1Declaration: Free Markets, Free People, Free Minds

Not scary enough?

General election is 3 days away, in the hands of a seemingly complacent America getting ready to elect socialist Democrats or slightly less socialist Republicans.

Happy Halloween!

It is now clear: John McCain cannot win the election.

There is not one reasonable poll suggesting that he has a chance. While Republicans have long dominated absentee ballot collections and early voting, this year, this is not the case.

So the next question America needs to ask is do we want the socialism and one-party corruption of an Obama administration, or the free-markets, low taxes, small government and more personal freedom of Bob Barr?

The contrast could not be more stark. Monday evening, on The Lehrer News Hour, Bob was clear on the issues. He offered a vision for our nation’s economic future. He contrasted his views with those of his opponents and when it was over, it was clear that only Bob Barr has the courage and guts to take on our national problems and lead us for the next four years.

In the 13 days until the election, it is clear that momentum is gaining for this campaign.

For one, many Republican recognize that John McCain will lose. If they are principled conservatives they are beginning to ask what will become of their party in the future. The moderate to liberal wings are not saddened by a McCain defeat.

If a principled conservative wants to have his or her voice heard in both political parties, they should vote for Bob Barr. A vote for Barr will be counted as a protest against the Bush/McCain big spending policies.

To keep reading the article by Russ Verney click here or find out more about Bob Barr click here.

Discussing politics is a common area of verbal discourse for myself. I come across a wide variety of people with many different thoughts on the role of government in the daily lives of its citizens. Recent discussions have been on my choice for President, Senators, and Congressmen and subsequent scorn I have received for standing on the principles set out by the founding fathers. I was scorned for wanting to hold my leaders accountable for their actions. Apparently now is not the time for accountability from what I was told. Instead I have to vote for one man because of fear of the other when both options are equally atrocious.

So...when is the time for accountability?

Our political leaders have voted on a disastrous bailout plan putting the American taxpayer at greater risk than we were in before. We are told for the greater need for more social programs at the burden of others (another term for this is THEFT). We are told that the reason for taxation is not to run the basic operations of government: the administration of justice, the pursuit of a common defense, or the protection of Liberty, but instead for "fairness."

The harder we work, the more we are penalized for the benefit of others who choose to leech off the lifeblood of others. The more insecurity that comes against us in this world, the more civil liberties the US government takes from us in the name of our own security. Ben Franklin stated it best that "those who would give up essential Liberty for a little temporary Safety deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." When we complain that taxes are too high we are told we are not patriotic enough, too greedy, or that we are not doing our part to take care of the "less fortunate." Perhaps it is the reverse as Thomas Jefferson, architect of the Declaration of Independence and one of the principle minds of the US Constitution, who stated that "
[t]o compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves and abhors, is sinful and tyrannical."

When is the time to hold our leaders accountable to the Constitution? When will Americans learn that a vote out of fear for the alternative is a net negative for our country, not a net positive? When will Americans realize that we are being destroyed not by external sources but by our own selfishness as Abraham Lincoln correctly predicted an Alexander Tytler wrote about? When will Americans head the advice of our founding fathers to not rely on government? When will Americans remember our origins and our struggle for Liberty against the tyranny of government?

When is the time for accountability?

Haven't figured out who you are voting for like I have, well I have the perfect answer to your problem that should help you give you the information you need to narrow down this very difficult and confusing choice. This informative video shows why simple, average, middle class Americans are voting for Democrat Barack Obama this November 4th and why you should too. If you haven't ever understood the reasons before, you will now.

Go put a bag of popcorn in the microwave, grab your favorite beverage, and sit back and enjoy!

Last night if you are unaware the Senate passed a horrid bailout bill (socialist in nature) to bailout the financial markets from their own reckless behavior and against the wishes of the American people. Not to mention the numerous earmarks included in the bill briefly outlined below.

