I wanted to visit the state comptroller’s McAllen office to file my sales tax reports. I left my house in my vehicle and out of caution, I called by phone. It took a long time for someone to answer.
I asked if the office was open for person-to-person visits. I was informed that the office only handled work by phone, that if I wanted to discuss business in person I had to go to the Brownsville office. I declined.
The lady representative told me to do the paperwork and mail it in or go online.
In our South Texas area many taxpayers are old-school — no computers.
This lack of service by our fine comptroller of public accounts is an injustice. HidalgoCounty has about 1 million residents. I hereby request that the comptroller fully staff the McAllen office. Our fine state has a huge surplus, so I know he does not lack money for my request.
I respectfully await the comptroller’s decision for the staffing request.
Gustavo Chapa
McAllen
Sensitive
documents
I cannot understand why the news media around the country have not gone back to the well-stated rules about securing classified information to straighten out the thinking on the issue. It has come up with Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump and now with our current president, Joe Biden.
Here is what the army has stated:
“Top secret: Information and material (matter) the national security aspect of which is paramount and the unauthorized disclosure of which would cause exceptionally grave damage to the nation shall in addition to being classified as Security Information be classified as TOP SECRET.”
“Secret: Information and material (matter), the unauthorized disclosure of which would endanger national security, cause serious injury to the interests of the nation, or would be of great advantage to a foreign nation, shall be classified SECRET.”
Further, one is not permitted to communicate any of the information to others in any way that it could be accessed by unauthorized individuals. There are explicit rules on how to transmit any printed documents.
Storage is also detailed. All classifications of top secret, secret and confidential must be stored in a safe, steel file cabinet, or other steel container having a three-position dial-type combination lock and of such weight, size, construction or installation as to minimize possibility of physical theft or damage by fire or tampering. If such is not available, any secure room or vault approved by the top official may be used.
From my own experience, top secret information could not be removed from the secure room. One could read the file in a secure room and the return of the file to its receptacle was verified by the custodian of the files.
These rules were for the army, but most assuredly they also pertained to any governmental department.
Clearly, in all three instances there were violations. The penalties used to be quite serious, which I also know from personal experience as security was my main activity in the army.
The president, as the commander-in-chief, may declassify any document. That is what the argument is over Trump’s taking of documents home. He said he had declassified them. Perhaps the argument should be over whether it was prudent in all instances to do so. But our form of government does not allow anyone to have more authority than the president, unless that power should fall to the Congress.
That question will have to be answered another day.
Duane A. Rasmussen
Laguna Vista
