Unkind Benevolence Is Shorting America

The above graph brings to mind what many Americans have been asking - can the PIIGS (Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece, & Spain) financial crisis happen here?  Of course the answer is not only yes but it is already happening here - just look @ California & NJ to see that their finances are eerily like Greece's long before Greece was recognized as a problem. 

 

A little over a year ago, @ the request of a member of our group, I addressed this matter with a letter I wrote published in the Courier News - "Residents of NJ would be wise to learn from our similar fiscal problems that caused California's current notoriety & economic deterioration summarized as follows: 1) California's budget deficit has reached $42 billion, 2) 1.4 million productive people have out-migrated from California during the last 10 years, 3) unemployment is the 4th highest in the country, 4) California has the worst credit rating falling below Louisiana's, 5) the state has the second highest foreclosure rate, & 6) the governor is threatening to furlough over 20,000 state employees.  NJ is right behind California in all of these categories that are caused in both states by overspending in which government lives on borrowed money that ultimately must be repaid through higher taxes.   California has the highest rates for both sales tax & income tax in the nation & once again NJ is just a little lower in each category."

 

Look @ the slope of the above entitlements growth graph & you can see that you don't have to wait until 2052 before entitlements consume all of our revenue @ current historical tax rates before we have a problem.  The blue slope line moves closer to the red historical tax average line every year starting now.  As anyone who has ever attended one of Jim Bennett's FairTax seminars will ready recognize the graph does not include interest on the national debt - which will consume all of our revenues by 2040 by itself @ 2008 projected spending-revenue levels, such figures being prior to BO's current spending binge.

 

How unkind & cruel is it for our elected reps to let the entitlement benefit myth continue - until total collapse of the programs?  Equally how delusional are people who are counting on receiving advertised government benefits including those recently promised by the healthcare reform legislation.

 

For decades about three quarters of our federal budget has been for what is really "unkind benevolence" - turning Federalist Paper #45 upside down - "The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined."  With 10,000 baby boomers retiring each day the string is about to break & California is just the starting point - here in NJ everything that Governor Christie tries to do to bring fiscal responsibility is met with resistance.  Today our local library wanted Carol to sign a card saying that the governor should not cut library services - Christie can't win.  Would the majority prefer Corzine's spending?  I am afraid the answer may very well be "yes."

 

But ultimately, when life gets totally intolerable & even more of our money is confiscated, people will finally realize they have to take care of themselves.  BO's plan is to orchestrate the taxing of us into the oblivion of government dependence which results in no one having money to create wealth & the corresponding private sector jobs & dignity that come with wealth creation.  With getting a job the top priority of the millions of people who are unemployed or underemployed why does BO ignore this call for help & keep proposing raising taxes & concentrating on comprehensive immigration reform, Cap & Trade, & new Wall Street regulations if this was not his plan? 

 

Speaking of Wall Street regulations - Goldman Sachs is on the hot seat of the hypocritically pious Senate's Permanent Subcommittee On Investigations for in essence shorting housing securities.  Look @ the above graph - isn't shorting America's treasury securities even a more obvious bet now than shorting housing was a few years ago?

A Graphic Example Of What We Face

As most of you know, there will be a special election in the 12th Congressional District of Pennsylvania on May 18, 2010 for the seat formerly held by the late John Murtha. Here is an attack ad that is a graphic example of the distortions candidates who endorse the FairTax face. The ad is being run by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee attacking Candidate Tim Burns for his support of the FairTax.

The text of the attack ad is:

"Southwestern Pennsylvania is hurting, but millionaire Tim Burns would make things even worse. Burns supports putting a 23% national sales tax on just about everything we buy. Groceries: 23% more. Gas: 23% more. Burns even wants to raise taxes on medicine. We can't afford to pay 23% more. We can't afford Tim Burns. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is responsible for the content of this advertising."

That ad represents the very worst in American politics but there is something we can do to fight back in this case. There are two newspapers in PA's 12th district. Click on each of the following links to write to the The Observer-Reporter & The Pittsburgh Post Gazette to set the record straight. To replace Murtha with a FairTax supporter is something the statists cannot tolerate while simultaneously for us it is a goal so worthy to achieve for America.

Below is my letter sent to both links:

I listened to the despicable purposely misleading DCCC add re the 23% national sales tax. Tim Burns is an advocate of the FairTax - a nonpartisan proposal that replaces all federal income & payroll taxes with a progressive tax on consumption (national retail sales tax) that includes a cash prebate that ensures no American pays federal taxes on their spending for essential goods & services like groceries, gas, & medicine. The FairTax is the biggest transfer of power from the politicians to the people since the founding of this country & that is why the DCCC lies to their constituents wanting to keep all of them down while their elites stay in power. Wake up America - the answer to unshackle America's economy & restore the atmosphere for job creation is the FairTax.