New Tax earmarks in Bailout bill

- Film and Television Productions (Sec. 502)
- Wooden Arrows designed for use by children (Sec. 503)
- 6 page package of earmarks for litigants in the 1989 Exxon Valdez incident, Alaska (Sec. 504)

Tax earmark “extenders” in the bailout bill

- Virgin Island and Puerto Rican Rum (Section 308)
- American Samoa (Sec. 309)
- Mine Rescue Teams (Sec. 310)
- Mine Safety Equipment (Sec. 311)
- Domestic Production Activities in Puerto Rico (Sec. 312)
- Indian Tribes (Sec. 314, 315)
- Railroads (Sec. 316)
- Auto Racing Tracks (317)
- District of Columbia (Sec. 322)
- Wool Research (Sec. 325)

Not to mention on top of this a tax hike on oil and gas companies that will further increase the price of a gallon of gas. Check out this article in the Houston Chronicle about this issue.

John McCain: A Conservative who will NOT support a bill with Earmarks - Oh Really?

John McCain's vote in support of this bill offers a clear image of the deception he has espoused in his rhetoric about not signing or supporting a bill with an earmark. Not to mention sacrificing conservative/libertarian economic ideology that offers the idea that government should not intervene in the free markets as it is counter productive to solving problems, slows the rectification of economic woes, and sets a precedence for reckless business practices in the future by removing the consequences for failure.

The free market is the best avenue for opportunity and prosperity for all Americans. Too bad this bill espousing government intervention is more in line with the neo-liberal* socialist ideology of the US Democratic Party. So much for the idea of being a principled conservative Senator McCain.

Barack Obama's vote for a socialist government intervention is to say the least expected. No deception or lies on his part on this issue.

I would urge you all to vote for the only Presidential candidate that has opposed the Bush-McCain-Obama-Bailout (B.O.M.B.) watching out for the American taxpayer: Libertarian Bob Barr.

Correspondence to Texas Senators John Cornyn (up for reelection) and Kay Bailey Hutchinson

To the Honorable Senators John Cornyn and Kay Bailey Hutchinson,

Tonight I was dismayed and surprised to see your "Aye" vote on the Financial Bailout issue. This vote is directly contrary to traditional conservative or in my case libertarian economic philosophy. Government intervention in the marketplace exacerbates problems and slows the correction of the problems.

Your vote precipitated by fear instead of rationality, big government solutions (bordering socialist) instead of free market principles marks a dark day for this great nation that will breed further fiscal irresponsibility and recklessness by corporations, CEO's and individuals. This sets poor precedence for the future as it breeds a sense of government dependency and irresponsibility for both corporations and individuals by removing the consequences for failure.

Free markets cannot be free without the right succeed and the right to fail. Removing the first breeds economic and job stagnation. Removing the latter breeds complacency for responsibility and accountability. The free market is the best avenue for prosperity and opportunity for all Americans. Without both aspects due to governmental intervention, economic prospects and the American people suffer.

This Congressional action is on the same level of the abhorrent Patriot Act that was hastily enacted by the use of fear instead of rationality and disregarding the consequences of the further erosion of civil liberties and the Constitution for governmental expediency and power.

As it stands, you can no longer count on my vote in the upcoming election or in the future.

In Liberty,
skeiser

With any luck and a lot of constituent correspondence the bailout bill will once again fail in the House vote on Friday but only if you act as a reasonable voice of opposition.

Make your declaration!

Politicians and bankers are telling us our economy is in a downturn but many refuse to believe it. They tell the American people that we need to sacrifice our tax dollars to bail out another persons or companies failure to make responsible fiscal decisions. We are told the American economy cannot rebound without intervention. Neo-conservatives like John McCain have abandoned the belief in free market principles and are now espousing socialist ideology to nationalize mortgages and company debt instead of traditional conservative ideology that espouses belief in laissez faire principles that allows for companies to succeed or fail without government intervention. Obama's socialist position are of no surprise.

The markets are in desperate need of capital yet both John McCain and Barack Obama have left the possibility or in some cases the guarantee to increase taxes. It does not matter if it is capital gains, income, payroll, or corporate. They all have the same net effect. Reduce the amount of money available for investment from Americans and businesses. These forms of taxation act as a hinderance to economic growth and in turn job creation. The question is how to increase capital into the market as savings rates by American society has turned into an average net negative, meaning Americans on average not have a negative amount of savings allowing for the accumulation of debt.

