RE: Deceit and Denial upon Our Ramparts
I had the pleasure of reading an excellent article written by Greg Easley entitled "Deceit and Denial upon Our Ramparts" on Canada Free Press. I took the liberty of adding a word of encouragement to the article and Mr. Easley was kind enough to respond in the following fashion (used with his permission):
"Dear Mr. Fowler,
Thank you for you kind words about my article at CFP. We are gratified that you have chosen to join the patriots at CFP and that you are running for the U.S. Congress from the great state of Missouri. Your belief in our principles and those that founded our great nation is a welcome relief to all of America. We welcome your candidacy and your courage.
I visited your website and must say is quite clear that you are the kind of person that can help us restore honor to our government. The site is well crafted and the details of your beliefs on the issues are clearly stated for all to see.
We recognize the threats to America represented by our failing government, Barrack Hussein Obama’s agenda and those groups that seek to destroy our nation for all time. It is arguably the bleakest moment in our history and we have precious little time to turn it around. We are prepared for the worst but seek the best for our nation and we are resolute to the task before us.
As we conservatives are being painted as racists and radicals, so shall you for the stance and solutions that you support. Citizens need to be informed and we must all stand united with courage. To galvanize our nation, I called for “the best and brightest to deliver our message for all to hear”. If republicans are not united, the message will be lost. If the citizens are not united, the message will fail. Your campaign’s voice will be mostly limited to the state level and we patriots know that to succeed in the long term we must take back our states, cities and towns first. So your message must be clear and the issues explained for those who truly do not have the time to keep up their knowledge and understanding.
Immigration Reform is a good example. Most people do not have a clear idea as to how pervasive the impact of so many illegals has on our nation. At the same time we are a generous people and Mexicans are mostly very family oriented, god f[e]aring and hard working people. We just can’t sustain the financial and social impact for the sake of votes for democrats and cheap labor for republicans. Explaining the impact, in detail, to your voters is paramount to your success and the attacks you will invite with your position against amnesty.
Best of Luck on Your Campaign!
Sincerely,
Greg Easley"
Correspondence from Andrew T. Baker from Independence, MO on July 27, 2010
This correspondence was received from Andrew T. Baker from Independence, MO on July 27, 2010 and is used with his permission:
"Hello Jerry,
I was wanting to know where you stand on the Second Amendment.
Do you believe, as I do, that the federal government should have no say in what firearms we can own? (except in the case of felons) And that the federal restrictions currently in place violate our Constitutional rights?
And if the federal gov. refused to lift these restrictions would you push at state level the Missouri Firearms freedom act. Thereby rejecting the fed.regulations for the sake of Missourians?
This is a tough one. If worse comes to worse. Will you support leaving the Union to protect our constitutional rights and freedom? I don't like the thought but I hate to say I think we may be forced to make that very decision.
I also want to know how you feel about reducing the size of the fed. gov.? And strengthening our military.
And do you support "rounding up" all of the illegal immigrants and deporting them?
These are questions I need answered before I can support you and bring others to support you.
I agree with you on most other things. I could use a little more understanding where the fair tax is concerned though.
.
Sincerely
Andrew T. Baker
Indep. Mo."
My response to Andrew:
"Andrew,
Thanks for asking and I haven't updated my website to particularly address those issues. I have filled out a candidate survey for both the NRA and the National Association of Gun Rights. My understanding is that they were supposed to post the results of those surveys and their websites and apply their ratings, but I have called NAGR 3-4 times not and they haven't posted them.
I agree with you on firearm ownership and as far as the U.S. Constitution is concerned I am an Originalist. I believe that the U.S. Constitution has a fixed and knowable meaning at the time it was drafted and if the wording isn't evident then there are supplemental documents (such as the Federalist papers) that help us derive the true meaning.
I am opposed to any institution or regulation that violates the Constitution or is outside the enumerated powers of the federal government. I also believe that the states are fully justifiied using the process of state nullification if the federal government passes laws that violate the Constitutional boundaries. That is why I am very supportive of Proposition C here in Missouri which rejects the un-contitutional individual insurance mandate in the health care bill. So yes I would support a Missouri Firearms Protection Act.
The secession from the Union is a tough one and I would have to be convinced that there was no viable alternative before I would support that move, but the States were founded prior to the Constitution and had to ratify it to put it into effect and I fully believe that the Founders were convinced that it was also the States' right to leave the Union if they chose to do so.