Response - An Appeal For Insight

Thanks to everyone who responded to the four excellent questions that make up the subject appeal for insight.  Carol summed up our mess in America by saying "its a puzzlement that these questions have to be asked."  I have posted 12 of the responses that add something to the discussion on ReturnToExcellence.net - go to the April 23 posting on the blog & click on "comments" @ the end of the posting.  Check again in a few days because I believe more will be coming.  I am just sorry that we can't all get together to discuss the Q & A in person.  My own personal response is below.  Thanks again to the questioner for thinking of the questions & to the responders - I truly appreciate the time you spent answering these four important questions that can only help preserve America for ourselves & our Posterity.

 

1.  What can we do to re-limit government after decades in which restraint has been cast off? 

 

Government spending has been expanding for years as we move down the stages of Death Of Democracy - America is currently in the Apathy to Dependence stage.  People who let their patriotism be known @ Tea Parties & Town Hall meetings are our last line of defense - they have inspired a much larger than normal number of people to run for the first time ever in primaries against entrenched politicians from both major parties.   

 

To re-limit government we have to find these new politicians & support, work, & vote for them after we determine they are for real.  The great SC Senator Jim DeMint would rather have 30 senators like himself than 70 like Specter - me too.  Senator DeMint's approach is "I'm @ the point where it doesn't matter if we win if we don't believe in anything.  There is no need to nursemaid somebody to the general election if they're just going to come up here & vote like the Democrats."  You can call Senator DeMint to get a list of candidates he is supporting - they are quite a bit different from the standard Republican Party line. 

 

Also re-check this blog starting December 8, 2009 for a series of postings on "How To Vote The Bums Out."  The FairTax is the litmus test & NJ has three House candidates running in support of the FairTax with two more just about ready to sign on.  These are the people who will re-limit government.

 

2.  How can we convince the many Americans who have grown dependent of the welfare state to sympathize with the conservative ideals?

 

This sell could get harder the more dependent the people are.  Also, the more dependent the less educated they will be.  But if they are living in poverty or deep poverty they have to know in their heart of hearts that there is a better life for them.  If we get them to think this way we (& more importantly they) have a chance.  Trying to improve their education & training is one main key.  The other is for them to be honest with themselves & shun the things that they know are really keeping them down.  The dignity of work will replace the sorrow of being in the welfare state.

 

3.  What do we say to non-conservatives who consider themselves pro-free enterprise and pro-constitution, but do not agree with or even recognize the conservative ideology?

 

This question is the most theoretical of the four & really is a natural subset of the last question below.  If the person is really pro-free enterprise & pro-constitution they are well on their way to being a conservative - they may classify themselves as an independent hating any other label for good reason.  See answer to #4 below for how to proceed.

 

4.  Finally, how can we constructively educate those who do not have the same ideals as us?

 

To constructively educate anyone, including ourselves, we have to get into the arena of ideas with an open mind where everyone learns.  Take every issue one @ a time with no predetermined conclusions & see where the discussions go.  Ask them to read a blog like this one for a while & if our questioner is on to something he will not only have made someone more conservative like himself but even better he will have found that in reality the person he is working with has become more libertarian.

An Appeal For Insight

From time to time members of our e-mail club & blog subscribers ask for insight from the rest of us on subjects that have preyed on their minds.  I answer many of these appeals privately but believe that below is an appeal for answers to excellent questions that would be helpful for all of us to know the answers to.  Please provide your thoughts re any or all of  the four questions asked.  They provide a great example for all of us to learn.  Please participate.

 

---Appeal For Insight---

 

Doug, if you agree, can you send this to your e-mail club members - of course I agree.

 

Appeal to fellow members of the e-mail club:

 

Those amongst us who are committed to the "ideas of the American Founding" i.e. to limited government,  the rule of law, free enterprise system, defense of family, marriage, neighborhood, community and faith:

 

1.  What can we do to re-limit government after decades in which restraint has been cast off? 

 

2.  How can we convince the many Americans who have grown dependent of the welfare state to sympathize with the conservative ideals? 

 

3.  What do we say to non-conservatives who consider themselves pro-free enterprise and pro-constitution, but do not agree with or even recognize the conservative ideology?

 

4.  Finally, how can we constructively educate those who do not have the same ideals as us?

 

Your responses on how to promote a conservative dialogue with fellow Americans will be appreciated.

BO's VAT Will Cripple America

Below are some excerpts from an AP article sent to us by a subscriber to ReturnToExcellence.net re the value added tax (VAT) that is one of BO's highest priorities for crippling America.  The VAT, as envisioned by BO, is in addition to all of our other income & payroll taxes.  Although BO's VAT is a consumption tax it is an add on as opposed to the FairTax which is a replacement for all of our income & payroll taxes - all the difference in the world.

