What is the Fair Tax?

The Fair Tax Plan is a thoroughly researched national tax system carefully designed to replace all income and payroll taxes with a simple, transparent and fair national retail sales tax. The Fair Tax will eliminate all federal income and payroll taxes. It will do away with all personal federal, corporate federal, gift, estate, capital gains, alternative minimum, Social Security, Medicare, self-employment taxes.

The Fair Tax will replace the Internal Revenue Code with a progressive consumption tax. When consumption is taxed instead of citizen's earnings, savings and investments, the economy functions much better because taxes are levied on what we take out of the economy as consumers instead of what we put into the economy as producers.

The Fair Tax eliminates all federal taxes on the poor and gives the middle class a dramatic tax break. Each American citizen will receive a monthly prebate that will reimburse us for taxes on purchases up to the poverty line, so that we're not taxed on basic goods and necessities. Instead, Americans will only be taxed on what we decide to buy, not what we happen to earn. We won't be taxed on what we choose to save or the interest those savings earn. And, the tax will apply only to new goods, so we can reduce our taxes further by buying a used car or computer.

The Fair Tax also isn't intended to raise any more or less money for the federal government to spend - it is revenue neutral. However, it doe broaden the taxpayer base by taxing the $1.5 trillion a year annual underground economy, eliminating unfair tax loopholes for the wealthy and by making taxpayers of 12 million illegals as consumers. Under the Fair Tax nothing is withheld by the government from paychecks, the IRS is abolished and April 15th becomes just another spring day!

The Fair Tax is progressive, but it doesn't punish the American people for their success as does the current system. Nor does it punish the old fashioned virtues of hard work and thrift. Instead it rewards and encourages them. Expert analysis of the Fair Tax have shown that it lowers the lifetime tax burden of all of us-single or married; working or retired; rich, poor, or middle class.

Furthermore, many experts believe the Fair Tax can help solve the current financial meltdown by:

1. Increasing take home pay which will allow distressed homeowners to stay in their homes and satisfy mortgage obligations.

2. Attracting an estimated $12-15 trillion of foreign investment into our economy and

3. Greatly benefiting "Made in America" products resulting in rapid job growth.

And just as importantly, all of these effects do not require huge taxpayer investments.

Another "You Might Be a Redneck If...."

We have enjoyed the redneck jokes for years. It's time to take a reflective look at the core beliefs of a culture that values home, family, country and God. If I had to stand before a dozen terrorists who threaten my life, I'd choose a half dozen or so rednecks to back me up. Tire irons, squirrel guns and grit -- that's what rednecks are made of.

Ya'll know who ya' are.

You might be a Redneck if....

You've never protested about seeing the 10 Commandments posted in public places.

You still say 'Christmas' instead of 'Winter Festival.'

You bow your head when someone prays.

You stand and place your hand over your heart when they play the National Anthem.

You treat our armed forces veterans with great respect, and always have.

You've never burned an American flag, nor intend to.

You know what you believe and you aren't afraid to say so, no matter who is listening.

You respect your elders and raised your kids to do the same.

You'd give your last dollar to a friend.

God Bless the USA !

"A government ought to contain in itself every power requisite to the full accomplishment of the objects commmitted to its care, and to the complete execution of the trusts for which it is responsible, free from every other control but a regard to the public good and to the sense of the people."

--Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 31, 1 January 1788

John Fund Blasts Speaker Pelosi on 'Reforms' 

Friday, January 9, 2009 12:25 PM

By: David A. Patten

The rule changes Speaker Nancy Pelosi is steamrolling through the House of Representatives contradict President-elect Barack Obama’s bipartisan promises, and also fly in the face of Pelosi’s own pledge to “insure the rights” of the minority party.

That’s the view of Wall Street Journal columnist and author John Fund, who documented Friday how Pelosi’s tune has changed in a bid to drown out the voices of Republican minority opposition in Congress.

The recent rule changes engineered by Pelosi, for example, end term limits for committee chairmanships. This is a major reversal of GOP reforms ushered in by the 1994 ”Contract With America.”

Term limits, Fund writes in a commentary titled “Pelosi Turns Back the Clock on House Reform,” helped “inject new ideas and merit into Congress.”

