Everyone knows the income tax system is broken. It gives breaks to the wealthy and penalizes the low income. It's too complicated. It's driving business overseas to escape. But honest debate about how to fix it is impossible when politicians and Washington, D.C.-based special interests misrepresent proposals that can help taxpayers, the economy, and our nation.
Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, and Independents can unite in support of the FAirTax once they know the facts.
But before we get those facts, let me give you a very short overview of the birth of the “FairTax”. It got it’s beginning in Houston, Texas. Quoting from The FairTax book, “A Houston businessman served on the boards of several major corporations. After returning from one board meeting, the businessman complained to friends that fully 80 percent of the meeting was essentially wasted on discussions of the tax implications of virtually every business decision they discussed. ‘We should be worrying about our customers, our employees, and our shareholders,’ the businessman complained. ‘Not the federal government.’ The businessman kept complaining until one of his friends said, ‘Well, why don’t you do something about it?’ He did. He started the group ‘Americans for Fair Taxation (AFFT)’. They sought donations and several million dollars was raised.
Before The FairTax Book and the FairTax bills (H.R. 25/S.1025) ever came into existence, $22 million and ten years of research was done by some of the best economic minds in the country on tax issues. The researchers for AFFT came from Harvard U., Boston U., Stanford U., Rice U., MIT and the National Bureau of Economic Research, just to name a few. Unlike revenue bills that are put together in the back rooms by Congressional Aides and their special interest lobbyists, the academic research results were constantly exposed to real life tax payers. Further, a diverse array of methodologies were used to thoroughly test the “FairTax” idea with the public and many rounds of testing were done before the bills were ever written and introduced to Congress. In other words, the homework was done before the nonpartisan bills were written.
Now to the “FairTax” itself. There is no way I can go into all of the issues or even go into detail on some of them. What I can do is summarize the “FairTax”.
WHAT'S RIGHT ABOUT THE FAIRTAX?
***It's a transparent national retail sales tax of 23 percent on all NEW goods and services that replaces ALL corporate and individual income taxes, payroll taxes, self-employment taxes, capital gains taxes, estate taxes, gift taxes, social security check, pension check, etc.
***It prebates the sales tax on all spending up to the poverty level; the poor will pay no taxes.
***No more withholding from your paycheck--you get it all.
***Illegal immigrants and outlaws will pay tax.
***Business can lower costs since they will pay less tax. This offsets the 23% and makes it revenue-neutral.
***It repeals the 16th Amendment.
RAMIFICATIONS OF THE FAIRTAX
***The US WILL become the tax haven of the world overnight--literally.
***Business and capital flood into the United States, increasing jobs, and reestablishing the manufacturing base.
***The prices of U.S. exports become more competitive on the world market as embedded costs of the tax code are gone.
***All citizens will have CHOICE as to if, when, and how much tax they pay based on spending bahits (no more government confiscation).
***Tax base will be HUGE: every person on the face of the earth buying anything NEW at the retail level in the US will be contributing to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, the Military, etc.
***No preferential tax treatment.
***Since 10% of retailers collect 90% of current sales taxes, compliance will be easier and the cost of collection will drop dramatically.
***Social Security and Medicre are funded and unchanged.
***Simple, proven, efficient, effective, transparent, inexpensive taxing mechanism that allows no favoritism (even a second-grader can understand it).
***Charitable contgributions increase as does the purchasing power of the charitably given dollar.
***The greatest transfer of power back to the people since our country began. WHY? Because when, where, and how YOU spend your money is largely responsible for determining the direction YOUR country takes.
There is strong opposition to “FairTax”. It comes mainly from special interest groups and their lobbyists; from millionaires whose money does not come from earned income; from power hungry politicians who depend upon money from special interests to get reelected; and from those who have a wrong idea of what “FairTax” will or will not do.
The economists who have looked at this plan have said that it is structurally sound and makes good economic sense. An open letter was signed by 80 of these economists—representing practicing economists, former members of the Federal Reserve Board, and academic department chairs—that was addressed to the President, the Congress and the American people, endorsing the “FairTax” and calling for its passage in Congress.
I will now close with these final words. The “FairTax” would allow for families across the financial spectrum to save more money for retirement, medical expenses, vacations, college, and so on. Can you imagine looking forward to April 15 as just another day. What a dream! But, if we can work together, this dream can become a reality. Put away the partisanship and the rivalries. This is not about Republicans or Democrats. This is about getting our government under control. This is about what is fair for all Americans. This is about all American who want jobs, to have jobs.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Iron Mountain Revisited
As I post this article, oil has been over $140 a barrel; regular gas is over $4 a gallon; the dollar continues to decline; and we are in the midst of recession/inflation/soaring trade deficits/ decreased economic growth.
