Sweetwater Reporter (Sweetwater, Tex.), Vol. 114, No. 319, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 24, 2013 Page: 4 of 10
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Viewpoints
Page 4 ■ Thursday, January 24, 2013
Sweetwater Reporter
DEDICATED TO PROUDLY DELI VERING LOCAL NEWSSINCE 1881
-i—^ Sweetwater i
Reporter
P.O. Box 750/112 W. Third
Sweetwater, Texas 79556
325/236-6677
Fax: 325/235-4967
TU
MEMBER
2012
TEXAS PRESS
ASSOCIATION
Genn Stifflemire
publisher
Website:
www.sweetwaterreporter.com
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business mgr.
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Tatiana Rodriguez
managing editor
Ashlye Headstream
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Pablo Rodriguez
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EDITORIAL POLICY
The editorial section of the newspaper is a forum for
expression of a variety of viewpoints. All articles except
thoselabeled “Editorials” reflect theopinionsof thewrit-
ers and not those of the Sweetwater Reporter.
GUEST COLUMN
What Texans should know
about providing their
social security number
According to the federal trade Commission, Texas ranks
fifth in the nation for identity theft complaints. In 2011,
more than 24,000 Texans were identity theft victims and
as a result, lost thousands of dollars and hours of time
attempting to correct their credit ratings and personal
financial history.
Identity theft occurs when a criminal
illegally uses someone else’s personal infor-
mation - a name, address, driver’s license
number, credit or debit card account num-
ber or Social Security number - to commit
fraud or other crimes.
Fortunately, increased identity theft
awareness has made Texans much more
cautious about freely providing their per-
sonal information. One particularly sensi-
tive part of a person’s identity is his or
her Social Security number (SSN). Many
Texans call the Office of the Attorney
General (OAG) to ask when and where they
are required to give out their SSN.
One of our most commonly received
questions on this subject is, “Can a private
business ask for my Social Security number?” Generally,
the answer is yes. The law does not prohibit a business
from asking for a person’s SSN; however, the customer has
options and does not have to provide that information.
Texans are not legally required to provide their SSN
to private businesses unless the transaction is one which
triggers mandatory Internal Revenue Service notification.
Texans should be aware, though, that businesses can refuse
to provide products or services to customers who fail to
provide their SSN.
If a business insists that customers provide their SSN
and customers feel this is not justified, customers may
want to ask for a supervisor or manager to discuss the situ-
ation. If the company is unwilling to budge, Texans may
want to consider taking their business elsewhere.
Be aware that while federal law does not forbid a busi-
ness from asking for a person’s SSN, it does mandate that
the business protect any numbers it collects. People who
provide their SSN to a private business should familiarize
themselves with the company’s privacy policy.
Texas law also requires that businesses safeguard their
clients’ sensitive personal information, including names,
addresses, financial information and SSNs. The OAG has
charged several commercial vendors with unlawfully fail-
ing to protect such information.
Many Texans also inquire about government agencies
and whether they have the right to ask for a person’s SSN.
Federal law does compel government agencies to ask for a
SSN in certain instances.
For example, certain government agencies, including
taxing authorities, human resource offices and depart-
ments of motor vehicles, can require a SSN as mandated
by federal law.
Federal law does provide protections when citizens are
required to divulge their SSN. The Privacy Act of 1974
requires that all government agencies that request Social
Security numbers provide a disclosure statement on the
form. The statement explains whether citizens are required
to provide their SSN or if it is optional. Additionally, the
document details how a person’s SSN will be used.
The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs in the
U. S. Office of Management and Budget provides guidance
and oversight regarding the Privacy Act of 1974.1 nterested
Texans may read the Act on the U.S. Department of Justice
website at www.usdoj .gov.
The Privacy Act also provides that citizens cannot be
denied government benefitsor services if they refuseto dis-
close thei r SSN - if thedisclosureisnot required by federal
law or if the disclosure is to an agency which has been using
SSNs prior to January 1975.
Texans who are asked to give their SSN to a government
agency but do not receive a disclosure statement may want
to cite the Privacy Act and contact their U.S. congressmen
or senators.
Points to Remember
Social Security Number
• You do NOT have to give your SSN to a private busi-
ness.
• If you do give your SSN to a business, get a copy of their
privacy policy.