 

Following the excerpts is the list of the 13 despicable Senators who could not bring themselves to vote against the VAT conceptual resolution mentioned below.

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama suggested Wednesday that a new value-added tax on Americans is still on the table, seeming to show more openness to the idea than his aides have expressed in recent days.

 

Before deciding what revenue options are best for dealing with the deficit (since when has any statist cared about the deficit) and the economy, Obama said in an interview with CNBC, "I want to get a better picture of what our options are."

 

After Obama adviser Paul Volcker recently raised the prospect of a value-added tax the Senate voted 85-13 last week for a nonbinding "sense of the Senate" resolution that calls such a tax "a massive tax increase that will cripple families on fixed income and only further push back America's economic recovery."

 

NAYs ---13
Akaka (D-HI) Bingaman (D-NM) Brown (D-OH) Byrd (D-WV) Cardin (D-MD)	Dorgan (D-ND) Kaufman (D-DE) Levin (D-MI) Reed (D-RI) Udall (D-NM)	Voinovich (R-OH) Webb (D-VA) Whitehouse (D-RI)

Not Voting - 2
Nelson (D-FL)	Warner (D-VA)

Preview Of A New Federal Healthcare Insurance Tax Form

Every day more & more comes out re BO's healthcare reform bill that was modeled after former Republican Governor & pseudo conservative Mitt Romney's Massachusetts universal healthcare reform that required virtually every citizen of the state to purchase healthcare insurance under legislative mandate.

If you would like to see the Massachusetts state income tax form that residents of the state use to prove to the authorities that they have healthcare insurance suitable to the government please click here

Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner Doug Shulman recently suggested that the IRS would "reduce or confiscate" the tax refunds of those individuals who are uninsured under BO's new healthcare law. Thus, the IRS will be the nation's new health care compliance agency!

Beginning in 2014, the penalty for individuals without "acceptable" health coverage starts @ $95 and quickly escalates to $2,085. The Joint Committee on Taxation estimates taxes will increase more than $400 billion over ten years to pay for the new healthcare law.

The IRS will reportedly add 16,500 new agents to enforce the healthcare mandates – adding to the difficulty, cost, and length of time it will take Americans to file their tax returns. Even if you "don't do your own taxes" I suggest that you take a minute just to skim the form to get an idea of why you will be spending extra money to pay your paid preparer to prove that you have the required healthcare insurance.

Source - Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen

FairTax On The Radio - April 15, 2010

For anyone who missed Tod Theise & me on the radio last Thursday just click here to hear the audio.  Tod is a candidate for the U.S. Congress in NJ's 5th district running against incumbent Republican Scott Garrett.  Joyce Estee, the WRNJ News Director & host of the show, presented introductory remarks saying that Mr. Garrett declined to appear on the show because "@ this time he does not discuss the FairTax in public."

 

Washington Tea Party Wrap-up & Beyond

Above is a photo of the Tea Party rally held in Washington DC on April 15 taken @ Freedom Plaza on the doorstep of the Internal Revenue Service Headquarters. FairTax representatives from all over the country participated in a three day event that totaled over 10,000 people. In addition there were over 270,000 electronic marchers including Carol & me - our goal is to get this to 1,000,000. Please let me know if you would like to join this electronic brigade for Tea Party rallies in other cities. A Kansas City Tea Party is scheduled for May 1.

Ken Hoagland did a masterful job as MC of one of the events that included speakers such as Neal Boortz, Congressman Linder, Dick Armey, Michele Bachmann, Grover Norquist, & rapper Politik.

Attending Tea Parties & Town Hall meetings has been & continues to be our only real defense against the onslaught of BO's plans for taking our liberty & freedom from us until we vote in the primaries & again in November.

Unless you are satisfied with the direction of our country please participate any time you can in support.

For those who did not see Ken Hoagland's recent appearance on the Huckabee TV show earlier this month please check it out below. It is terrific.

FairTax - The Litmus Test

Most of you know that Congressman John Linder, lead sponsor of the FairTax legislation, has decided to retire @ the end of this session. Don't worry Congressman Linder will virtually handpick his successor in the bill sponsorship role from many excellent Members.

Congressman Linder recently participated in a telephone conference call & reported that you shouldn't expect a leadership position in the Republican Party if you become a co-sponsor of HR 25. Congressman Linder stated that Republicans got really close to the FairTax when Denny Hastert (FairTax co-sponsor & Former Speaker Of The House) asked Linder to do a program on it at a Republican retreat. John Boehner (current Minority Leader) stopped it showing that there are enemies of the FairTax in both major parties for purely selfish reasons.

