Stuart D. Zimring is an eloquent spokesperson for the elderly, an important - indeed, vital - segment of society. He is a good commentator concerning this story in the Associated Press (ap.org) about how the trustees for the government's two biggest benefit programs said Monday that the trust fund for Social Security will be depleted in 2040, a year earlier than expected, while Medicare will exhaust its trust fund just 12 years from now. This is harrowing news. We must not abandon the weak, sick or old. Like Stuart Zimring, we must summon the great reservoir of morality to help a worthy people: the elderly. Let us accept this challenge.

Stuart D. Zimring is a true defender of the elderly. And few things are as important for older Americans than good healthcare. In a March 15th story in the Associated Press (ap.org) Jeff Donn writes about how startling research from the biggest study ever of U.S. health care quality suggests that Americans — rich, poor, black, white — get roughly equal treatment, but it's woefully mediocre for all. "This study shows that health care has equal-opportunity defects," said Dr. Donald Berwick, who runs the nonprofit Institute for Healthcare Improvement in Cambridge, Mass. Why is the richest and most powerful nation in history unable - or unwilling - to properly deliver decent medical services to those who need it? We need to fix this crisis before it gets even worse.

Stuart D. Zimring has a strong command of the various laws that directly impact the elderly. I immediately thought of him while reading a series of wire stories about how Tennessee voters will decide in November whether property tax increases for elderly homeowners should be halted when they turn 65. The Tennessee House voted 95-to-1 Thursday to allow voters to consider a constitutional amendment on the issue. The Senate unanimously approved the proposal last month. I think it's important to make sure that our most vulnerable citizens are not overwhelmed by huge tax increases and other financially devastating actions. This ballot initiative sounds like a good idea.

A human rights group, The Defenders of Human Rights Center, led by 2003 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi, has been prohibited by Iran's Interior Minisry from operating in the country, saying the group has neglected to obtain an appropriate permit, according to Iranian media reports Saturday. Ebadi contends that the Iranian constitution does not mandate permits for "non-governmental organizations that observe the law and do not disrupt public safety" and adds that the group has applied for a permit, which was denied without explanation.

Created four years ago by six lawyers, The Defenders of Human Rights Center works to promote the rights of prisoners of conscience and dissidents in Iran. The Iranian government has been critical of the rights advocate and has promised to prosecute any further activities by the group.

One of the group's members, Abdolfattah Soltani, despite never having stood trial for the charges against him, was sentenced to five years in prison last month for disclosing confidential information and engaging in propaganda against the regime. Ebadi said her group plans to fight the ministry's decision using all available legal options.

The center has also represented the family of Canadian-Iranian photographer Zahra Kazemi who died in Iranian custody in July 2003.

Breaking Legal News.Com
Brandon Smith
Staff Writer

WASHINGTON (USDOJ)—The Justice Department announced today that a federal court in Cleveland, Ohio, has permanently barred Joseph Flickinger from preparing federal tax returns for others. The order was entered by Judge John R. Adams of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio.

The complaint alleged that Joseph Flickinger and his twin brother, Edward, helped customers submit false and frivolous documents to their employers to stop tax withholding from wages, on the false theory that income earned in the United States is not taxable. Edward Flickinger was previously barred by Judge Adams from promoting this tax-fraud scheme. Joseph Flickinger is already serving a federal criminal sentence for his role in promoting this tax-fraud scheme and is scheduled to be released from federal prison on July 23, 2009.

The order requires Flickinger to turn over to the Department of Justice the names, addresses, and Social Security numbers of all persons to whom he sold this scheme, and of all persons who assisted him in marketing the scheme.

Since 2001, the Justice Department has sought and obtained injunctions against more than 180 tax fraud promoters and fraudulent return preparers. Information about the Justice Department’s Tax Division can be found at http://www.usdoj.gov/tax/index.html. More information about this case is available at http://www.usdoj.gov/tax/txdv05660.htm.