Pelosi’s rule changes partially restore the old Democratic, seniority-based system of chairmanships.

“Can this really be the ‘change’ that voters wanted last November?” Fund asks rhetorically. “Wags are already joking that Democrats are really delivering ‘senility you can believe in.’”

The rule changes passed Tuesday also severely restrict the legislative maneuver called a “motion to recommit” - a century-old maneuver that the minority party uses to send bills that reach the floor back to committees, where they can be endlessly debated.

GOP representatives used the tactic 50 times in the last session, mostly to stave off hidden tax hikes buried in larger bills.

Sarah Palin Slams Media

CNN to Broadcast I.O.U.S.A.

The public has spoken, and we've listened. In response to demand for information about our country's financial challenges, CNN/U.S. will air the broadcast premiere of the acclaimed documentary I.O.U.S.A. on on Saturday, January 10 at 2:00 p.m. EST and on Sunday, January 11 at 3:00 p.m. EST. Accompanying the documentary will be an unscripted panel discussion with policy leaders about various economic solutions currently under consideration.

This exclusive televised event will air only on CNN, and will be hosted by Ali Velshi and Christine Romans, co-anchors of CNN's Your $$$$$, the network's weekend business roundtable program.

Throughout I.O.U.S.A.'s broadcast premiere, Velshi and Romans will engage a distinguished group of panelists, including Pete Peterson, Chairman of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation and former U.S. Commerce Secretary; Dave Walker, President and CEO of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation and former U.S. Comptroller General; Alice Rivlin, noted economist and former Director of the Office of Management and Budget; and Bill Bradley, a Managing Director of Allen & Company and former U.S. Senator and Democratic presidential candidate, in discussions about issues raised in the film and their ties to current economic events.

Learn more about the film at www.IOUSAtheMovie.com. And be sure to spread the word about the U.S. broadcast premiere!

Obama Foresees Trillion-Dollar Deficits

CNN.com reported on Tuesday that when President-elect Barack Obama takes office on January 20, he'll inherit an economy deeper in debt than ever.

Obama commented on the unprecedented deficit, saying, "At the current course and speed, a trillion-dollar deficit will be here before we even start the next budget." In reference to his planned economic recovery plan with an $800 billion price tag, Obama added, "And potentially we've got trillion-dollar deficits for years to come, even with the economic recovery that we are working on at this point."

Even with Obama's promised budget reform, our economy will still remain in the red — at least for the next few years. However, incurring a trillion-dollar deficit in the short-term in order to stimulate the economy is, according to organizations like the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, essential in order to prevent "a deep and prolonged recession."

Dave Walker, president and CEO of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, was also asked to comment on the deficit and Obama's proposed stimulus. A "timely, targeted and temporary" stimulus is, according to Dave, the best way to shore up the economy while our deficit continues to deepen.

To read the original article, visit CNNMoney.com.

A Bipartisan Plea for Fiscal Responsibility

On Monday, January 5, the two most prominent members of the Senate Budget Committee – Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) and Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH) spoke out about the need for fiscal responsibility, oney.comespecially in the face of our current economic crisis.

In an impassioned editorial for the Washington Post, Conrad and Gregg called for Democrats and Republicans to unite in support for an economic recovery package, even with the short-term addition it will make to our larger deficit. The senators also called for a "bipartisan fiscal task force" to help create concrete solutions for America's long-term fiscal woes.

To read the full text of the editorial, visit the Washington Post.

The Government We Deserve by Gene Steuerle

"Investment" and Obama's First Budget

President-elect Obama's chief in-house economic advisor Larry Summers suggests in a recent Washington Post piece that the new Administration will put a lot of effort into addressing long-term growth challenges, not just short-term policies that generate consumer spending. How? Through "investments." To make sure we get the point, Summers uses that word or some variation 12 times.

But the first Obama budget will not be oriented toward investment. Just as with recent administrations, the words will stress "investment" but the numbers will emphasize "consumption" - not only in the short-term but, more dangerously, in the long-term. In fairness, this is the budget the new administration inherits. They gain control of the wheel of a battleship sailing full-steam ahead toward the icebergs. But by using terms like "down payment" to describe new proposals, Summers hints that no major course correction will be sought.

Read more...