Now much of the time that Boehner appears in public he looks like a reasonable man who has America's best interest @ heart - if you only go by what you see in public. What reason could Boehner have to nix the Linder presentation other than he knows the FairTax would be the biggest transfer of power from politicians to the people since the founding of this country - & in particular it is his power, lifestyle, perks, etc that will be affected? And of course Boehner is not alone in his deceptive position - the majority of our elected representatives play the poor against the rich, the weak against the strong, & retirees against workers while all the while favoring one special interest group after another - & all of this @ our expense while they stay in office for decades in powerful plush jobs.

Now I mentioned that the majority of politicians do things like this. However, there is a group of elected reps who have America's interest @ heart. These people, currently numbering sixty seven, have of their own volition signed on as co-sponsors of HR 25 (or its companion bill S296), The FairTax Act Of 2009 - the most important piece of legislation in our lifetime for America.

Not coincidently these sixty seven people are graded "A" or "B" (with only a few recent exceptions) by the National Taxpayers Union. Currently there are no co-sponsors of the FairTax Act among NJ elected reps. Our two NJ senators are both graded "F" by NTU with a 2% favorable rating. NJ also has seven congressmen graded "F" - four of them in single digits - Andrews, Holt, Pallone, & Sires. The other "F"s are Pascrell, Payne, & Rothman with ratings in the teens.

As pitiful as this is there is no doubt that all of these congressmen would become supporters & cosponsors of the FairTax if they thought there was a groundswell of support among their constituents – this is where all of us come in. Politicians are primarily in the reelection business & it is up to us to let them know what it takes for them to be successful to get reelected. I believe that the lowest NTU rated Member of Congress would support & co-sponsor the FairTax if they thought that 51% of their constituents were aggressively for the FairTax & they would not get reelected if they opposed it. I believe that the FairTax would pass in five minutes if everyone who heard of it would pitch in & help spread the word so that our elected reps knew they would be out of office if they did not follow the lead of their constituents.

Politicians & as we have recently profiled, talk show hosts, fall under the same standard. The litmus test is whether or not any of these people support the FairTax, & if not do they provide a reasonable explanation of why not. Then would they debate their question with someone like me or Jim Bennett to see what makes the most sense for America.

We have certainly singled out Glenn Beck on this matter the past several postings on this blog. A great & very thoughtful member of this e-mail club has offered the following suggestion re how to proceed - "I say to send letters and ask to tell the other side, how to get on their shows is beyond me except send a letter once a week or once a month asking, please sir would you give me the opportunity to state the facts, and maybe a 5 minute spot to explain the FairTax story." How courageous! This is exactly one of the points I intend to bring up & the FairTax NJ semi-annual meeting on Saturday - I want to assign leaders to find out why people of power are not behind the FairTax & if they find out they are not, for no good reason, to help get them out of power.

The country is crying for the FairTax as so many people remain unemployed or underemployed. I meet them every day & my heart breaks when I consider the opportunity for life they are missing & the selfish lecherous tendencies of our elites who care nothing for "We The People."

Take your pick from John Boehner to Rush Limbaugh to Newt Gingrich & everyone in between & you have to wonder why they are not for the FairTax. Or do you?

FairTax On WRNJ - April 15

FairTax Community Coordinator Barbara Panella & I have been invited to return to represent the FairTax on tax filing deadline day - April 15 on radio station WRNJ 92.7 FM, 1510 AM, 104.7 FM.  The program airs live this coming Thursday, April 15, from 10 to 10:30 AM.  

 

I have suggested to the host of the show that she also invite Tod Theise - candidate for Congress in the 5th district.  I met Tod @ the Belvidere Tea Party last Saturday - he is very knowledgeable about the FairTax.  Tod has accepted so it should be an excellent discussion.

 

Although the station is very popular in the local area it does not have a powerful signal outside the immediate area so it will be best to log on to http://www.wrnjradio.com to hear it over the internet.  You may call in at (908) 852-1234. 

 

Beck's Turn To Sign?

The Glenn Beck discussion - subject of several recent posts - concerning Beck's statement on his recent TV show regarding his preferring the Flat Tax over the FairTax has continued with several people calling me or stopping by to discuss it - not just sending me e-mails. I appreciate this effort & level of concern. Virtually everyone I have talked to has become very skeptical of everyone's agenda - which is exactly as is should be.

One of many comments I received - "I heard Glenn Beck make that remark about different rates (under the FairTax) for each product on Friday's show" - this is just plain false. The rate is the same for everything & everyone & is @ least partially how the FairTax got its name.

Below is a commentary I received from a FairTax supporter who was in Beck's audience on April 2 & did a tremendous job of trying to educate both Beck & the public - this is the type of stand it takes to make the difference if you can muster the courage:

"My wife and I were in the audience for the "Ask Glenn Anything" episode of the Glenn Beck show which aired on Friday April 2nd.

