From: Cindy Vanous <cyphrkt@eskimo.com>
Date: Mon, 16 Aug 93 10:07:07 PDT
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: A Follow-up
Message-ID: <Pine.3.05.9308160926.I27224-c100000@eskimo.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



To the lady or chap who arbitrates this mailing list:

I am sending along a message which I would like to have forwarded to your
mailing list.  A colleague of mine found my name mentioned somewhat out of
context in a letter posted to your list, and I would like a chance to
address the issues mentioned therein.

Let me start out by saying that I do fully support the perpetuation of
encryption and anonymous posting; however, there are some circumstances in
which it is neither appropriate nor desirable.  My situation represents
one of these circumstances.  Let me explain:

There are certain transactions which the IRS has allowed to be
non-taxable.  For example, in Washington state, as in several other
states, non-luxury food items are tax-exempt.  Another tax-exempt
transaction is barter.  Barter is one of the mainstays of struggling
small-farm owners, a method of support between startup businesses, and an
excellent way to obtain needed goods and services without the exchange of
money, which might not always be available.

In my case, I am a startup business owner with limited funds and a need
for better software than I currently possess.  Therefore, I post to the
Internet that I am willing to trade my services for an equivalent value in
software.  Therefore, I get my copy of Word or PageMaker, and some other
cash-low company receives a professional business form or other graphic
design project.  All perfectly legal, all tax-exempt, according to the
IRS' own laws.  This is not tax evasion, merely good business sense.

This brings me to the following conclusion:  even if anonymous posting was
available to me (which it very well might be; I haven't pursued
information about it), I would have no need or desire to use it.  My
clients are not interested in playing some sort of spy game, they are
interested in making a business arrangement with me.  They would very
likely not be willing to trust me if I was merely a phantom name from a
nonexistant site.

Finally, I would like to point out that there is currently a movement on
the Internet, pushing for the greater utilization and availability of
barter.  The IRS left a loophole in their rules, it is up to us to take
advantage of it.  For more information on barter through the Internet,
subscribe to the Fringeware mailing list at the following address: 
fringeware-request@wixer.bga.com

Thank you for your time and bandwidth,
					- Cindy L Vanous

    --------------- * cyphrkt@eskimo.com * ---------------  
     Cindy Vanous, the Cypherkat, graphic artist at large
    ------------------------------------------------------ 
    Disclaimer: even though I work for myself, my opinions
      STILL don't seem to be the opinions of my employer.