2A:Layout 1 4/21/11 12:35 PM Page 1 2A Madison Enterprise-Recorder www.greenepublishing.com OicTpoints & Opinions Friday, April 22, 2011 Jacob's Ladder Jacob Bembry ColuInnist ^^^^^ ^^^ m* Nail It To The Cross Everyday is a struggle with me, as I know it is with all Christians. Many times, I feel that I'm fight- ing Satan toes-to-toes and nose-to-nose. Like Peter who got out of the boat and walked with Christ, sometimes my faith soars. Other times, it's like Pe- ter on that sea who took his eyes off Jesus and looked at the boisterous waves around him. He lost his footing and couldn't walk on the sea then. Jesus reached down His hand and lifted Peter up. Jesus does the same thing for me again and again. The greatest thing that Christ ever did for me was when He was nailed to the Cross and raised from the dead by a power much greater than death. Sunday night in church, we wrote some of our sins on pieces of paper and took them forward and nailed them to a wooden cross in the church. I think about the Roman soldiers who nailed my Lord to the Cross at Calvary so many years ago. I cannot blame His crucifixion on the people who de- manded His death. I cannot blame the soldiers who beat and scourged Him and drove nails into His hands and feet. It was my chants that led to the Cru- cifixion. It was my hands and hammer that drove the nails into His hands and feet. It was my sins that caused Christ to die for them. I'm not the only guilty one. Look inside yourself and you will see that you are guilty, too. The Good News is that Christ rose the third day. The Good News is that I asked Christ for forgiveness and He took my sins away The Good News is that when I do wrong, I can ask Christ to forgive and He forgives again and again and again. Not just on Easter Sunday, but on every day, lift the Name of Christ up and thank Him for your Vic- tory! Exercise Your Brain. Read The 1ewspaPe~. Studies show that read- ing keeps the mind sharp. Give your brain a boost. Subscribe to the newspaper and open your eyes and your mind to a world of information. GREENE ' [- PuM hialng, Inc. -, P.O. Drawer 772 * Madison, FL 850-973-4141 forida Press Associ. - -o Q4;9 Unless you are on an ex- tension, you more than like- ly have filed your tax return by now and feel that you can coast along until next year's tax filing season. Right? Not exactly Now is the time to be planning for your fami- ly's financial future while taxes are still fresh on your mind. Dnth IDA BN11 Usually when we think nlUUlI I m n of financial or retirement planning, we think of our NG G rI TI own needs and desires, not W W N necessarily others. And quite frankly, we usually start planning when it is al- most too late. Rarely do we think of financial and re- tirement planning at an early age. However, the earlier in our lives we plan, the more lucrative and fulfilling our retirement can be. Financial planning at an early age is vitally im- portant. We should even instill the concept in our chil- dren, especially teenage or young adult children. However, persuading your working children to plan for their financial future or to make retirement contribu- tions may not be easy If your children are like mine, they are usually more concerned about filling their gas tank with gas or buying the latest phone. Afterall, having a savings or retirement account usually isn't quite as glamorous as being able to communicate to your Facebook friends on your new smartphone. However, saving for their future or investing in a retirement plan may be the wisest possible use of their savings. One such investment vehicle for indi- viduals of an early age is a Roth IRA. The nature of Roth IRAs, coupled with the effects of long-term com- pounding, can create exceptional returns on early in- vestments. Although contributions to Roth IRAs are not de- ductible, earnings within the accounts (such as inter- est or dividends) are not taxed, and qualified withdrawals are completely tax-free. Tax-free com- pounding can result in sizable accumulation in a Roth. For example, if a 15-year-old contributes $2,500 for Madison County Extension Service Becky Bennett GueLst ColunliList H4: Head, Heart., Hands, & Health As many of us are reflecting on important reli- gious events and celebrations or participating in traditional spring cleaning activities and literally (or metaphorically) cleaning out the closet, the phrase "out with the old, in with new" comes to mind. April is Prevention of Cruelty to Animals month. Now, you may be thinking what in the world does this have to do with starting fresh in spring? Let me share an experience I had last month and maybe the connection will become clearer. Around the middle of March I began noticing