As has previously been mentioned by others on this forum, Glenn Beck was asked why he supports the flat tax and has not considered the FairTax. Glenn gave an answer that implied that only the flat tax will be fair to all. The show went to a commercial and while the cameras were off, I called out to him saying:

'Glenn, your understanding of the FairTax is incorrect. It charges the same tax to all, it does not favor one product or service over another.'

Glenn left the stage and came over to where I was sitting and said that he believes that different special interests will say 'How can you charge tax on my product or service?' and that Congress will fold and grant exceptions. With extremely limited time, I jumped to my next talking point which was to tell him that our current income tax started as a flat tax but that those single digit tax rates mushroomed into what we have today.

At this point, the show was about to go back on so Glenn headed over to the stage. With seconds until the show resumed recording, I yelled out 'But only 50% of the country pays income tax. There are not enough people to tax!' The show was back on the air, and with our discussion still fresh in his mind, Glenn's first words after returning from the commercial were to say something about having a FairTax person in the audience who debated that last question.

Steven Crowder, http://stevencrowder.ning.com/, comedian and political commentator known for his hilarious YouTube videos like the one he did last summer on the Canadian health care system, facilitated the show by standing in the audience and either reading questions sent in or calling upon audience members. I got to talk to him after the show when he was exiting the Fox News building. He said he didn't quite agree with Glenn Beck on the flat tax, so I gave him the quick elevator pitch and handed him one of my pocket cards before he took off. Steven Crowder has been hired by Fox News to be a regular contributor, and he is in the process of moving to New York from California."

Lastly, below is a comment from a reader of ReturnToExcellence.net that adds more light to the subject of where Beck is coming from re the Flat Tax & the FairTax. It seems that the responder's research resulted in Beck determining that the current administration & Congress could not administer the FairTax properly. I never believe in negotiating with myself or in this case finding reasons why not to pursue the excellence of something like the FairTax. It is true that BO & Pelosi will never support the FairTax for obvious reasons & that is precisely why freedom loving Americans have to get rid of them so that we can find people who will. Beck could help spread the FairTax word that will result in people like Pelosi & BO not being reelected so that we clear the way for FairTax supporters. We can not start soon enough to spread the FairTax word & that is why to me Beck is very suspicious, @ best, & most likely has an agenda that is the opposite of returning America to the liberty to abundance stage of our heritage. If our Founders took a waiting position similar to Beck's on July 4, 1776 they would have been under their beds hiding instead of being @ Independence Hall with pen in hand chomping @ the bit for their turn to sign.

"If you actually investigated further into Glenn Beck's statement, his beliefs are that under the current administration and agenda of Congress, the FairTax could not be administered properly.

I would think he means all the lobbyists, political back room deals, the "good ole boy's" quid pro quo, the earmarks and entitlements embedded into all the bills that seemingly go unnoticed.

Isn't it strange that these hidden items just somehow find their way into bills that basically have nothing to do with the main body of the bill?

While I do not share Mr. Beck's view of the Flat Tax, nor do I agree with everything anyone says, Glenn Beck's statement does hold water based on the current situation we find ourselves in.

I continue to believe that the FairTax would be the correct path to bring our country back.

However, based on Paul Volcker's statement of recent days, a European style of VAT may not be out of the realm of reality. It could be even more of a reality than many think. It wouldn't be a tax …oh no that just wouldn't be right. We'll call it a…..National Recovery and Reinvestment Fee.

Oh gee, now I feel so much better, a fee to recovery and reinvestment. May I remind the administration that I was born one day…….etc.

According to various news sources, officials from the White House responded "Mr. Volcker was speaking for himself and not the administration. The president has not proposed this idea nor is it under consideration".

May I point out that Mr. Volcker is Chairman of the Economic Recovery Advisory Board under President Obama.

So while the WH may distance itself from the statement, I would keep my eyes on all the balls that are currently being balanced in Washington D.C. One or two of those balls may strike you in the face and you may not see it coming. It may even be "rammed down the throats of Americans" as a certain bill that just recently was approved. Or should I say negotiated within some of the "normal ways" Washington does business? "

Christie Embraces Cap & Trade - Still Undecided On Obamacare

Below is a message from Steve Lonegan letting us know that NJ Gov Christie embraces Cap & Trade (New Jersey Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative Act) & is still undecided whether or not to join the other states that are fighting the unconstitutionality (eliminate the individual mandate and stop the Medicaid expansion) of BO's healthcare reform plan just signed into law. Sorry for the two day delay in sending this out - since my original receipt of the message below I have been working with AFP on a technical point regarding their always extensive work that I wanted to clarify concerning Christie's Global Warming Solutions Fund.

There is no talk here of smaller government. In fact it is even worse - the Cap & Trade embrace will expand government. Christie so far is a perfect example of why we have to find candidates who really want to help make a positive difference - not the socialists of all parties that are so prevalent & in power. The first few months after an election is when a new governor or president fights for the agenda he truly believes in while he has the most political capital to spend with the electorate behind him. Just so sorry I wasn't wrong about Christie.