• If you are required to give your SSN to a government
agency, you must be provided with a disclosure statement.
• NEVER give out your SSN or other personal informa-
tion over the phone or by email.
• Report ID theft to your local police department.
• File an ID theft complaint on FTC’s website at www.ftc.
gov or call (877) ID TH EFT.
Greg Abbott is the Attorney General of Texas. Comments
about this column may be e-mailed to editor@sweetwa-
ter reporter, com.
Geg
Abbott
GUEST COLUMN
To Nolan County residents
Dear Nolan County
residents,
I want to take a moment
and introduce myself as your
new Congressman. For the
past seven years, my good
friend and colleague, Mike
Conaway, worked
hard for the people
of the 11th district,
and I look forward to
following in his foot-
steps as your repre-
sentative in the U.S.
Congress.
I’ve been proud-
ly serving as the
Congressman from
the 19th District of
Randy
vative members of Congress,
I support fiscal discipline,
limited government, a
strong national defense and
personal liberty and respon-
sibility. The federal gov-
ernment could learn many
things from our
West Texas values
and every day I work
to uphold and pre-
serve those beliefs in
Washington.
This is a crucial
time for our coun-
try. Our national
debt has grown
to an astonishing
$16.4 trillion. Small
Texas for nine years, Neugebauer business owners are
and I’ve come to see
this district as an
extended family. I’m glad
that all of Nolan County is
now apart of our family.
I tried to meet as many
people as possible before the
election, but if I didn’t con-
nect with you then, I’d like
to give you an idea of what to
expect from me now.
As one of the most conser-
uncertain about the
future and are put-
ting off hiring new work-
ers. Seniors are worried
about their Social Security
and Medicare payments.
Farmers and ranchers are
waiting for a long-term Farm
Bill. And Congress will soon
address many other policy
issues that will directly affect
you and your family.
Government spending
must be addressed in the
new Congress. On January 1,
2013,1 voted against legisla-
tion for a “fiscal cliff” deal
because I do not believe it
seriously addressed our
wasteful spending, nor
did I believe it was in the
best interest of West Texas
and our country. In a few
months we will again face
the decision to raise the debt
ceiling. Unless significant
spending cuts are made, I
am entirely against giving
this President and the gov-
ernment more authority to
borrow and spend money we
do not have.
My pledge to you is that
I will always work n good
faith on your behalf. These
are complex problems, so I
want to hear from you on
howto move forward. I have
offices in Abilene, Big Spring
and Lubbock and our doors
are always open to you. You
can also visit my website,
www.randy.house.gov, to
learn more about what I’m
working on. Additionally,
my staff and I can help you
with a number of issues,
including assistance with
federal agencies, veterans’
affairs and military academy
nominations.
I look forward to meet-
ing you and your family,
and I hope you’ll join me
as we work to bring federal
spending under control and
reduce the impact of govern-
ment on the lives and busi-
nesses of West Texans. I am
confident that together, we
can give future generations
a brighter, more prosperous
America.
Congressman Randy
Neuge&auer has represent-
ed the 19th District of Texas
since 2003. Beginning in
2013, the 19th District now
includes all of Nolan County.
Randy serves on the House
Agriculture Committee, the
House Financial Services
Committee, and the
House Science, Space and
Technology Committee.
ALONG THESE LINES
Conspi racy theories gone wi Id
Yet another government
conspiracy has apparently
surfaced. Recent reports of
the current python hunt in
the Florida Everglades are
being questioned by Python
Truthers.
The hunt, sup-
posedly organized
by the Florida
Fish and Wildlife
Conservation
Commission to
remove invasive
Burmese pythons
from the Everglades,
hasreportedlydrawn
over a thousand
hunters equipped
with a range of
firearms. The mob
has descended on
the Big Cypress National
Preserve, some 50 miles
southeast of Naples.
But, according to the
Python Truthers, there is
no actual python hunt in
Florida. In fact, the con-
spiracy goes even deeper,
say the Truthers: there have
never been any pythons in
the swamps of Florida!
That’s right, it’s all been
an elaborate hoax accord-
ing to James Kracy, a lit-
tle known Florida college
professor and head Python
Truther.
