. That’s because each Vault Bag is known to contain nearly 3 pounds of Gov’t issued coins some dating back to the 1800’s including all those shown in today’s publication. In addition, after each bag is loaded with over 200 rarely seen coins, each verified to meet a minimum collector grade of very good or above, the dates and mint marks are never searched to determine collector values. So you better believe at just $980 these unsearched Vault Bags are a real steal. Rarely seen United States coins up for grabs in Arizona -zip codes determine who gets them

Unsearched Vault Bags loaded with rarely seen U.S. Gov’t issued coins some dating back to the 1800’s and worth up to 50 times their face value are actually being handed over to residents who find their zip code below and beat the 48 hour order deadline

“The vaults at Federated Mint are going empty,” said Laura A. Lynne, Director of Coin and Currency for Federated Mint.

That’s because a decision by Federated Mint to release rarely seen U.S. Gov’t issued coins, some worth up to 50 times their face value, means unsearched Vault Bags loaded with U. S. Gov’t issued coins dating back to the 1800’s are now being handed over to U.S. residents who find the first three digits of their zip code listed in today’s publication.

“But don’t thank the Government. As Director of Coin and Currency for Federated Mint, I get paid to inform and educate the general public regarding U.S. coins. Ever since the decision by Federated Mint to release rarely seen Gov’t issued coins to the general public — I’m being asked how much are the unsearched Vault Bags worth? The answer is, there’s no way to tell. Coin values always fluctuate and there are never any guarantees, but we do know this. Each unsearched bag weighs nearly 3 pounds and is known to contain rarely seen Morgan Silver Dollars and these coins alone could be worth $40 - $325 in collector value each according to The Official Red Book, a Guide Book of United States Coins. So there’s no telling what you’ll find until you search through all the coins. But you better believe at just $980 these unsearched Vault Bags are a steal,” said Lynne.

“These are not ordinary coins you find in your pocket change. These are rarely seen silver, scarce, collectible and non-circulating U.S. coins dating back to the 1800’s so we won’t be surprised if thousands of U.S. residents claim as many as they can get their hands on. That’s because after the bags were loaded with nearly 3 pounds of Gov’t issued coins, each verified to meet a minimum collector grade quality of very good or above, the dates and mint marks were never searched

Silver Morgan Dollar 1878-1921

Silver Liberty Head Silver Liberty Head 1892-1915

Silver Walking Liberty Silver Walking Liberty 1916-1947

Silver Peace Dollar 1921-1935 ■ UNSEARCHED: Pictured above are the unsearched Vault Bags being handed over to Arizona residents who call the National Toll-Free Hotline before the 48-hour deadline ends. And here’s the best part. Each Vault Bag is loaded with over 200 Gov’t issued coins, including all the coins pictured in today’s publication, some dating back to the 1800’s and worth up to 50 times their face value. Each coin is verified to meet a minimum collector grade of very good or above before the bags are securely sealed and the dates and mint marks are never searched by Federated Mint to determine collector value. If you find your zip code listed, call 1-800-869-3164 EXT.UV32849 immediately.

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to determine collector values and the bags were securely sealed. That means there’s no telling what you’ll find until you search all the coins,” said Lynne.

The only thing U.S. residents who find their zip code printed in today’s publication need to do is call the National Toll-Free Hotline before the 48-hour deadline ends.

This is very important. After the Vault Bags were loaded with over 200 Gov’t issued coins, each verified to meet a minimum collector grade quality of very good or above, the dates and mint marks were never searched to determine collector values. The Vault Bag fee has been set for $1,500 for residents who miss the 48-hour deadline, but for those U.S. residents who beat the 48-hour deadline the Vault Bag fee is just $980 as long as they call the National Toll-Free Hotline before the deadline ends.

“Remember this, we cannot stop collectors from buying up all the unsearched bags of coins they can get in this special advertising announcement. And you better believe with each bag being loaded with nearly 3 pounds of Gov’t issued coins we’re guessing they’re going to go quick,” said Lynne.