----- Original Message -----

From: Steve Lonegan

To: Doug Hartlove
Sent: Tuesday, April 06, 2010 4:59 PM
Subject: Chris Christie's Global Warming Solutions Fund!

Governor Christie Embraces Cap & Trade Still Undecided On Obamacare The last thing New Jersey needs right now is another job-killing program that will chase businesses out of the State. But that is exactly what Governor Christie is proposing in his budget. Believe it or not, the Governor's budget will mean the implementation of an Obama-style Cap & Trade program that will mean higher energy bills for New Jerseyans and result in more lost jobs when the State is already experiencing double-digit unemployment. The legislation (Bill A4559) actually passed the Legislature back in 2007 but never got off the ground under the Corzine Administration. According to the summary statement: This bill would establish in the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) a carbon dioxide cap-and-trade program for the purpose of reducing carbon dioxide emissions in the State in accordance with the provisions of the "Global Warming Response Act," P.L.2007, c.112. In implementing the program, the DEP would allocate 100 percent of the annual carbon dioxide emissions allowances for public benefit to produce funds for carbon reduction, energy conservation, as well as other projects that benefit electric users. But what Governor Corzine didn't do, Governor Christie is about to. His budget anticipates $65 MILLION in revenue from this program that will be deposited into a "Global Warming Solutions Fund!"(See page 123) The fund's revenues will be used as follows: (1) 60% by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (EDA) to provide grants and other forms of financial assistance to commercial, institutional, and industrial entities to support end-use energy efficiency projects; (2) 20% by the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) to support programs that are designed to reduce electricity demand in the low-income and moderate-income residential sector with a focus on urban areas, including efforts to address "heat island effect" and reduce impacts on ratepayers arising from the enactment of this committee substitute into law; (3) 10% by the DEP to support programs designed to promote local government efforts to plan, develop and implement measures to reduce greenhouse gases; and (4) 10% by the DEP to support programs that enhance the stewardship and restoration of the State's forests and tidal marshes that provide important opportunities to sequester or reduce greenhouse gases. We already know that Cap & Trade would mean 2.2 lost jobs for every 1 created. It would be a massive energy tax that, in Barack Obama's own words, would mean "electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket." The Heritage Foundation estimates that by 2030, Cap & Trade would cost the U.S. $4.8 TRILLION in GDP and result in 3 MILLION jobs lost in the manufacturing sector. Yet somehow Governor Christie hasn't heard this message. The climate change the Governor should be interested in is fixing the business climate in our State. Instead, he's going to make it more difficult for businesses to thrive here due to this misguided initiative. And it will be the people of New Jersey who will suffer for it. Will you sit back and let Governor Christie be swayed by Obamacare supporters? AFP has warned that the battle for your health care freedom would be coming to the states. That battle is well underway here in New Jersey where Governor Christie has yet to decide if he will direct his Attorney General Paula Dow to join the lawsuits filed by over a dozen other states against Obamacare's unconstitutional provisions. Instead, he is still waiting for the advice of the Obamacare supporters in his cabinet. And now a coalition supporting the government takeover of your health care, New Jersey Citizen Action and the NJ for Health Care, is pressuring him to stand down and urging him not to join these lawsuits. You and I cannot sit back and let these far left groups influence the Governor. Sign our petition to Governor Christie now! Tell the Governor to join this battle to protect our health care freedom. Tell him to protect our rights and direct his Attorney General Paula Dow to join with these other states who have filed lawsuits against Obamacare! CLICK HERE NOW TO SIGN THE PETITION! On to Victory, Steve Lonegan State Director For upcoming AFP events, check our calendar HERE! To follow me on Twitter, click here! To follow AFP-NJ on Facebook, click here! Americans for Prosperity® (AFP) is a nationwide organization of citizen leaders committed to advancing every individual's right to economic freedom and opportunity. AFP believes reducing the size and scope of government is the best safeguard to ensuring individual productivity and prosperity for all Americans. AFP educates and engages citizens in support of restraining state and federal government growth, and returning government to its constitutional limits. AFP has more than one million members, including members in all 50 states, and 30 state chapters and affiliates. More than 60,000 Americans in all 50 states have made a financial investment in AFP or AFP Foundation. For more information, visit www.americansforprosperity.org

Responses - Beck's FairTax Position Leads To Questioning His Agenda

Even on Easter Sunday the responses to the subject message have been overwhelming.  Below are four that add something to the discussion.  Response #1 hits the nail on the head -it is not hard to imagine Rush Limbaugh's ego being shattered the day the FairTax is enacted & his competitor Neal Boortz is recognized as being a proponent from the get-go.  That is reason enough for Limbaugh to talk down the FairTax @ our expense.