Instead of offering one of many temporary solutions the politicians should be discussing a complete change in the tax policy of the country. The current tax policy punishes hard work and high achievement by taxing higher income levels at higher rates. I have no problem with a progressive form of taxation but it should not be based on income level. The current tax policy stifles savings and investment by taxing capital gains from these investments (this is the major issue in the credit crisis). The capital gains tax needs to be abolished.

Next step, stop taxing corporations. I know this sounds crazy. If you examine the idea though it solves some major problems. Currently the corporate tax rate is at 35%. This is the second highest in the industrialized world. This is a negative impact on attracting corporations to relocate to the United States (i.e. the recent move of Haliburton to the UAE to escape high tax rates) as well as fostering economic growth. Reducing income levels through taxation limits the amount of reinvestment in development of operations within businesses and amongst businesses acting as an inhibitor to economic growth. Coincidentally the level of economic growth inhibition directly effects the ability of corporations to expand employment. Add on top of this the mandatory matching donation that is required for corporations to the bankrupt Social Security fund. This offers yet another reason to the slowing job creation rate in the United States and an impetus for corporations to export domestic jobs to China, India, and other international locations. Not to mention eliminating corporate tax rates will remove the 16-28% embedded tax rates on goods and services corporations pass along to consumers. You understood that correctly, corporations do not really pay the taxes; they merely pass them onto the consumer.

Finally we eliminate the payroll taxes (Social Security - I have touched on this a bit already, Medicare, Medicaid, etc). These taxes are highly regressive* in nature hurting low income earners the most.

So now where do we go? After all I have eliminated the income tax, capital gains tax, corporate taxes, and the highly regressive payroll taxes, not to mention other forms of taxation that you must account for to the IRS each year.

Simple, repeal the 16th Amendment, which the founding fathers would be highly critical of because it violates the 4th Amendment.

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Poverty Level and the Prebate
Source: FairTax.org

The prebate will be sent out each month to cover the cost on taxes up to poverty level spending. This could be done electronically into a credit account (several major credit card companies have expressed interests in even covering the cost incurred by the government).

The prebate ensures that those who do not have the ability to pay are not taxed or taxed at a lower level than those who have the ability to pay. For instance a family that would spend at twice the poverty level would incur a taxation rate of 11.5%. Those who spend no more than the poverty level would have a taxation rate of 0%. Those who spend more will be taxed at a rate that will come infinitely close to the 23% tax rate. The prebate ensures a progressive form of taxation is maintained and helps foster savings and investments by effectively giving the individual the control over their tax rate level.

Why not just not tax food and other necessities instead of issuing the prebate? The answer is simple. Those who have the ability to afford more will do so giving them tax reductions on things that are no longer necessity but luxury.

The FairTax is not a regressive form of taxation. No non-citizen would be eligible for the prebate.

Moving the Burden off of US Citizens?

The FairTax because it is a nationalized sales tax and not based on income or investments will then tax every foreign visitor, illegal alien, and even the black market economy of drugs, prostitution, and the like. How? The FairTax is a nationalized sales tax meaning that every new item purchase is taxed. Stores don't ask to see ID's, passports, or as to see where you are working. Earnings are not reported and therefore privacy is ensured.

Those who were not previously taxed for their income because of legality of the profession or because they were aliens to the country suddenly are being taxed.

No More April 15th Headaches

Because taxation would be a national sales tax and not based on income there would be no more tax day. No more countless hours crunching numbers, no more wasted money to pay advisors or software to file your taxes, and no more stress. Best of all you would not have to validate the government deductions or be subject to a tax audit making you waste more of your time and remove your privacy.

Each year you would file a single sheet with the government with updates on bank or address information, the number of dependents living in your household, and the Social Security number for purposes of the prebate. No non-citizen would be eligible for the prebate.