Reducing the size of the federal government is absolutely crucial and it irritates me when I hear other candidates talk about merely "stopping the growth of big government". No we need to downsize the federal government and phase out those agencies that are not in conformance to Constitutional guidelines. That is one reason that I am so supportive of the FairTax is that it repeals the 16th Amendment and abolishes the IRS. There are a number of other agencies that need to go that are more inline with the Communist Manifesto than they are the U.S. Constitution.
I am all for a stronger military but I don't believe we need to police the world. I believe we need to encourage free trade but avoid foreign entanglements. One of the most peaceful nations is Switzerland and I have read that it is because they have the largest mercenary force in the world.
As far as deporting illegals I do support it but I believe we need to take away entitlements and the things that attract them to break the law to give them the incentive to leave the country voluntarily first. That way we don't have to spend as much tax money deporting the remaining illegal aliens. We need to build the southern border fence and it is shameful that the federal government has filed suit against Arizona's recently passed immigration legislation.
With FairTax there is FairTax.org that is helpful and the FairTaxKC organization meets twice a month where you can get training. I know a lot about the issue and have read most (but not all) of the 131 page legislation so I could probably answer specific questions via email or sit down with you and other interested parties if you wish to explain.
Let me know if I have answered your questions and if there is anything else i need to clarify.
I appreciate you asking me the hard questions and the opportunity to share my thoughts on them.
Jerry Fowler."
Andrew then responded:
"Jerry,
Thank you for your quick response. I have told several friends I asked you those questions. And they are very eager to hear your response.
Now for my response to your answers.
WOW!!!! and WOW!!!! again.
Everything you said is exactly how I feel. From the Constitution,our rights, leaving the union if there was no other option, straight to a stronger military that is not used as a world police force.
I also agree with your stance on the immigration issue. I never thought about making them want to leave on there own. As to save tax dollars before we deport the ones reluctant to leave.Thank You for that enlightenment.
I plan to go to the FairTax.org site and study everything I can. I feel like I can contact you if I have any questions. And Thank You for the offer.
Lastly, I want you to know.
You have my vote. And I will be talking to every body I can about you. And bringing you as many votes as I can.
Sincerely,
Andrew T. Baker"
Andrew's response to my inquiry for his permission to post:
"Jerry
I don't mind you posting my questions on you campaign website. And I'm not worried about people knowing it was me asking those questions. I'm sure there are many people who are concerned about those same questions. But are reluctant to ask for their own reasons. So I believe posting them will ease the "fears" of these people.
And give them the faith in you that will bring you their vote.
I do have one other question for you. Do you support auditing the fed?
I believe there is corruption coming from the Federal Reserve. And I believe it is costing Americans on many levels. And the only way to prove it and stop it would be threw an audit.
Onward to Victory!
Sincerely
Andrew T Baker"
And before I could respond on the Federal Reserve question:
"Hello Jerry
I just read the survey You took for Campaign for Liberty. I got the answer for my question.
Thank You for being a stand up guy.
Andrew Baker"
Correspondence from Curry Kenworthy from Independence, MO
On July 24th I received this correspondence from Curry Kenworthy of Independence, MO and this post is used with his permission.
"Hello Jerry,
I am glad to see that you are running against Cleaver and I hope that effort is successful.
Your issue positions are great. Having you in the House would make a difference. I appreciate you contacting me here on ResistNet, which I joined but hadn't had time to use much. Here are a few friendly ideas to consider from a supportive constituent!
1. I notice that you are a big supporter of Fair Tax. Anything (almost) is better than the current system, but the Fair Tax doesn't do it for me. It's a good idea turned in the wrong direction; despite some other advantages, there are big flaws. Those prebates will require lots of bureaucracy, and the tax rate is still pretty high!
For American people to regain freedom and prosperity, government must learn to live within its means just as we do. I think a flat sales tax of 10% for everyone, rich or poor, should be sufficient for federal government. The American people must be firm and stop them from demanding more than 10%. No prebates; if we want to avoid taxing poverty spending, simply allow stores to charge no tax for bread, milk, eggs, and veggies at the checkout.
2. We also need to cut the number of people on the dole. I have a handicap (CMT, a nerve disease that weakens muscles) but I am working hard to make money from home so that I can avoid going on disability if possible. (That's after a long and difficult struggle over the past years where I had to cut down more and more working outside the home, but I've never applied for disability yet.) In America we have a huge number of people that can work part-time but not full-time, and a lot of people with handicaps fall into that category. But under the old all-or-nothing benefits system, working part-time is pretty hopeless. Many people are either on disability or working part-time and leaning on the government for health care or etc. If we could encourage a per-hour benefits system at work rather than all-or-nothing, or just raise wages and cut out benefits, letting each employee decide on healthcare (and ditch ObamaCare of course) we could have more people working and fewer depending on government.