 

Just as important as uncovering hidden agendas is to contact whoever you follow, if any, & try to educate the talking head hosts - Response # 3 provides insight on this.  We can't just let them continue to spread misleading information whether it is based on economic ignorance or a hidden agenda - when people get wrong information the FairTax grassroots movement can only be hurt & slowed down.  Of course if a host persists when you know he knows better the only alternative is to tune him out & spread the word why you did, like I have done with Limbaugh.

 

Response #4 makes some interesting remarks which I respond to in red from an educational point of view.

 

BTW, have any of the talk show hosts who say they are for the Flat Tax ever mentioned the official name & House number of the Flat Tax bill?  If not, it is hard to believe they are really for it isn't it?

 

---Response #1---

 

BECK AND LIMBAUGH ARE FATTENING THEIR WALLETS ENOUGH TO RISE ABOVE ANY TAX STRUCTURE. THEY ARE NOT CONCERNED AT LOOKING AT THE TRUE ATTRIBUTES OF THE FAIRTAX AND THE BENEFITS AFFORDED TO ALL AND THIS COUNTRY. I ALSO THINK THEIR LACK OF RESEARCH INTO THE FAIRTAX STEMS FROM LOOKING AT NEAL BOORTZ AS A RIVAL BECAUSE OF HIS SUPPORT OF THE FAIRTAX AND THE SUCCESS OF THE FAIRTAX BOOK.

 

---Response #2 ---

 

Thanks Doug....I DO question Beck's agenda! Huckabee makes a lot of sense in his comments about the Fair Tax.

 

--- Response #3 ---

 

Doug,

Good letter. I did not hear Beck's actual comments, did he give a reason for preferring the flat tax?

You hit it on the head, I am not a regular listener of Beck, Limbaugh or O'Reilly for that matter, but when I listen the one thing that comes out is, they are not really economically sharp. I think they mean well (that is a big benefit of the doubt), but they really don't get it. Ever listen to O'Reilly's take on capitalism? It is hilarious. But they do have big egos. And they will not respond to us (since their ego will not let them) but they will to people they think are smarter than they on the subject.

So the key is to contact  people they respect, and have their attention to explain the superiority of The FairTax vs the Flat Tax.  Namely people like Walter Williams and Thomas Sowell.  If you want to turn them (radio hosts) , you may want to contact these men and see if they can explain it to our radio talking heads. Chances are you will exert more influence by following this path.

Have a Happy Easter

 

---Response #4 ---

Beck's tax issue, what I heard he preferred the flat tax over FairTax for fear that items will be taxed differently some more than others at a higher tax rate - there is only one FairTax rate which is @ the heart of how it got its name.  With the flat tax it would "never" go over 12%, was Beck's emphasis - Beck is wrong if he said this, which is why he is dangerous. Check the Flat Tax bill, the rates are 17% & 19% plus you have to add taxes for both Social Security & Medicare further raising the combined rate.  Also with the Flat Tax the embedded taxes like the corporate income tax are still in the goods & services we buy.   It all depends how the law is written for either - there are bills for both already written & the rates are well known.  As I said before hearing of any tax change , no tax policy can be increased if or when Washington is purged of the system we have now. NO CHANGE IN RATES FOREVER, for either program. That is the selling point, otherwise any system will return to what we have.  You have a better chance of this happening under the FairTax where everyone sees exactly what they are paying in federal taxes every day @ the check-out counter.  In fact under the FairTax you have a great chance that the rate will drop when people see their money disappear for worthless boondoggles. The current 70,000 page code & tax rulings started as a simple flat tax in 1913.    These talk shows are very good for the public uncovering Washington deals, lies, and much more, none of them talk very much about the tax issue other than cutting taxes.  Even the NY Times has to supply a good sports page, crossword puzzle, or book review section to get people to buy the paper - the talk shows play to a conservative audience who want to hear the message that the hosts are masters @ presenting - sometimes it does some good for the country but always after the Limbaughs & Becks have been paid.

Beck's FairTax Position Leads To Questioning His Agenda

Thanks to all the people who expressed genuine concern & sorrow in letting me know that Glenn Beck stated on his TV show that he preferred the Flat Tax over the FairTax. Below is an excellent letter by Jim Bennett to Beck that addresses the matter.

Beck has been a disappointment on this issue for @ least a year - he ran a poll in 2009 promising study of the top ten finishers of issues of concern to his viewers & dropped the project when the FairTax finished @ the top or no worse than second. I will be putting a message out soon on ReturnToExcellence.net entitled "FairTax - The Litmus Test" that I have been thinking about for some time. I will explain why you have to question the agenda of any one you follow (politician, radio host, TV host, etc.) who is not for the FairTax if they cannot give a good reason that makes sense to you why they are not for it - if they give a sensible reason I would be happy to address it with them, but of course they don't want to get into that with someone like Jim Bennett or me; e.g.; Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen runs from the issue & will not face us.