And what does Congress propose to do about it? Instead of listening to the scientists who are saying that the northern Hemisphere has endured its coldest winter in decades or observing that around the world, vast areas have been buried under some of the heaviest snowfalls in decades, they are listening to Al Gore’s lectures about mankind’s alleged impact on the global climate. There solution is “America’s Climate Security Act”.
How in the world did we get ourselves in such a mess? If you will allow me, I will take you back a few years and show you exactly how it all started.
In the early 1960s fifteen Establishment Insiders--men from a variety of disciplines, each a recognized authority in his field—were members of a secret government think-tank that met at Iron Mountain, New York in an underground nuclear hideout. Its objective was to “determine accurately and realistically, the nature of the problems that would confront the United States if and when a condition of ‘permanent peace’ should arrive, and to draft a program for dealing with this contingency.”
The findings of this study group were published in 1967 by Dial Press with the title, “Report From Iron Mountain on the Possibility and Desirability of Peace.”
To make a long story short, The Report stated that “war itself is the basic social system, within which other secondary modes of social organization conflict or conspire.” And since war is a system of order, it cannot simply be abolished, it has to be replaced with a strong surrogate.
According to The Report, a war-surrogate should present a serious believable, external threat. The threat should be of a scope and magnitude that demands both “social organization and material extravagance [wasteful enough to squander at least 10% of our gross national product] to combat it.”
Of all the possible substitutes for war that the Group considered, it thought environmentalism was probably the most credible and effective. However it believed that it would take 30 to 40 years to mature and reach an obvious danger point.
On April 22, 1970, President Richard M. Nixon declared the first Earth day and later that year established the Environmental Protection Agency. During this same month an article appeared in the most important Insider publication, “Foreign Affairs”, written by George F. Kennan entitled “To Prevent A World Wasteland…A Proposal”. This article offers a blueprint for making the “idea” of Iron Mountain happen. Then in 1991, The Trilateral Commission published Jim MacNeill’s book, Beyond Interdependence, which openly admitted that environmental issues are “rightly moving onto the central policy agenda.”
Finally, right on cue, 30 years from the meeting at Iron Mountain, environmentalism matured with Al Gore’s bestselling book, "Earth in the Balance", telling us “we must make the rescue of the environment the central organizing principle for civilization.”
Now you know why we are in such a mess today—environmentalism, the Insiders tool for control, trumps everything, including drilling for oil. Perhaps we should let Professor Mark Pilisuk of U.C. Berkeley conclude this discussion when he said, “My great fear is…that the Report [Iron Mountain Report] describes a process of controlling the future that is too far along for warnings to be of value.”
And what does Congress propose to do about it? Instead of listening to the scientists who are saying that the northern Hemisphere has endured its coldest winter in decades or observing that around the world, vast areas have been buried under some of the heaviest snowfalls in decades, they are listening to Al Gore’s lectures about mankind’s alleged impact on the global climate. There solution is “America’s Climate Security Act”.
How in the world did we get ourselves in such a mess? If you will allow me, I will take you back a few years and show you exactly how it all started.
In the early 1960s fifteen Establishment Insiders--men from a variety of disciplines, each a recognized authority in his field—were members of a secret government think-tank that met at Iron Mountain, New York in an underground nuclear hideout. Its objective was to “determine accurately and realistically, the nature of the problems that would confront the United States if and when a condition of ‘permanent peace’ should arrive, and to draft a program for dealing with this contingency.”
The findings of this study group were published in 1967 by Dial Press with the title, “Report From Iron Mountain on the Possibility and Desirability of Peace.”
To make a long story short, The Report stated that “war itself is the basic social system, within which other secondary modes of social organization conflict or conspire.” And since war is a system of order, it cannot simply be abolished, it has to be replaced with a strong surrogate.
According to The Report, a war-surrogate should present a serious believable, external threat. The threat should be of a scope and magnitude that demands both “social organization and material extravagance [wasteful enough to squander at least 10% of our gross national product] to combat it.”
Of all the possible substitutes for war that the Group considered, it thought environmentalism was probably the most credible and effective. However it believed that it would take 30 to 40 years to mature and reach an obvious danger point.
On April 22, 1970, President Richard M. Nixon declared the first Earth day and later that year established the Environmental Protection Agency. During this same month an article appeared in the most important Insider publication, “Foreign Affairs”, written by George F. Kennan entitled “To Prevent A World Wasteland…A Proposal”. This article offers a blueprint for making the “idea” of Iron Mountain happen. Then in 1991, The Trilateral Commission published Jim MacNeill’s book, Beyond Interdependence, which openly admitted that environmental issues are “rightly moving onto the central policy agenda.”
Finally, right on cue, 30 years from the meeting at Iron Mountain, environmentalism matured with Al Gore’s bestselling book, "Earth in the Balance", telling us “we must make the rescue of the environment the central organizing principle for civilization.”
Now you know why we are in such a mess today—environmentalism, the Insiders tool for control, trumps everything, including drilling for oil. Perhaps we should let Professor Mark Pilisuk of U.C. Berkeley conclude this discussion when he said, “My great fear is…that the Report [Iron Mountain Report] describes a process of controlling the future that is too far along for warnings to be of value.”