3. The deficit will kill this nation. Long term, we need law preventing Congress from spending more than it can repay within a reasonable time, say three years, but how to pay off the current debt is a mind-boggling puzzle, so perhaps for now we need a complete ban on any further debt spending until the current debt has been paid off and we've been in the black for a while. Goodness knows when that would be, but at least not raising the debt would be a step in the right direction!
Some food for thought--good luck in your campaign! Sounds like you have plenty of good ideas too.
Curry Kenworthy"
This is my response to Curry:
"Curry,
You are correct that I am a big supporter of the FairTax. The other candidates in this race appear to be generally favorable to the FairTax, but I am the only candidate that can truly be called a FairTax advocate (or FairTaxer for short).
Let's address your perception of the bureaucracy associated with the prebate. To be eligible for the prebate, a qualified family (defined as "1 or more family members sharing a common residence") must submit an annual registration that requires each individual family member be a lawful resident of the U.S. and have a bona fide Social Security number. With the FairTax, this form is much simpler than the Federal Income Tax forms which will be eliiminated. FairTax will eliminate 80% of all tax returns (and all individual filing returns).
The prebate amount is based upon the poverty level (as determined by the Department of Health and Human Services) for the size of the family and multipled by FairTax rate to refund the tax paid on basic necessities. The Social Security Administration bears the responsibility to make the monthly prebate payments on or before the first business day of the month for which the prebate is being provided. This can in the form of a check, smartcards that carry a cash balance, or by direct electronic deposits.
While there may be some additional staffing required in the Social Security Administration, this would be more than offset by eliminating the Internal Revenue Service resulting in a net reduction in the size (and cost) of our Federal government.
Initially the tax rate is high but it is designed be "revenue-neutral", in other words to bring in the same amount of revenue as the current system. It is important to note that the FairTax is only paid on the purchases of new products and not on used items, therefore there is no FairTax on used automobiles or clothing purchased at a second-hand store.
After the first year, the tax rate is the calculated on 3 factors one of which is the gerneral revenue rate of 14.91%. As we reduce the size of government and pay down the national debt, this rate could amended downward.
I understand your recommendation on a 10% flat tax but initially we need to keep the tax revenue to the federal government consistent with current levels. Avoiding taxation on food items is understandable, but clothing is also a necessity even at the poverty level. If clothing is included then a determination at the point of sale is needed to verify eligibility of the purchaser for non-payment of the tax. That would increase administration costs, is subject to fraud, and may increase the costs on those businesses who sell clothing. FairTax does avoids the potential for fraud and compliance costs.
I agree with you regarding the need to reduce the number of people on government welfare. House Minority Lead John Boehner has proposed some unemployment reforms (which I have included in my Issues In-Depth for Unemployment) that should help in this area. In the healthcare arena, moving away from an employer provided benefits program to an individual based program eliminates the distinction between part-time and full-time employment. The insurance pool could be based on a geographical area as opposed to the number of full-time employees at an individual company.
Lastly regarding the deficit, I couldn't agree with you more heartily. If you will review the Issues In-Depth for Budget Reform on my campaign website, if there were was a budget deficit the previous (revenue minus expenditures is a negative balance) then the budget is frozen and cannot be increased over the previous year. When there are budget surpluses they are used to pay down the federal debt and when the federal debt is retired to reduce the tax rate.
Both FairTax and budget reform measures are required to pay off the federal debt and stop the annual deficit spending that is occurring.
Regarding state and local taxes, the FairTax passed the State House in Missouri but expired in the State Senate due to a threat of a filibuster from the Democratic Senate Minority leader this year.
I am in favor of fiscal responsibility at all levels of government and am opposed to property taxes. As you correctly point out, you don't really own something if it can be taken for non-payment of property taxes.
I really do appreciate you asking the hard questions.
Jerry."
Curry's followup reply:
"Howdy Jerry,
Feel free to use my name if those comments are posted.
However, you might include this note that I remain unsold on the Fair Tax. I believe that maintaining the current level of taxation is not a good thing. Handling part of it by the Social Security administration...that is problematic for me too, Jerry! Ha ha. It's a good idea riddled with too many flawed details and compromises. I think we need a fairly big reduction to get from big government to smaller government, and we can't do that by keeping tax revenue at the same level. A smaller total federal budget would help in so many ways, not only saving our money but changing the way government thinks.
However, despite our differences on that point in the details, we are brothers in the desire for smaller, saner government and conservative values. I wish you all possible luck with your campaign and hope you'll be on the way to DC after election time! You are a friendly person and I really appreciate you reaching out to connect with people. Not only that, but taking the trouble to reply in detail and present some real arguments on the topics. It does make a difference. I like that very much.