FairTax: More Power to the People

Political commentators and news agencies always purport the idea of letting the people speak up. In all honesty though we have few avenues for recourse and politicians seem generally unwilling to listen. The FairTax solves that problem too. If Americans do not like what the government is doing and want to help change its course all you have to do is reduce your spending and put the politicians back into their place. That is a representative for their constituents not looking after their own self interests.

The FairTax gives power to the people to determine their own tax rate and truly get ahead by removing the punishments the current tax code instills. More power, more control, and a fair tax code.

Best of all the FairTax upholds the original principles the Constitution without a separate amendment. You have your right to be secure in their papers that the 4th Amendment provides. Since as originally written the Constitution is a limit on governmental power not the people this is a movement back to the original founding principles of our country.

FairTax Benefits

In addition to the benefits I described above the FairTax has several other benefits. Since America will no longer have a corporate tax, the United States will become the ultimate tax haven for corporations around the world. Corporations will be flooding into this country starting a landslide of economic growth that has not been seen in decades and would rival China's economic growth of the past 3 decades. This means more jobs, more pay raises, and more incentives to work harder. 5% unemployment will no longer be considered full employment. People of all classes especially those in the lowest income or those will little educational training will benefit the most.

13 trillion...Its just a number right? Wrong? $13 trillion is currently being held in offshore accounts to avoid the overbearing US tax system. It is just sitting not working to the advantage of you and me. When the overbearing tax system ends, these funds will return to the saftey of America. These funds can be spent and invested. Simply stated this means economic growth and in turn job growth and security.

The FairTax eliminates the IRS. Possibly the most hated agency in America and an unnecessary government bureaucracy will be eliminated in favor of a far more manageable and cost effective system of tax enforcement. Instead of over 200 million people and entities to enforce, enforcement becomes easier and cheaper because taxes would only have to be collected from the final point of sale purchases and a handful account for over 90% of all economic transactions in the US a year. A study done on the IRS found that less than 30% of the time when an inquiry was made for tax information or help that a correct answer was given the first time. This only adds to the aggravation of tax payers who will then have to go through a tax audit and get assessed fines for a mistake made by the IRS.

The FairTax eliminates over 70,000 pages of regulations in favor of a simple transparent system of just over 100 pages. This means no longer will politicians be able to favor one group over another since income and corporate taxes are gone. The class warfare rhetoric will be a thing of the past since every income group pays the same rate. Transparency and simplicity means less political rhetoric, tax evasion, and influence of lobbyists.

Current Efforts

The FairTax is a nonpartisan tax policy that of all alternative forms of taxation has the most political support by our leaders 73 in the House of Representatives and 5 in the Senate. To view view current Congressional leaders who support this movement click here. Checkout the Presidential support here. You can view Congressional co-sponsors here. If your representative does not support the FairTax send them an email or give them a call. Let them know why they should support the ultimate bailout plan for Americans.

To become a citizen co-sponsor of House Bill 25 with Sponsor Georgia Representative John Linder (R) click here.

Conclusion

We need capital and we need it now. This is the real problem in the credit crisis. The average American is in debt. The answer is simple and will resolve many problems at once in adopting the FairTax. The FairTax takes away the punishment for providing capital by no longer taxing investments and savings. The FairTax will spur economic growth. The FairTax will create unprecedented job growth.

Imagine an America where you are no loner penalized for responsibility, have to give up your privacy at tax time each year, and have the possibility of being audited and being heavily penalized for a tax system that is so complex many at the IRS cannot give you a right answer.
The FairTax can change the American economy but it needs your support.

Instead of the government taking more of our hard earned money and telling you what we need to do with our own money, tell the government you want to keep your own money. Tell them you don't want to be punished for working hard and making sound economic decisions. Tell them you want a real change and an end to class warfare. Tell them you want a permanent solution that does not risk our tax dollars and instead want a change that allows us to keep and invest our money, not theirs, as we deem fit. The FairTax is the bailout the average American needs now!

To find out more on the FairTax or learn how to support the FairTax visit FairTax.org or to become a citizen co-sponsor of House Bill 25 with Sponsor Georgia Representative John Linder (R) click here.