Gene Steuerle writes The Government We Deserve column regularly, and serves as the Vice President of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation. You can read Gene's bio here.

Read the FairTax FAQs at http://www.fairtaxvolunteer.org/smart/faq.html and find other answers in the research section: http://www.fairtax.org/research.html

"Resolve to perform what you ought. Perform without fail what you resolve."

--Benjamin Franklin, Autobiography, 1771

The problem is not that there are problems. The problem is expecting otherwise and thinking that having problems is a problem. Theodore Rubin

-- Theodore Rubin

The cat took up computer lessons in hopes of mastering its grip on a mouse.

Tax Reform

WHY FEDERAL TAX REFORM?

The cumbersome, bureaucratic nightmare that the IRS is to virtually every American taxpayer needs to end. Our tax code is crippling business, big and small, and it paralyzes citizens. It costs American citizens and businesses an astounding $265 billion in tax preparation costs each year alone. In comparison, this is $100 billion more than the cost to the government of the taxpayer stimulus checks sent out earlier this year. And after the tax preparation efforts are complete, American families spend months working just to pay their taxes to a government that continues to grow in size and scope.

That's why I intend to nail the "going out of business" sign on the Internal Revenue Service's front door!

IS THERE A BETTER WAY?

Our goal is to find a better way for taxpayers and businesses to participate in the federal tax process. And we believe the FairTax is the best way for citizens to do so. However, we are open to your creative ideas and diverse solutions, and are confident that working together we will find a better way.

THE FAIRTAX PLAN

The FairTax (HR 25/S 1025) is a thoroughly researched national tax system carefully designed to replace all income and payroll taxes with a simple, transparent and fair national retail sales tax. The Fair Tax will eliminate all federal income and payroll taxes. It will do away with all personal federal, corporate federal, gift, estate, capital gains, alternative minimum, Social Security, Medicare, self-employment taxes.

The FairTax will replace the Internal Revenue Code with a progressive consumption tax. When consumption is taxed instead of citizen's earnings, savings and investments, the economy functions much better because taxes are levied on what we take out of the economy as consumers instead of what we put into the economy as producers.

The FairTax eliminates all federal taxes on the poor and gives the middle class a dramatic tax break. Each American citizen will receive a monthly prebate that will reimburse us for taxes on purchases up to the poverty line, so that we're not taxed on basic goods and necessities. Instead, Americans will only be taxed on what we decide to buy, not what we happen to earn. We won't be taxed on what we choose to save or the interest those savings earn. And, the tax will apply only to new goods, so we can reduce our taxes further by buying a used car or computer.

The Fair Tax also isn't intended to raise any more or less money for the federal government to spend - it is revenue neutral. However, it doe broaden the taxpayer base by taxing the $1.5 trillion a year annual underground economy, eliminating unfair tax loopholes for the wealthy and by making taxpayers of 12 million illegals as consumers. Under the FairTax nothing is withheld by the government from paychecks, the IRS is abolished and April 15th becomes just another spring day!

The Fair Tax is progressive, but it doesn't punish the American people for their success as does the current system. Nor does it punish the old fashioned virtues of hard work and thrift. Instead it rewards and encourages them. Expert analysis of the Fair Tax have shown that it lowers the lifetime tax burden of all of us-single or married; working or retired; rich, poor, or middle class.

THE FAIR TAX IS AN ADVANTAGE TO AMERICA IN THE COMPETITIVE MARKET

The Fair Tax will instantly make American products 12 to 25% more competitive because the cost of those goods will no longer be inflated by corporate taxes, costs of tax compliance, and Social Security matching payments. When we buy products now, those taxes are built into the cost, so all of us pay corporate taxes indirectly on top of the personal taxes we pay directly. Compliance costs have no real added value, yet they consume as much as 3% of our gross domestic product annually. These costs are an especially heavy burden on small businesses, which generate most of our jobs. The fair tax removes the income tax effects that are driving American jobs offshore.

No matter how hard Americans work, no matter how innovative and creative we are, no matter how superior our products are we suffer from a built-in competitive disadvantage simply because of our tax system. A recent study by MIT found that our tax system deprives us of about $1 billion in exports annually. When you export over-priced goods as we have, you inevitably end up exporting jobs and industries as we now are.

