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Chairman's Report - August 24, 2018

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU STEP ON A RATTLESNAKE

A few weeks ago, a political action committee supporting Adam Putnam, a candidate for the Florida Republican governor’s nomination, started running an ad on television and sending out mailings attacking Congressman Ron DeSantis, his opponent.  While it is customary for attack ads to run on television, this one was attacking the Congressman because he supported the FAIRtax.

The ad and the flyer were full of erroneous data about the FAIRtax.  The intent was to imply that the FAIRtax would raise all prices by 23%, destroy Florida tourism, destroy families and basically destroy Florida. 

Maybe it was good that it was so full of lies because it ignited a firestorm of protest from FAIRtax supporters.  Mr. Putnam’s campaign was bombarded with calls and demands for the ad to be pulled off the air.  When he went to campaign appearances, he often met FAIRtax supporters who made it known that he was wrong to allow the ad to run.

Ed O’Connor, a vice-president of the Florida Fairtax Educational Association, had earlier hosted a fundraiser for Putnam.  He attended a Putnam campaign event and as he began to take Mr. Putnam to task, Ed was hurriedly told that the ad was being pulled.

On Monday, August 20, 2018, I attended a campaign meeting at a restaurant and had a moment to speak with Mr. Putnam.  I introduced myself and before I said more, he said that those ads are not running again.  I gave him some FAIRtax information and said that I believed that I could show him how the FAIRtax would benefit Florida and the U.S.  He smiled and said that he would be happy to learn more.  Then his staff pulled him away to speak with someone else.

   
WHY WAS THE AD PULLED?

Congressman DeSantis and Mr. Putnam are, according to Mr. Putnam, in a very close race.  Mr. Putnam said it was going to be a “nail-biter” and urged his supporters to make the extra push to get people to vote for him on August 28th.

In such a close race that is nearing its end, there only a few reasons that Mr. Putnam ensured that the ad was pulled. 

  • He realized that the ad was untrue and ordered the ad pulled.
  • The ad was not working.
  • He received too much opposition and saw that he had stepped on a rattlesnake and it was doing him more harm than good.
Obviously, Mr. Putnam would not share his actual reasons with me.  However, in a very close race, few politicians will pull an ad that is working even if it is clearly untrue.  Mr. Putnam might be different but his people ran the ad in the first place.

While we may not know the true reason, the ad attacking the FAIRtax has been pulled.  The most likely conclusion that must be drawn is that it was causing more harm than good for Mr. Putnam.  This is a signal that people are starting to understand the FAIRtax, but also a signal that FAIRtax supporters will not tolerate lies being told about the FAIRtax and are very vocal in their opposition.

It should be seen as a warning to other candidates running against FAIRtax supporters.  If you tell lies about the FAIRtax, there will be repercussions and these candidates will likely not like them.

CONCLUSION

In his book, The Sirens of Titan, science-fiction writer Kurt Vonnegut said, “There is no reason why good cannot triumph as often as evil. The triumph of anything is a matter of organization. If there are such things as angels, I hope that they are organized along the lines of the Mafia.”
 
By causing the erroneous ad to be withdrawn, good did triumph over evil.  Our FAIRtax people were organized and although we are not organized “along the lines of the Mafia,” we do have people that are willing to express their views to anyone.
 
The FAIRtax empowers all of us and puts each of us in charge of how much we have for consumption.  The FAIRtax also ensures that our economy will continue to prosper and our children and grandchildren will have the opportunity that we wish for all Americans.

It is time to PASS THE FAIRTAX!  

The truth is the truth.  Remember, if we don't continue to tell the truth and demand a change, then this quote from George Orwell's 1984 may foretell our children's future:

“If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face—forever.”



WHAT CAN EACH OF US DO


Call up the local or D.C. offices of your House Member and two Senators and you can use the following script:

  • I am sure that Representative ____ or Senator ____ is in favor of everyone obeying the income tax laws.
  • After they assure you that their boss is not in favor of anyone breaking the law, ask if they are aware of the Cebula study showing $9 trillion of evaded income/payroll taxes over the next ten years.
  • Since most will say they don’t believe their boss has seen the study, either drop off a copy or get an email address and send a copy to them for their boss.
  • Say you are going to call back in a week and ask what the Representative or Senator is going to do to stop this evasion.
  • In a week, call back and ask specifically what the Representative or Senator is going to do to enforce the law.
  • They probably will say their boss believes that simplifying the income tax will handle the problem.
  • Explain that when people evade income taxes, they are also evading the 15.3% payroll/Medicare tax and state income tax.  So it is unlikely that they are going to pay 30% or 40% when they were paying 0% because they have already decided it is okay to cheat.
  • Say that the only way to reduce evasion is to increase by tens or hundreds of thousands the number of comprehensive IRS audits done each year.
  • Point out that Evaders do not self-identify by putting an “E” on their income tax return.
  • 80% of the people likely to be audited are trying to comply, but they will be forced to endure these IRS audits as well.
  • Ask if the Member is in favor of this?
  • If they say no, then ask again how the Member proposes to stop people breaking the income tax laws.
  • Then explain that the way to handle evasion without unleashing the IRS audits is the FAIRtax.


