Dear Ann Landers, If it's a slow news day and this letter appears in the paper, I would appreciate it if you would leave my name and town out of it, OK? Maybe a representative of the American Dental Association will attempt to explain how my dentist can get away with overbilling me, if asked by a voice as strong as yours. Here is my problem:
I am retired and on a fixed income. My dentist is one of the most respected men in the city. I pay my bills promptly and have never questioned his fees. I now have only six of my original teeth left. I find it outrageous that he charged me $44 to clean them, the same as if I had 32 teeth, and he didn't even do the work. His hygienist did it. She spent approximately five or six minutes on my own teeth and about 10 seconds on the bridge. Will you please tell me whether you think this is fair? -- Somewhere in Minnesota
Dear Minnesota, According to the American Dental Association, it is up to the dentist to set the fee for a prophylaxis (teeth cleaning). Some dentists charge a set amount for the entire procedure, regardless of the number of teeth. Others charge less, depending on the condition of the remaining teeth. I suggest you show this column to your dentist and see if you can reach a compromise.
Dear Ann Landers, I am a 26-year-old woman with a problem. When I was in high school, I cheated on my steady boyfriend with an older man. I discovered I was pregnant and was sure the older man was the father of the baby. Last December, after eight years of paying child support, the man requested a DNA test to determine paternity. I was stunned when it turned out that my daughter isn't his after all.
Here's the real problem. When I found out I was pregnant, my boyfriend asked if the baby was his, and I assured him it was not. That boyfriend is now happily married and has children. I have been married to a wonderful man for almost six years, and he wants to adopt my daughter.
Should I try to contact my old boyfriend and disrupt his life by telling him he has a daughter? Part of me feels he is entitled to know, but another part worries that I would only mess up more lives. Please tell me what to do. -- Kitty in K.C.
Dear Kitty in K.C., I'm with the part of you that says leave it alone. If any of my readers think otherwise, I would like to hear their reasoning.
Dear Ann Landers, I just read a story in The Macomb Daily, a paper here in Michigan, about a 72-year-old resident of Pittsburgh. This man owns a salon and barbershop supply business, which he bought in 1983. He recently received a notice saying he owes a property tax bill of $1,151 that goes back to 1911, before this man was even born. It seems the debt had gone undetected, even though the property had changed hands several times.
When the man expressed his astonishment, he was told that the passage of time and the change in ownership did not make any difference. He still has to pay the back real estate taxes. I find this outrageous. -- Mary in Warren, Mich.
Dear Mary, It is good of you to take up this man's cause, but I'm afraid he is stuck. According to Dominick Gambino, administrative assistant to the Allegheny County controller, anyone who buys property is responsible for the outstanding tax liens. In this instance, however, the tax lien was so old, it did not show up on a standard title search when the man bought the property back in 1983.
The county sold its tax liens to a private company in 1997, which then discovered the old debt when it began cleaning up the county's records. You will be pleased to know that the beauty supply owner has title insurance that ought to cover it.
Dear Ann Landers, At this time of year, many taxpayers may be worried about the Internal Revenue Service. Please tell them there is professional help available. Enrolled agents (EAs) are tax professionals licensed by the Treasury Department to represent taxpayers before the IRS.
In 1884, President Chester Arthur created enrolled agents to help sort out claims to the Treasury arising from the Civil War. Today, EAs prepare tax returns, provide assistance to taxpayers who need help in complying with our national, state and local tax laws, and, most importantly, help taxpayers in disputes with the IRS.
The 10,000 members of the National Association of Enrolled Agents (NAEA) work with millions of individual and small-business taxpayers each year. Enrolled agents also help people who have not filed returns in many years. We understand that many taxpayers have had serious personal problems that caused them to miss filing a return, which then snowballed into several missed years. Our concern is to help the taxpayer get through the fear of the government and become compliant once again.
If readers need assistance, NAEA has a referral line to help taxpayers find an enrolled agent located near them. The toll-free number is 855-880-NAEA. -- Carol W. Thompson, chair, NAEA Public Information Committee, Monterey, Calif.
Dear Carol Thompson, Your letter certainly has put a kind face and extended a friendly hand to those who are delinquent in their taxes and afraid to come out from behind the bushes. You've reduced the fear in a great many people who will now file because you wrote. Everybody wins. Thank you.
Gem of the Day (credit Jane Fonda): When a man like Robert Redford ages, they say, "Those lines make him look very distinguished." When they look at me, they say, "She looks a lot older than when I saw her in her last movie."
Dear Ann Landers, I just got a phone call from my son. He said, "I've been arrested for possession of marijuana with intent to distribute." I knew he had used marijuana on occasion, but I'm sure he never tried to sell it. A lawyer told me if someone is caught with marijuana, chances are the police will add "intent to distribute," even in the absence of supporting evidence. The accusation of intent changes the crime from a misdemeanor to a felony.
Ann, my son is a good kid who attends college and has a part-time job. He didn't hurt anyone. He didn't steal anything. He didn't cheat anybody. He was caught with marijuana for his own personal use, and for this, he could get 30 years in prison.
He has never gotten so much as a parking ticket.
I don't approve of smoking grass, nor do I approve of smoking cigarettes or drinking alcohol. But this punishment seems excessive. I can't help but think of the thousands of families who have suffered this same horror. These harsh laws hurt us all. People who criminalize marijuana believe users are dangerous addicts in dark trench coats, lurking near playgrounds, ready to pounce on young children.
I plead for compassion for those who are hurting only themselves when they use dangerous substances. What they need is counseling and medical intervention, not prison. Harsh laws don't work. Furthermore, it costs us a fortune in taxes to prosecute and incarcerate people who pose no danger to society. Enough. -- A Sad Mother in Va.
Dear Sad Mother, I'm sad about your son's predicament. If the police added "intent to distribute" without real evidence, your son will need the help of a competent lawyer who can get those charges dismissed.
I have long believed the laws regarding marijuana are too harsh. Those who keep pot for their own personal use should not be treated as criminals. Thirty years in prison makes no sense whatsoever. I'm with you.
