mimblr.com

Department of Revenue and Taxation Director Art Ilagan said tax rebate checks will be mailed out soon. He mentioned also that individuals who owe the Government of Guam money will have their rebates go toward their debts to the government.
I know that the government has been for years not returning excess tax deductions to individuals who owe the Guam Memorial Hospital Authority. This got me thinking. Maybe this concept can work both ways and be a win-win for all.
Some people owe GovGuam money and GovGuam owes a lot of people money. Govguam has not paid out all tax refunds for several years. (By the way, I don’t like the word “refund”. It should be replaced with “overpayment.” “Refund” sounds like the government is doing you a favor. “Overpayment” makes it very clear that the government is holding your money that you overpaid). Govguam also owes money to vendors and contractors.
If GovGuam can take your money and pay your hospital debt, maybe it could be made possible to pay your vehicle registration renewal fee and streetlight fund payment, your tipping fee, your utility bills, and for contractors/vendors their business license fees, their Gross Receipts Tax, and so on, by having the Treasurer of Guam subtract your fees from GovGuam’s debt to you.
Maybe this can be made possible by using vouchers or a process like gift cards or debit cards. For sure this will be an additional task if implemented and may (or may not) complicate revenue projections. It surely will reduce total revenue collection. However GovGuam will not have to borrow money and eliminate loan interest payments to the banks.
This is just an idea and of course a professional feasibility study and economic analysis are needed to determine if it would work.
BEN C. LEON GUERRERO
The government’s practices once again seem to be at odds with both common sense and the best interests of the people of Guam.

guampdn.com

CAMPO – For more than a century, black train passengers in the South were relegated to so-called Jim Crow cars. The racially segregated coaches, whose name derived from a demeaning minstrel act, were smoky, often dangerous and generally inferior to the cars reserved for whites.
The last Jim Crow coach rolled off the tracks in the 1960s during the civil rights struggles.
But now, in an unusual project, the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum in Campo is restoring a historic segregated rail car, with the aim of spotlighting African-American railroad history.
“The African-American railroad experience is a very neglected story,” said Ted Kornweibel, a historian who is leading the project.
Perhaps for fear of offending black visitors, most railroad museums have avoided the subject of segregation aboard the rails, he said.
But Kornweibel, a retired white San Diego State University professor, who has published several books on African-American history, takes the opposite tack.
“I'm an advocate for truth-telling in American history,” he said, speaking at the site of the restoration project on a recent Saturday.
Pacific Southwest Railway Museum
What: The all-volunteer museum runs excursion trains, staffs exhibits and restores historic trains. New members and volunteers are welcome. Ask a docent to lead you to the “Jim Crow” car.
Where: Campo. Take Interstate 8 east to Buckman Springs Road; go south 10 miles to state Route 94; turn west and go 1.6 miles; turn left on Forrest Gate Road and follow the signs to the museum. Or take 94 east to Campo and watch for the museum sign.
When: Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekends for visits and excursion rides, with twice-daily train rides Saturday and Sunday. Check psrm.org or call (619) 465-PSRM.
Cost of excursion: Adults, $15; seniors and active military, $12; children 6 to 12, $5; 5 and younger, free. Ride up front in the cab for $35 per person.

signonsandiego.com