For those interested, Jon explains the tax problem in some detail.

Best,
Michael

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Jon Beckwith <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: July 2, 2007 4:07:57 PM PDT
> To: Michael H Goldhaber <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Re: SftP tax problems
>
> Michael- Basically SftP was rapidly dwindlling in numbers  and  
> while we had an office with two staff people, they were effectively  
> left on their own to take care of everything including finances.   
> The last person who was the finance staff person found that he  
> couldn't pay bills, so he stopped paying withholding tax from SftP  
> funds for their staff without telling anyone.   By the time that  
> came into the open in the late 80's, we were faced with (if I  
> remember correctly) an $80,,000 IRS debt.  A group of us formed to  
> take charge and see if we could raise the money.  I was made  
> "President" so that dealing with the IRS would be possible.  We  
> maybe raised $30,000.  The lawyer who worked with me on this was a  
> big fan of SftP and when I suggested it might be better to disband,  
> he opposed it.   However, it became clear we could never raise the  
> money needed to pay the IRS.  I evetntually met with the IRS  
> person, who was surprised that we were pursuing this and said "If  
> you just close down, we won't go after you."  We did.
>         I think it was mistake to make the effort in the first  
> place.  I had been in SftP for so long (~20 years) and it had been  
> so important to me that I couldn't let go.  Yet, there was hardly  
> an organization any more- no chapters and the Boston chapter was  
> practically non-existent.  That was the real problem.  The steering  
> committee or whatever it was that we had at that time agreed we  
> would close down.  This happened in 1990 I think.
>         By the way, the Study Group that I was in at the time  
> (Sociobiology Study Group) continued eventually as the Genetic  
> Screening Study Group and meets to this day.  We;ve done a lot-  
> conferences- school materials and a 2002 book titled "The Double- 
> Edged Helix: Social Implications of Genetics in a Diverse Society."
>         You sent this to me personally.  Should I send it out to  
> the SftP ListServe or you can copy and paste it out.
>                         Best-  Jon
>
>
> At 04:04 PM 7/2/2007, you wrote:
>> Hi Jon,
>>
>> Eric E. cites you as knowledgeable about tax problems besetting  
>> the old Science for the People. Do you mind summarizing what they  
>> are? I hadn't heard of this.
>>
>>
>> Best,
>>
>> Michael
> Jon Beckwith
> Dept. of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
> Harvard Medical School
> 200 Longwood Ave.
> Boston, MA 02115
>
> Tel. 617-432-1920
> FAX 617-738-7664
> e-mail [log in to unmask]
> website <http://beck2.med.harvard.edu/>
>
> Recent books and articles:
> My book, a memoir entitled: Making Genes, Making Waves: A Social  
> Activist in Science, Harvard University Press, 2002. http:// 
> www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog/BECMAK.html
> Articles:
> Copies conformes ou copies qu'on forme ? J. Beckwith. Sciences et  
> Avenir Hors-Série #149, p.71 (2006)
> Should we make a fuss? A case for social responsibility in science.  
> F. Huang and J. Beckwith, Nature Biotechnology. 23:1479-1480 (2005).
> Whither Human Behavioral Genetics, J. Beckwith in Wrestling with
> Behavioral Genetics: Ethics, Science, and Public Conversation, eds.  
> E. Parens, A. Chapman and N. Press.  Johns Hopkins University Press  
> (2005)