We are the square peg trying to fit into the round hole of international trade. The rest of the world isn't going to change, it's time that we do. Under the FairTax American companies are far less likely to move overseas and foreign companies are far more likely to come here, hiring Americans to build and work in their new plants. The Fair Tax is the path to greater prosperity and job security for us and for our children.

The FairTax broadens the taxpayer base by taxing the $1.5 trillion a year annual underground economy, eliminating unfair tax loopholes for the wealthy and by making taxpayers of 12 million illegals as consumers. Under the FairTax nothing is withheld by the government from paychecks, the IRS is abolished and April 15th becomes just another spring day!

THE FAIRTAX AND THE CURRENT ECONOMIC CRISIS

Furthermore, many experts believe the FairTax can help solve the current financial meltdown by:

1. Increasing take home pay which will allow distressed homeowners to stay in their homes and satisfy mortgage obligations.

2. Attracting an estimated $12-15 trillion of foreign investment into our economy and

3. Greatly benefiting "Made in America" products resulting in rapid job growth.

And just as importantly, all of these effects do not require huge taxpayer investments.

You may visit www.fairtax.org for more information on the FairTax including the supporting research.

QUESTIONS THAT NEED TO BE ANSWERED

Here are some of the questions we believe need to be answered:

Are there other tax proposals that might meet our short and long term revenue needs?

The FairTax represents a massive overhaul of our tax system. Many are skeptical of whether or not it could ever pass through the Congress. Are there intermediate steps that should be taken to enact the FairTax?

Vertical Politics Institute 

Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle

Even though Ashley was blind and under arrest, she still had hope that someone would brail her out.

Why I Am A 'Conservative'

By Harris R. Sherline

December 15, 2008

It's no surprise, I'm sure, that I am a registered Republican. However, I consider myself more a "conservative" than a Republican. For me, it's more about principles and values than it is about political party. I don't have a particularly strong allegiance to the Republic Party, whereas I am an avid believer in Conservatism. If a true "Conservative" party were to emerge, I would change my registration in an instant.

That said, my reasons for being a "Conservative" are primarily based on what I believe are the differences in the core beliefs of Liberal and Conservative adherents, which are founded on their respective philosophies about human nature, what motivates people, and how to best organize the economic activity of societies.

Liberals generally tend to believe it is wrong for people to accumulate wealth or to have income substantially in excess of their individual needs. Their core concept is that, in general, everyone should derive the same or similar benefits from the available resources, which are finite, thus requiring government to be organized as a top down structure of decision-making. This in turn limits individual freedom of choice. They also believe societies work best when they are organized around this principle, with command and control authority concentrated at the top.

The most extreme example of this principle is Communism, which attempts to centralize all key production, pricing and distribution decisions about the millions of products and services that are made every day throughout a society. The failure of the USSR within a single century clearly proved that this doesn't work. Unfortunately, true believers don't see it that way, they just think the Soviets didn't do it right. On the other hand, Conservatives generally believe the best way to organize society is to allow maximum decision-making by individuals acting in their own self interest, as they themselves perceive it.

The primary difference between the two concepts is found in the degree of personal freedom and government control that each permits or requires. "Conservative" economic philosophy is based on the idea that people are motivated by self interest, while the economic (political) philosophy of Liberals is that individuals are (or should be) motivated by some higher standard.

Liberal economic models are based on the principle that the size of the economic pie is static, that those who are highly successful can only succeed at the expense of others, whereas Conservatives believe that the growth of the economy is based on increased productivity, which means the size of the economy is potentially unlimited.

Human nature leads people to act in their own self-interest. However, this does not mean self-interest is necessarily defined in economic terms. People also work for rewards other than money: power, position, status, security, even love or altruism. But whatever their individual motivation, it is always self-interest in one form or another.

The concept that in America we are all "created equal" is being perverted by Liberalism to mean equality of outcome, that everyone should derive the same or similar benefits from society. But, the world doesn't work that way. No two people are really "equal" in all respects. Some are smarter, better educated, shrewder, better looking, more personable, have more drive or ambition than others, and no form of government can alter that reality.

For true "conservatives" and for me personally, the most important core value is having the individual freedom to pursue our own happiness as we define it for ourselves, with a minimum of interference from government.