a young, female German Shepherd hanging around the end of my parents' road back in Georgia. She stayed in the same spot day after day; if she left to find food or water she would return to the exact same spot. About four days passed and no one came to claim her...it was clear she had been abandoned. Well, growing up in the country I know what hap- pens to stray dogs that don't have a collar and my tender heart got the better of me. I love animals and I believe firmly in not treating them cruelly, howev- er, animals do not come before people in my opinion. So I decided to try to find her a new loving home be- cause she was clearly a very loyal animal. I sat at the end of the road on my tailgate feeding her scraps and winning her trust. When she was done eating and taking her fill of water, she went back and laid down at her post ever vigilant. That was it, my heart broke and I was determined to find her a home al- though I didn't know how and I knew my cat was def- initely not going to like it. I stood up and told her to load up; in two seconds flat she was in the back of my truck wagging her tail happy as could be...and that's where she stayed day and night for the next 24 hours because she was afraid I was going to leave her like her other owners had previously. She even came to meet the Extension staff because she re- fused to leave the back of my truck. Over the next day I made calls and posted information online to help find her a home, took her to the vet to set up an appointment for shots and to be spayed, and gave her a collar. The response was amazing! Before I knew it, this sweet dog was at her new loving home with a family in Jasper who discovered she had been abused after finding a tender spot on her ribs. The family called me just last week to thank me for choosing them and how well Shots (her new name!) was adjusting...and how spoiled she is now! Please remember there are several animal shel- ters and even more families looking for pets if you feel you are unable to take care of your own. If you're afraid the shelter will put it down, there are non-euthanization shelters but if you abandon your animal you're giving it a small chance of survival. And like Bob Barker famously promoted, "Help con- trol the pet population, have you pets spayed or neutered." April 15th was also Global Youth Service Day; take the opportunity to volunteer at a local shelter or animal clinic. Volunteer to bring one or two of the animals who haven't been adopted to a local as- sisted living facility and brighten someone's day! Most importantly, educate yourself on the impor- tance of animal cruelty prevention and see what you can do to contribute to the education of others. their mindset. They will thank you one day Mark Buescher, CPA is owner and principal of Buescher and Ruff, LLC, a local full service accounting firm in Madison, specializing in tax preparation, busi- ness consulting and tax planning. Tax laws contain varying effective dates and numerous limitations and exemptions that cannot be summarized easily. For de- tails and guidance for your specific situation, contact your tax advisor the fflabison Enterprise-Recorter P.O. Box 772 * Madison, FL 32341 1695 South SR 53 * Madison, FL 32340 (850) 973-4141 * Fax: (850) 973-4121 greenepub@greenepublishing.com www.greenepublishing.com Publisher Classified and Emerald Greene Legal Ads Emerald Greene Editor Deadline for classified Jacob Bembry is Monday at 3 p.m. Production Manager Deadline for Heather Bowen legal advertisements is Wednesday at 5 p.m. Staff Writers There will be a $3 charge Kristin Finney and for affidavits. Lynette Norris Circulation Graphic Designers Department Stephen Bochnia Sheree Miller and Dee Hall Subscription Rates: Advertising Sales In-County $35 Representatives Out-of-County $45 Mary Ellen Greene, (State & local Dorothy McKinney taxes included) Jeanette Dunn and Kimberly McLeod -Since 1865- "Telling it like it is with honesty and integrity." Zhe flabison Enterprise-Recort er Madison Recorder established 1865 New Enterprise established 1901 Consolidated June 25, 1908 Published weekly by Greene Publishing Inc., 1695 S SR 53, Madison, FL 32340. Periodicals postage PAID at Madison Post Office 32340. Publication No. 177.400. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Madison Enter- prise-Recorder, P.O. Drawer 772, Madison, FL 32341-0772. This newspaper reserves the right to reject any advertisement, news matter or subscriptions that, in the opinion of the management, will not be for the best interest of the county and/or the owners of this newspaper, and to investigate any advertisement submitted. All photos given to Greene Publishing Inc. for publication in this newspaper must be picked up no later than 6 months from the date they are dropped off. Greene Publishing Inc. will not be respon- sible for photos beyond said deadline. 