I'll write again when I have time!
Curry"
Federal Spending? Out of Control Massive Tax Hikes? They’re Coming Answer? The FairTax
The following is an excerpt from the article of the same title in the FairTax Friday Weekly Newsletter on July 23, 2010:
"The political fortunes of Washington insiders from both parties are at risk according to recent polls (see "In the News" below). Faced with high unemployment, skyrocketing national debt and more and more talk about taking even more out of our pockets in taxes to pay for out of control spending -- including new luxury jets for a junket loving Congress The American people have had it.
As frustrated and angry as the American people are right now, few besides those in the FairTax campaign have offered a solution. Many citizens, it seems are waiting for those at the top to lead the country to a real economic recovery that helps more than those who caused the meltdown in the first place: Washington insiders and the political elite. The stage is set for a massive upheaval at the polls this November…but will the alternative be any better than the status quo?
Many Republicans say they have now remembered what their party once espoused—smaller government and fiscal restraint. Many Democrats are publicly worrying about the growing national debt which now costs 62% of the gross Domestic Product (GDP) to service. But the Washington culture of spending out of the national treasury to win election and re-election, to spend taxpayer dollars on lavish Congressional perks and to continue to sell off pieces of the corrupted tax code for profit and power seems immune to voter anger…because a viable alternative is not well enough known to be embraced by the majority of Americans.
The FairTax can save the nation’s economy, restore the role of the American citizen and bring irresponsible spending to a stop through consumer pressure on elected officials. Given Washington’s resistance to this desperately needed idea—or even a Congressional hearing to examine the idea fairly—it’s enough to make FairTaxers want to scream.
Scream away!
Take our message of reform and renewal of the American economy to candidates who are now looking for voter support to either hold on to their jobs or replace those who now have those jobs. Let no campaign stop for any candidate of either party go unvisited by citizens wearing FairTax T-Shirts and ball caps. Take to the airwaves in calls to every local and national talk show host. Let newspaper editors around the nation hear from us and let’s talk more to those outside the FairTax campaign on websites and blogs.
Tell all those who will listen or be made to listen that the FairTax will pull trillions of dollars, now offshore, into our economy and get Americans back to work. Tell them that when we take home far fatter paychecks without any federal withholding deducted we will permanently stimulate the American economy. Tell them that the FairTax eliminates Congressional corruption of the tax code and gives the “Made in America” label a fighting chance."
Dreary Business Outlook
Dreary Business Outlook
There was discouraging news regarding the very weak growth of business and the state of the economy on July 12st. First was an article in MarketWatch entitled "U.S. stocks extend losses as Bernanke speaks":
"U.S. stocks slid decisively lower as Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke called the economic outlook unusually unclear in testimony before Congress."
"In my opinion, this statement reads like a Fed chairman way more concerned about draining liquidity as opposed to providing further stimulus. I would argue the market, being unconvinced in the recovery, is taking this as a too-hawkish statement," Dan Greenhaus chief cconomic[sic] strategist at Miller Tabak & Co., wrote in an email."
In a separate article in the Los Angeles Time entitled "Weakening recovery brings deja vu":
"... In the Kansas City area, the economy has been growing for more than a year, yet members of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce aren't so sure the area is in a recovery, said Chris Lester, the group's senior vice president.
"They're still in recession psychology," he said.
Lester and other business leaders blame that on increased nervousness about the economy and on taxes and tightened federal regulations.
"We pay a real price for uncertainty in the marketplace," he said.
Much the same can be said for average consumers, whose attitude toward the economy and spending has darkened considerably. Unlike corporations, they're sitting on a lot of debt and can't easily get credit.
In one widely followed gauge, the University of Michigan said Friday that its index of consumer expectations fell last month to the lowest level since March 2009, when the nation still was mired in the recession.
"People focus on the double dip, but it's sort of beside the point," economist Baker said. "The main issue is we're looking at a very weak growth. ... It's going to feel pretty bad even if it stays positive."
Small wonder considering that the health care bill has been passed and Cap and Trade is looming on the horizon.
The results of a study on the economic impact of Cap and Trade were included in an article yesterday on Newsmax.com entitled "Study: Cap and Trade Could Cost 1.9 Million Jobs"
In an excerpt from this article: "The proposed Kerry-Lieberman cap-and-trade bill could cost 1.9 million jobs and slash the U.S. gross domestic product by up to $2.1 trillion, according to an analysis released today."
It is time to elect some common-sense people to Congress who will stop this fiscal madness. I look forward to serving Missouri's 5th District in that capacity.