I stopped listening to Rush Limbaugh over two years ago when he deliberately lied about the FairTax in February 2008. Limbaugh knew better when he said "what nut would be for any tax system that would result in prices being 30% higher?" The next day Neal Boortz said on his radio show that Limbaugh's comment was like someone sticking a knife in his back. Limbaugh & Beck are excellent speakers & make a tremendous living - I believe they could be just as persuasive arguing a position written by Alan Colmes. The fact they don't back the FairTax is proof to me they are either economically illiterate or have other agendas & despite the persuasive rhetoric that agenda is not the pure helping of America.

Please think about this with an open mind. Go to ReturnToExcellence.net & click on "The FairTax" on the left hand side. There are two Mike Huckabee videos listed. Just tell me who that is for America could be against what Huckabee says on these videos. If not convinced do you own study as I always recommend & make up your own mind. The FairTax is based on economic common sense - not rhetoric that really can be very cheap no matter how eloquently or seemingly sincere it is delivered & expressed.

BTW, did Beck say what he was doing to promote the Flat Tax other than say he was for it over the FairTax, & then only whenever the FairTax comes up. The Flat Tax bill has four co-sponsors the last time I checked. The FairTax bill has 67. Has Beck ever regularly promoted the Flat Tax bill on his show? No, I didn't think so.

Dear Glenn,

When New Jersey Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen talked about the FairTax and put forward the canard about losing the mortgage interest deduction, I started using that as material in my FairTax talks ever since - naming Frelinghuysen by name. Similarly, when you respond to a viewer question about the FairTax saying it would assess different tax rates for different product categories, you invite a similar response.

The time when you can get away with making inaccurate statements about the FairTax is coming to a close. People are increasingly on to it.

You would do better to learn the facts and be more accurate about this game-changing tax reform proposal. Please let me know if you or your staff will receive a briefing. I am available to come to New York.

Ken Hoagland On Huckabee TV Show On FNC

Below is a note that Carol received from Ken Hoagland.  Huckabee is the highest rated weekend cable show so this will be good exposure for the FairTax. 

Dear Carol,
 
Just a note to remind you that my delayed interview with Mike Huckabee will air this weekend on FOX. Check your local listing for "Huckabee" to catch me talking about the FairTax, the Online Tax Revolt, and our work together to make this "The Year of the FairTax."
 
We're all very busy right now, as you might imagine, and I plan to write you with more details later. In the meantime, FairTax infomercial and TV ads start up in many cities this weekend, our plans for the April 15th rallies in Washington are moving ahead at light speed and with great intensity, and the Online Tax Revolt now has more than 200,000 people marching, including many well-known leaders (www.OnlineTaxRevolt.com).
 
We are on the move because of your help.
 
Thank you,
 
Ken

De-Fund Healthcare - De-Fang The Dragon

Below is a letter written by a subscriber to ReturnToExcellence.net to his Congressman Leonard Lance regarding Congress controlling the purse strings by refusing to fund the various programs that the healthcare bill created.  Of course this is not possible before 2011 & is the most important reason why we need a new majority elected in November in @ least one House of Congress.  Carol wonders if this new majority would have the courage to do something like this.

 

The great Victor Davis Hanson, Senior Fellow @ The Hoover Institution @ Stanford, summed up the healthcare matter as follows: "The bill was not really about medicine; after all, a moderately priced, relatively small federal program could offer the poorer not now insured, presently not on Medicare or state programs like Medicaid or Medical, a base medical plan..."  And of course I wrapped up a recent posting as follows: "So out of the so-called 47 million uninsured Americans, 10 million aren't American, 9 million are insured, & 17 million are young and healthy & choose not to have insurance. If the federal government wants to get into this why not just have a program to help the 8.2 million to 13.9 million people who really could use the help?"  The 8.2 to 13.9 million who could really use the help is what is referred to in the letter below as the "3%... hard-core uninsured."  

 

Dear Congressman Lance,

I heard a good suggestion (credit goes to Dick Morris) about Healthcare that I would like to pass on to you. While it is unlikely that Congress will be able to repeal the Obama healthcare bill next year and override a Presidential veto, Congress does have control of the purse strings.

As one who shares your study of history, I can point out that Parliament, in 17th century England, found a way to make King Charles listen. As did Parliament, you can refuse to fund the programs that the healthcare statute creates. You may recall that, when King Charles tried to circumvent Parliament by looking to ship money, he lost his head. I am not suggesting that as a 21st century remedy!

But de-funding healthcare is a way to de-fang the dragon. This dragon threatens to give away our future for the benefit of perhaps 3% of the population that is hard-core uninsured. Sensible measures, instead, to control medical costs are the first step on the way to solving the real problem.