Sunday, July 20, 2008
E-Book
Positive Plus!
How to Turn Defeat into Victory
and Failure into Prosperity
PREFACE
During my student years in college and seminary, my seven years as a church pastor, and my twenty-one years as a Navy Chaplain on active duty, I used my spare time to research the secret of success. My research helped me to develop several well-received lectures, seminars and workshops.
All through this period of time I had the dream of some day writing a book based upon my research. That dream became a burning desire that I finally acted upon. I have now written my book titled Positive Plus, because it is one step beyond “Positive Thinking”.
Positive Plus explains four great secrets (principles) of success, which, when understood and mastered, will assure that you not only recognize opportunities when they come, and know what to do with them, but you will actually be able to make those opportunities happen in the first place.
PRINCIPLE #1…
The RETICULAR ACTIVATOR SYSTEM is the brain’s filtering device that filters
out all information that is of no perceived value or threat to the individual. This principle is so powerful, it plays a major role in making us what we are today.
PRINCIPLE #2…
No one rises above what he believes, therefore, the LAW OF BELIEVING, the greatest law in the world, is the foundation for wealth…the formula for success…the secret of the ages.
PRINCIPLE #3…
Believing becomes reality with appropriate action: GOAL SETTING. A couple of the guidelines of goal setting will knock your socks off!!
PRINCIPLE #4…
The powerhouse of the mind is the subconscious, which works through visualization and auto suggestion. This is best accomplished by the technique I call INTERNAL SELF-REGULATION.
Yes, I have studied the books: The Law Of Success, Think and Grow Rich, The Power of Positive Thinking, Psycho-Cybernetics, The Magic of Believing, How to Win Friends and Influence People, just to name a few. I have attended the seminars: “Getting It Together”, ”Breaking Barriers”, “Power For Abundant Living”, ”Giblin Human Relations Clinic”. You name it, I probably attended. And I have put out my share of the $$$$. In my opinion, Positive Plus has better, more understandable, usable information than any of them…hands down! You read it and see if you don’t agree with me.
One last thought. In this book I am dealing with INFORMATION that just might be for you that “pearl of great price” which helps you…
TURN DEFEAT INTO VICTORY
AND FAILURE INTO PROSPERITY!
Wayne L. Niederhuth
June 2005
If this whets your appetite, send an email to wlnader@aol.com and ask for the book Positive Plus and I will email you back with the book as an attachment, absolutely free!
How to Turn Defeat into Victory
and Failure into Prosperity
PREFACE
During my student years in college and seminary, my seven years as a church pastor, and my twenty-one years as a Navy Chaplain on active duty, I used my spare time to research the secret of success. My research helped me to develop several well-received lectures, seminars and workshops.
All through this period of time I had the dream of some day writing a book based upon my research. That dream became a burning desire that I finally acted upon. I have now written my book titled Positive Plus, because it is one step beyond “Positive Thinking”.
Positive Plus explains four great secrets (principles) of success, which, when understood and mastered, will assure that you not only recognize opportunities when they come, and know what to do with them, but you will actually be able to make those opportunities happen in the first place.
PRINCIPLE #1…
The RETICULAR ACTIVATOR SYSTEM is the brain’s filtering device that filters
out all information that is of no perceived value or threat to the individual. This principle is so powerful, it plays a major role in making us what we are today.
PRINCIPLE #2…
No one rises above what he believes, therefore, the LAW OF BELIEVING, the greatest law in the world, is the foundation for wealth…the formula for success…the secret of the ages.
PRINCIPLE #3…
Believing becomes reality with appropriate action: GOAL SETTING. A couple of the guidelines of goal setting will knock your socks off!!
PRINCIPLE #4…
The powerhouse of the mind is the subconscious, which works through visualization and auto suggestion. This is best accomplished by the technique I call INTERNAL SELF-REGULATION.
Yes, I have studied the books: The Law Of Success, Think and Grow Rich, The Power of Positive Thinking, Psycho-Cybernetics, The Magic of Believing, How to Win Friends and Influence People, just to name a few. I have attended the seminars: “Getting It Together”, ”Breaking Barriers”, “Power For Abundant Living”, ”Giblin Human Relations Clinic”. You name it, I probably attended. And I have put out my share of the $$$$. In my opinion, Positive Plus has better, more understandable, usable information than any of them…hands down! You read it and see if you don’t agree with me.
One last thought. In this book I am dealing with INFORMATION that just might be for you that “pearl of great price” which helps you…
TURN DEFEAT INTO VICTORY
AND FAILURE INTO PROSPERITY!
Wayne L. Niederhuth
June 2005
If this whets your appetite, send an email to wlnader@aol.com and ask for the book Positive Plus and I will email you back with the book as an attachment, absolutely free!
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