---

I really can't add anything to this. The author says it better than I could. 

There comes a point in your life when you realize who matters, who never did, who won't anymore...and who always will. 

  

So, don't worry about people from your past, there's a reason why they didn't make it to your future. 

To Kill an American 

You probably missed this in the rush of news, but there was actually a report that someone in Pakistan had published in a newspaper, an offer of a reward to anyone who killed an American, any American.

So an Australian dentist wrote an editorial the following day to let everyone know what an American is. So they would know when they found one. (Good one, mate!!!!)

'An American is English, or French, or Italian, Irish, German, Spanish, Polish, Russian or Greek. An American may also be Canadian, Mexican, African, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Australian, Iranian, Asian, or Arab, or Pakistani or Afghan.

An American may also be a Comanche, Cherokee, Osage, Blackfoot, Navaho, Apache, Seminole or one of the many other tribes known as native Americans.

An American is Christian, or he could be Jewish, or Buddhist, or Muslim. In fact, there are more Muslims in America than in Afghanistan. The only difference is that in America they are free to worship as each of them chooses.

An American is also free to believe in no religion. For that he will answer only to God, not to the government, or to armed thugs claiming to speak for the government and for God.

An American lives in the most prosperous land in the history of the world.

The root of that prosperity can be found in the Declaration of Independence, which recognizes the God given right of each person to the pursuit of happiness.

An American is generous. Americans have helped out just about every other nation in the world in their time of need, never asking a thing in return.

When Afghanistan was over-run by the Soviet Army 20 years ago, Americans came with arms and supplies to enable the people to win back their country!

As of the morning of September 11, Americans had given more than any other nation to the poor in Afghanistan. Americans welcome the best of everything... the best products, the best books, the best music, the best food, the best services. But they also welcome the least.

The national symbol of America, The Statue of Liberty, welcomes your tired and your poor, the wretched refuse of your teeming shores, the homeless, tempest tossed. These in fact are the people who built America.

Some of them were working in the Twin Towers the morning of September 11, 2001 earning a better life for their families. It's been told that the World Trade Center victims were from at least 30 different countries, cultures, and first languages, including those that aided and abetted the terrorists.

So you can try to kill an American if you must. Hitler did. So did General Tojo, and Stalin, and Mao Tse-Tung, and other blood-thirsty tyrants in the world. But, in doing so you would just be killing yourself. Because Americans are not a particular people from a particular place. They are the embodiment of the human spirit of freedom. Everyone who holds to that spirit, everywhere, is an American.

from email

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I don't know whether an Australian dentist wrote this or not. I don't really care. The author hit the nail on the head. An American may be legally defined as someone born in the United States or one who is a citizen (natural born or naturalized) of the US. But what makes an American is really defined in the final two sentences: 

They are the embodiment of the human spirit of freedom. Everyone who holds to that spirit, everywhere, is an American.

Americans believe first and foremost in freedom. We hold that dearer than just about anything else, except maybe hearth and home. And we are willing give our lives for others so that they can be also be free. Not all Americans agree with this part of our psyche, but that's for another post. Where else in the world has it been the norm since the founding of the country? And one of the reasons for the founding of that country? As Americans, we know we can say just about anything, short of libel, and others, who may not agree with what we said, will at the very least, agree that we have the right to say it.   

I don't like knowing that there are people out there who want to kill me simply because I was born in the United States. That's really scary. Usually when someone wants to kill others, it's for reasons we understand, but just because of where we were born? But you know what? It's not really because of where we were born, but what our country represents to the rest of the world: freedom. 

Freedom to speak out, freedom to live as we want, freedom to worship as we want. They believe that we live a sinful, corrupt way of life. And perhaps to their way of thinking we do.

Our ancestors left their European homelands because the government wanted to them to live by certain standards they didn't believe in. And now there are those who want to kill us for not living by the standards they believe in. I don't like to make promises that depend on other people but I think I can make this promise: We're not abandoning our homeland again and we will fight for our homes, families and, yes, our freedom. 

Those who want to kill us may succeed to a certain extent. But I think I can safely say this: you will never kill the American spirit. It exists in far too many people around the world. As the author of the above piece says: Everyone who holds to that spirit, everywhere, is an American.