Kate MacDonald’s recognition of President Bush’s hypocrisy (“Hypocrite in Chief”) does not go far enough in its condemnation of the death penalty. The moral argument for or against the death penalty is not what needs to be focused on. Rather, there are egregious cases of abuse of civil rights and unethical actions that demand highlighting in any discussion of the death penalty. Any cursory review of death penalty statistics will show how horribly flawed it is.

In Texas and throughout the United States, cases abound of inept defense attorneys, racist profiling, witness coercion, pertinent evidence that was not allowed to come out or suspicious evidence that was altogether made up.

Though it is conceivable these problems are inevitable in any criminal justice system (though even this argument does not excuse their existence), what makes these cases particularly horrifying is that they make the likelihood of the state executing an innocent person chillingly high.

Bush’s actions in support of the death penalty are worse then misguided and hypocritical — they are horrendous and criminal.

Jonah Gaster , UW senior

A recent report by the U.S. Treasury detailed a “mega-trend” among American companies to incorporate in countries like Bermuda and the Cayman Islands in order to sharply reduce their taxes. Some analysts have estimated American taxpayers are paying well over $20 billion in additional taxes each year to cover corporate tax dodgers who hide their revenue in offshore tax havens. These same analysts warn the situation will only get worse as fewer corporations own up to their responsibilities to America.

Even companies that have been around for decades — and helped shape America’s history — are creating paper headquarters overseas. Ingersol-Rand, which was founded in 1905 and made the jackhammers that helped create the faces on Mount Rushmore, is one of the most recent examples. By changing its headquarters’ address to 2 Church Street in Hamilton, Bermuda, they will avoid paying over $40 million per year in U.S. taxes, but will still get to keep the “Made in American” label in their products.

Apparently, the success companies have had in using tax havens has spread to individual Americans. A report by the Internal Revenue Service indicated that overseas banks have issued foreign credit or debit cards to over one million Americans — clearly for the purpose of avoiding U.S. taxes. The privacy of these overseas accounts also allows people to shield their money from creditors and family obligations, including child support.

I am concerned that the 52,310-page book that makes up this year’s tax code just encourages this evasion. Clearly Congress must make a concerted effort to make the current tax code more simple and fair. Average Americans should not have to rely on expensive tax accountants to help them prepare their tax forms.

While the exact cost to American taxpayers is unknown, tax evasion is real, disturbing, and — almost certainly — growing. When corporations or individuals cheat America by moving their money into offshore tax havens, they are essentially saying, “I don’t want to pay my fair share to support our nation.” The real danger of flights to tax havens — like any major evasion — is that they will erode trust in our tax system and reduce the number of people who recognize the advantages and privileges of being an American means bearing some responsibility.

To this point, the government has done little to deter tax havens and enforce disclosure requirements of tax shelters. Instead, the Bush Administration has decided to aggressively accelerate a campaign to increase the number of IRS audits of the working poor, which accounted for 55 percent of all audits last year.

Even more troubling is the Bush Administration’s decision to use the IRS’s “EZ Tax File” system as the tool and technology to crack down on the working poor. By filing their taxes online, the IRS can make an electronic “video” through computers that track and record every keystroke.

Over the next several months, Congress will have the opportunity to restore, or even increase, the public’s faith in key agencies like the IRS and the Immigration and Naturalization Service by making substantial reforms. I hope that we can put aside our differences and work to end the loopholes that allow big corporations and wealthy individuals to reap the benefits of being American, while avoiding their responsibility to their fellow Americans.

Rep. Tammy Baldwin,D-Wis., Congressional District 2.