“If there really was a
python problem in the
Everglades,” says Kracy,
“the government would
attempt to fix it in their
usual, bureaucratic, bun-
gling way by creating an
even bigger environmental
nightmare- they’d probably
have secretly bred a species
of giant mutant mongoose
and released hundreds in
the region.”
Kracy says the lack of
NRA public support for an
event that hosts a thousand
gun-toting, beer drinking,
hunters spraying the glades
with a ton of bullets is also
ominous.
“So it just can’t be real,”
stresses Kracy. “Besides,
wouldn’t the Bravo Network
have TV cameras through-
out the swamps filming
a reality show about the
event?”
Those dubious about
Kracy’s claims refer
to the many pho-
tos and videos pub-
lished in the press
lately, allegedly
showing people
catching pythons
in the Everglades.
But Kracy believes
this illusion was
created with some
sophisticated pho-
toshopping and a
cast of government
paid actors prob-
ably working in col-
lusion with ratings-hungry
news organizations.
Kracy thinks he has
traced the plot’s origins
back to 1979 when Miami
movie theaters held numer-
ous “Monty Python” film
festivals. Rumors soon
began circulating through-
out south Florida about a
Python invasion.
In reality, Kracy believes
the government was behind
the stories and secretly
began hatching an elaborate
scheme designed to entice
law abiding hunters down
to Florida (some 24 years
later) to confiscate their
firearms when the would-
be hunters set foot on the
protected Florida wetlands.
“Thegovernment isdeter-
mined to take away our
guns,” he says.
Kracy claims other evi-
dence supportingthepython
NOTICE
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hunt hoax includes:
- David Letterman never
having broadcast a Top Ten
list of the most annoying
celebrities hunters could
use as bait.
- Lance Armstrong con-
firming that the hunt was
real.
- Any hunt for crawling
reptiles would obviously
have begun in Washington,
D.C., not Florida.
- There is, in fact, no
such species as the Burmese
python; only the Myanmar
Python.
Dr. Kracy, who cites Eddie
Murphy in the 1996 film
“The Nutty Professor” as
his academic mentor, says
his theory was largely dis-
missed by the public. But he
and fellow Python Truthers
(sometimes also simply
known as The Kracies) say
it’s important for the truth
to come out.
Kracy is also suspicious
that the python hunters had
to pay a $25 registration
fee, but were told by offi-
cials that they could poten-
tially only win $1,500 for
catching the most snakes or
$1,000 for the longest.
“The math just doesn’t
add up,” explains Kracy.
“1,000 hunters each pay-
i ng a $25 fee? That’s a total
of $25,000; but the entire
prize money offered was
only $2,500.”
(On the other hand, con-
spiracy theory conspiracy
theorists could argue this
financial discrepancy was
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actually proof that the event
really was government
sponsored).
Kracy says he is applying
for a government grant to
further study government
conspiracies.
In the meantime, he
advises chronically suspi-
cious citizens who worry
about government intrusion
to seriously consider the
future warnings of conspir-
acy theorists: “How else can
you distinguish fact from
fiction in this crazy world,
other than letting someone
else do your thinkinq for
you?”
Thomas' features and
columns have appeared
in more than 270 maga-
zines and newspapers,
including the Washington
Post, LA Times, Chicago
Tribune, Boston Globe, San
Francisco Chronicle, and
Christian Science Monitor.
He can be reached at his
blog: http://getnickt.blog-
spot.com.
Correction Policy
Editorial:
As a matter of policy, the
Sweetwater Reporter will
publish corrections of errors
in fact that have been print-
ed in the newspaper.
The corrections will be
made as soon as possible
after the error has been
brought to the attention of
the newspaper’s editor at
236-6677.
Advertising:
Publisher reserves the right
to reject, edit or cancel any
advertising at any time with-
out liability. Publisher’s liabil-
ity for error is limited to the
amount paid for advertising.
DEDICATED TO PROUDLY DELIVERING LOCAL NEWS SINCE 1881
-❖-
Sweetwater
Reporter
Nick
Thomas
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Sweetwater Reporter (Sweetwater, Tex.), Vol. 114, No. 319, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 24, 2013, newspaper, January 24, 2013; Sweetwater, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth851268/m1/4/: accessed June 3, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Sweetwater/Nolan County City-County Library.