The phone lines will be ringing off the hook beginning at precisely 8:30 a.m. this morning. That’s because each unsearched Vault Bag is loaded with the rarely seen coins pictured left and highly sought after collector coins dating clear back to the 1800’s including iconic Morgan Silver Dollars, a historic Peace Silver Dollar, stunning Silver Walking Liberty Half Dollars, the collectible Silver Eisenhower Dollars, spectacular Silver Liberty Head Half and Quarter Dollars, rarely seen Silver Franklin Half Dollars, high demand President Kennedy Silver Half Dollars, beautiful Silver Standing Liberty Quarter Dollars, American Bicentennial Quarters, rare Liberty V Nickels, one cent Historic Wheat Coins including 1943 “Steel Cents”, one of the beautiful Winged Liberty Head Dimes, scarce Indian Head one cent U.S. coins and the last ever minted Buffalo Nickels.

“With all these collectible Gov’t Issued coins up for grabs we’re going to do our best to answer all the calls,” said Lynne.

Thousands of U.S. residents stand to miss the deadline to claim the U.S. Gov’t issued coins. That means U.S. residents who find the first three digits of their zip code listed in today’s publication can claim the unsearched bags of money for themselves and keep all the U.S. Gov’t issued coins found inside.

If you find your zip code listed, call 1-800-869-3164 EXT.UV32849 immediately. Just be sure to call before the deadline ends 48 hours from today’s publication date. ■

FEDERATED MINT, LLC IS NOT AFFILIATED WITH THE U.S. MINT, THE U.S. GOVERNMENT, A BANK OR ANY GOVERNMENT AGENCY. IF FOR ANY REASON WITHIN 30 DAYS FROM SHIPMENT YOU ARE DISSATISFIED, RETURN THE PRODUCT FOR A REFUND LESS SHIPPING AND RETURN POSTAGE. THIS SAME OFFER MAY BE MADE AVAILABLE AT A LATER DATE OR IN A DIFFERENT GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION. OH RESIDENTS ADD 6.5% SALES TAX. FEDERATED MINT, PO BOX 1200, MASSILLON, OH 44648 ©2022 FEDERATED MINT R1054R-2

BY DIANE E. BROWN Tribune Guest Writer

The threats facing consumers seem to be increasing every year. Consumers are burdened by identity theft risks, robocall scams, and the difficulty of navigating our credit reports. Arizonans are facing surges in counterfeit products, dark apps that compromise our privacy, erroneous medical bills, and financing traps with gotcha clauses.

And then there are products we pay good money for that are difficult, if not impossible, to fix when something small goes wrong.

In recognition of Consumer Protection Week 2022, Arizona PIRG Education Fund has released a series of consumer protection tips and tools to help Arizonans address some of the most common consumer issues. Top consumer complaints. In 2021, a record number of individuals from across the country filed complaints with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Complaint Database.

Topping the list of the issues that Arizonans complained about: credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports, including incorrect information or a problem with a credit reporting company’s investigation into an existing problem; and debt collection, including attempts to collect debt not owed.

Check out our tips on freezing your files, requesting your credit reports, and other steps you can take to protect yourself. Failing the fix. Chances are you don’t walk into an electronics store and think, “I’m wanting to buy something unfixable.” But how do you know which products you’ll be able to repair to last? We compiled repairability rankings for 186 phones and laptops, grading manufacturers on whether they are Failing the Fix. Our resource guide is designed to help consumers who want to purchase easily repairable products. Dark patterns. Apps, especially social media apps, collect an incredible amount of information about us without us realizing it. The Arizona PIRG Education Fund has compiled step-by-step instructions, using screenshots, on how to change your settings on leading apps to protect your privacy on both iPhones and Androids.