If you can see your Member or attend a town hall and ask these questions, you can be even more effective. 
 

#122 WHY DEMOCRATS (SHOULD) LOVE THE FAIRTAX

After reviewing the latest proposals to change the tax code on Congress.gov (over 1500 of them!), The FAIRtax Guys spell out all the reasons Democrats should love the FAIRtax. It is unfortunate that, at this time, only Republicans are signed on the the FAIRtax legislation. It should not be this partisan.  
 
Using a white paper from fairtax.org, The Guys review “10 Reasons Why Democrats Should Love The FairTax.”  Listen and watch and you’ll probably agree that these are 10 reasons everyone should love the FAIRtax.   
 
Although this episode was prerecorded, it was still streamed as a Facebook Live event so thanks to all those who commented and asked questions during the streaming.  You help make it a better experience.

Be sure to inform everyone you know about the new digital TV FAIRtax Power Radio.  Watch every Wednesday at 11:30 AM (ET).  We are streaming to Facebook LIVE (www.facebook.com/fairtax).  If you’re not a fan of Facebook, you can watch FAIRtax Power Radio on xcluded.tv at the same broadcast time - or any time.  

FTPR podcasts for each show are posted on Spreaker (http://bit.ly/2oesbk7), iTunes & iHeart Radio every Friday morning.  A free FAIRtax Power Radio app is available for iOS and Android.  Since it’s a podcast, you can download it and play it whenever it’s convenient for you.

PAST EPISODES - Wondering what we talked about in past episodes?  Each episode is saved as both video on Facebook or Xcluded.tv and as podcasts on Spreaker, iTunes and iHeart Radio.  Watch or listen later - or any time!

The Facebook videos are saved to a number of pages:
FAIRtax Official (https://www.facebook.com/FairTax/) 
The FAIRtax Guys (https://www.facebook.com/thefairtaxguys/) 
Democrats for FAIRtax (https://www.facebook.com/DemocratsForFairTax/)
and many others. 

Xcluded.tv is a subscription based site which costs $30 per year and features a number of other shows along with FTPR with no commercial interruption. 

Be a part of this cutting edge news/talk show featuring The FAIRtax Guys. WITH YOUR HELP, WE WILL GET THIS DONE.  It is the American people who must demand REAL tax reform in Congress.  Your FAIRtax volunteers are trying their best to inform American citizens about the FAIRtax!  Please help us.

Tune into our video broadcast each Wednesday.  If you prefer, you can listen to the podcast of the show later.  You can listen to FTPR on any platform - Mac or PC, iPhone or Android. And it’s 100% free.  Listen on Spreaker.com (http://bit.ly/2oesbk7), iTunes (http://apple.co/1Te8VdF) or iHeart Radio (http://bit.ly/2eqEG7y) on your computer or smartphone.  The easiest way to listen to FTPR on your smartphone is by downloading the free FTPR app.  Just search for “FAIRtax Power Radio” in your app store, download the app and start listening.  

Remember, FTPR digital TV every Wednesday at 11:30 AM (ET) followed by the podcast on Friday morning.  Please listen and tell everyone you know about the FAIRtax Power Radio.  The FAIRtax: Once You Understand It, You’ll Demand It!


A GREAT WAY TO INTRODUCE NEWBIES TO THE FAIRTAX - AMERICA’S BIG SOLUTION​

America’s Big Solution is a basic introduction to the FAIRtax and is meant for people of any age.  And you can download it to your tablet or smartphone right now.  Also available in print form.  See below.

Do you know someone who would like an introduction to the FAIRtax and would prefer to read about it in a booklet rather than search online for Tweets, Posts and Shares?  If so, America’s Big Solution is their best choice.

America’s Big Solution is an introduction to the FAIRtax written by Terry Tibbetts, author of A Spartan Game: The Life and Loss of Don Holleder, with help from Ron Maiellaro, President of the Florida FAIRtax Educational Association.  

You can buy an electronic version of ABS as follows:  AMERICA’S BIG SOLUTION is available for only $2.99 for the Amazon Kindle (http://amzn.to/1WIRHry), the Barnes & Noble Nook (http://bit.ly/1XeG8bH) and Apple iOS (http://apple.co/1tnqK0P).  

You can purchase a print copy at the same Amazon link above for $9.25.  Regardless of whether you choose the electronic format or the print format, you’ll find AMERICA’S BIG SOLUTION will give someone the boost they need to begin their study of the FAIRtax and the suggested resources to learn more. Buy AMERICA’S BIG SOLUTION now!

LINKS TO MORE INFORMATION

These links will help you promote and support the FAIRtax, make yourself familiar with the links below. We always do our best to keep our AFFT community up to date, and you can stay ahead of the curve using these convenient sites.


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