4 CoJns1 native Corner By NelsOf A. Prvor No One Home You've heard of the "Bridge to Nowhere" that al- most got funded by the Federal Government just three years ago? Well, another pork barrel project did pass Congress, similar to that "Road to Nowhere", and is just as wasteful. This is a 1200 bed federal prison already built and standing empty in Berlin, New Hampshire. (NY Times, 3/15/2011. P24). The only thing separating the ice, snow and cold winds of Canada from Berlin is a barbed wire fence, purportedly broken. Berlin, the northernmost city in N.H., is in the shadow of Mount Washington, next to the Androscoggin River, made famous by Bene- dict Arnold's portage to Quebec City during the American Revolutionary War. BORDER BEING FLOODED! Take the immigrants from one country: El Sal- vador! "It is estimated that more than 2 million peo- ple from El Salvador are now in these United States, legally and illegally That is equal to about one third of El Salvador's current population." (NY Times, 3/23/2011. P6). And that is only one country! PRISON NEEDED IN SOUTHWEST Right now, the immigration authorities are claiming that they can't protect our borders because they haven't the processing facilities to hold the ad- vancing army of border crossers. It must be that brains are as thick as buttermilk up there in that puzzle palace known by the name of Washington City This folly rivals the Spruce Goose, you know, Howard Hughes' plywood airplane, which he took out once and then "stored" for ages. This federal prison in Berlin, NH, costing $276 million dollars, should have been built in our South- west where the need is greatest. Build on the border, where the problem is. This is where courts and oth- er support staff can be concentrated. We need to protect our border and a prison like this in El Paso, Yuma or San Diego, would be on the money And as if the Federal Government wants to re- ally rub our noses in their poor planning, there sits near Fresno, in Northern California, at a place called Medota, another empty federal prison, (Wash- ington Post, 3/26/2011. P.4) closer to the border but still not on the money! IF YOU DON'T WANT A FEDERAL PRISON Arizona offers another way out. She has the toughest state law on illegal immigration. To pro- tect that law against possible lawsuits from the Oba- ma administration, a defense fund has been crated. People from all fifty states have donated, so far, $3.7 million dollars. Private individuals from Arizona have, themselves even, donated $369,067. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution 3/26/2011. P. 1B). ATTENTION WASHINGTON You have run out of our money! Drink your tea! Taxpayers have had just about enough! YOU ARE INVITED! The Constitution / James Madison Dinner With Special Guest Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll Thursday April 28th, 2011, 6 - 8 pm, at Shelby's Restaurant Tickets presold at $30 per person For info and tickets, call Judy at 929-9122, or Mark at 973-8888, or stop by the office of Ameriprise Financial between 9am and 2pm. each of four years, and the account earns 5% annually, Business & the fund willbe worth about $85,000 when the child IX In SightS reaches age sixty It's generally best to Mark Buescher. C.PA. leave IRA funds untouched Guest ColumLnist until retirement, but if nec- Gessary, your child's contri- butions to a Roth IRA SA (excluding the earnings) : You AreC can be withdrawn at any time without triggering tax- SYou es or penalties. This flexi- SU Y UU4g ability provides an advantage over a traditional IRA, where most withdrawals before the owner reach- es age 59 1 will be taxed and penalized. The owner's ability to deduct contributions is the one advantage a traditional IRA offers over a Roth IRA. However, this feature is relatively insignificant for most young earners. The first $5,800 of a child's 2011 income will be entirely sheltered by the standard deduction, and any earnings above $5,800 are likely to be taxed at very low rates. This year, most working people can contribute up to the lesser of their earned income or $5000 to a Roth IRA. Although Roth eligibility is phased out for indi- viduals with income above certain ceilings (e.g. $107,000 to $122,000 for a single person in 2011), a work- ing child's revenue will almost never approach such thresholds. Is it time to coast? Absolutely not. With the advent of budget crises looming before Congress and many unknowns for our children's financial future, now is the time to instill strong financial planning concepts in