The new ‘buy now, pay later’ financing scheme is causing complaints to soar. Consumers making purchases as small as $50 online are offered payment plans, which can turn into debt traps. We offer tips to avoid the interest and fees that often come with ‘buy now, pay later’ “deals”. Counterfeit products. Often consumers associate counterfeits with luxury items such as bags or shoes; however, the variety of counterfeit products includes medicines, hygiene products and COVID-19 tests. See our tip guide on the best practices to avoid counterfeits when shopping online or evaluating reviews. Surprise medical bills. Beyond illness or injury, being a patient isn’t easy financially. Arizonans need to know their new consumer protections against unexpected and unavoidable out-of-network medical charges. This hard-won Arizona PIRG-supported consumer law can save insured Arizonans from paying hundreds to thousands of dollars in surprise medical bills.

No doubt scammers are going to try to find new ways to scam. Consumer Protection Week may be over, but protecting consumers is never over for us.

Sign up to receive our emails and keep up-to-date on our work: arizonapirgedfund.org/contact and @ ArizonaPIRG on Facebook and Twitter.

Diane E. Brown is the executive director of the Arizona Public Interest Research Group (Arizona PIRG) Education Fund, which conducts research and education on issues in the public interest. Reports and tips for consumers can be found on ArizonaPIRGEdFund.org.

I am a Phoenix native and have lived here the majority of my life some 45 years. I love the Valley or at least did until the out of control migration to Phoenix started six to eight years ago. A million new arrivals in the 1990s and currently 900k in the first two years of this decade and we are out of water and in a drought living in a desert!

Population doubles in 10 years from 7 million to currently 14 million. And yet no alarms are going off? In spite of that, city fathers keep calling out for people and corporations to move here?

One big question, at our current growth rate, when does the water run out?? We need a fence around Arizona, if that were possible. Many areas are already out of water. Apache Junction’s wells have been dry off and on for 10 years, and most residents haul their own water. Rio Verde is in serious trouble.

Seems city councils are more interested in tax revenue than vital resources??!! -- also near the ceiling of our power grid, I have been informed. What is going on?

Soon we are going to hit a wall! Clues to impending problems are key rivers and lakes are drying up. Vegas, LA and Phoenix are the cause, not just Phoenix Valley. We live in a desert; when we’re out of water no options. Seems nobody that should be is paying attention to the outrageous overgrowth.

When temperatures exceed 100 degrees for five-plus months, do you ever ask yourself what types of energy are powering your air conditioner or why you have no choice in how that energy is generated?

Arizona’s monopoly energy utility in the East Valley, the Salt River Project doesn’t want you to ask questions – or to have a choice.

SRP thinks it can ignore electric customers’ concerns for carbon free, renewable energy and spend almost $1 billion of its money to expand an already massive gas plant outside of Coolidge, more than doubling the size of the facility.

SRP greenlighted this project in only three weeks (announcing it on August 24 and approving it on Sept. 13), without competitive bidding. It takes longer to decide to buy a car!

The Arizona Corporation Commission must give this project greater consideration than SRP did.

Arizonans value choice, and know that competition helps the economy. And yet, Arizonans are captives of monopoly utility companies. Market structures like Community Choice Energy let cities purchase energy for citizens in a competitive energy market instead of being forced to rely on one company.

We must unleash the free market to make sure that residents have the cheapest and cleanest energy possible.

HAYWORTH from page 17

jective journalism) conservatives will come up with their own internet video parodies, provided they likewise find “safe” media platforms, untouched by the freedom-killing coma of “wokeness.”

Rumor has it that an ambitious creative offering is “in development,” led by a couple of logical candidates. They wish to remain unnamed, pointing out that they are now grandfathers who earned their comic chops in the that’s-not-funny-that’s-gross heyday of “National Lampoon.”

With a proposed theme song set to the tune of “Petticoat Junction,” get ready for “District of Corruption!”

Come ride the Amtrak Train that is heavily subsidized… to the District…

It’s a real short ride, but expensive just the same… in the District…

Lotsa deals you bet…more big bucks than you ever thought you’d get…in the District!

District of Corruption!

There’s a big White House on P-A Avenue in the District…in reality it’s run by a leftist few in the District…

And there’s confused ol’ Joe…still hopin’ he can make more dough in the District…

District of Corruption!

So…why the burst of “conservative creativity” amidst all the doom and gloom?

Simple.

You gotta laugh to keep from crying.