AN OPEN LETTER TO MR. BOORTZ AND CONGRESSMAN LINDER RE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION

[Fla Vol]

Note to reader: The Fair Tax will need a change in the constitution because amendments changed taxes to the income tax system. It must be changed to allow a consumption tax. A constitutional convention can be called by Congress or by 2/3 of the states legislatures. I believe it will be easier to convince the many heartland states rather than the congress. While I was working on this proposal Mr. Boortz spoke on his radio show about a discusssion he had with Congressman Linder regarding proceeding with asking the states to set up a constitutional convention. I sent the following letter to ask them not to go alone but to form a coalition with other groups to make our movement stronger and would benefit us all through defining certain amendments to the constitution. Your interest, discussion and hopefully support will be greatly appreciated.

AN OPEN LETTER TO MR. BOORTZ AND CONGRESSMAN LINDER.
March 2, 2009

Neal Boortz
1601 Peachtree Street, Atlanta, Georgia 30309

The Honorable John Linder
1026 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515-1007

Gentlemen,

I have been active in the Fair Tax movement for about 3 years. I have been limited by age and health problems but have been able to do volunteer work for Texas, my local chapter and the FairTax Nation. I have also promoted the fair tax in numerous blogs.

I had been contemplating the potential of the constitutional convention and developing some thoughts about it when I heard Mr. Boortz discussing the subject on his show and that he was discussing it with you, Congressman Linder. I was especially interested in the discussion about the opening of the convention being used by many groups to make changes that might not be desireable.

I decided to forward some of my thoughts I had developed to you for your consideration in regard to the convention. These are my suggestions after some “what if” mental projections.

I think a movement should be started that is termed a ”Convention to Reaffirm the Constitution and Definition of Selected Amendments. The idea is to project the thought of retaining the sacred constitution as written but to clarify the bill of rights by defining the clauses attached.

At this point you are wondering where I am going with this. Stay with me, the following paragraph will explain.

The FairTax movement by itself might have problems stimulating the numbers of voters and influence needed to influence the states to pass the legislation for a convention. This can be resolved by forming a coalition of groups to insure success of the convention. Consider that a very high percentage of the population believes in God and the clarification of the position of the “church and church and state” would gain great support. The gun groups have a high level of membership and would like to clarify the meaning of the right to bear arms. The right to life group comprised of many conservatives would like to clarify the sanctity of life just as the Fair Tax movement would like to direct tax reform. The meaning of Free Press must be clarified and it is hopeful that a clarification of the difference of free speech and opinion shows will be free of control and separated from the definition of “press” aka the reporting of news. The Press Publishers Organization has a code of ethics that if it were followed as closely as the lawyer’s code of ethics it would keep the speech free and the news factual.

There are other organizations that might be included and the core group should be strong enough to control the movement. A favorite of mine would be to investigate the possibility of national support of the financing of elections. It seems to me the cost would be less than the payback politicians must give to special interest groups. Today, the only function the public has is to vote and once the official is in office he or she has to represent the interests that paid to have him or her elected which is not in the best interests of the public. With only a 2 year term the present system places a heavy burden on you Mr. Linder in constantly compaigning and raising funds.

I have raised some issues but I have favorites. I believe you and Mr. Boortz can best guide us in what goals we set. You have done well so far.

Success of such a movement should be good because the heartland of America is strong and includes the majority of states. The higher density populations that control the electoral college are in a few states but the conservative groups control many more states and with a coalition of dedicated groups working together, state by state should insure victory and the proper Fair Tax amendment can be passed, our constitution will be preserved, vague articles will be defined and the effects of an impartial supreme court or opinionated newspaper will be diminished.
The concern expressed about opportunists taking advantage of the convention will be diminished by stronger support of numbers in the coalition of the groups asked to join the group.

I hope you find these thoughts stimulating to your own outstanding thoughts.

I sincerely thank both of you for making the Fair Tax understandable and a part of our daily conversation and interest. Your contribution to this movement is outstanding and I know appreciated by many. I will continue to support you as my health allows.

Sincerely,
Stewart D. Rusby

[Fla Vol]

Everitt,
My reaction to your comments have to be positive. You are what the heartland of this country is all about. I believe that the majority of the central states feel as you do and that is why I am sure a constitutional amendment representing a coalition of the core values of citizens of the United States will win adoption. These core values need to be defined and it is interested folks like you who will define them including the method of taxation. We need to start the states along the constitutional route of requesting a constitutional convention to reaffirm the constitution and define critical principles. First we need a leader who will take us from state to state and dirve the change. Where will that leader come from? The church? The conservative movement? The House of Representatives?, The right to arms movement? The right to life movement? The Fair Tax movement? Who do you think we can call upon to lead us?
Thank you for your passion.

[Everett Bennett, Jr.]

Some people may think that people should have the "right" to allow "Abortions", but I think "Abortions" speak for themselves.....it is the "ultimate" hate crime!!!!!

http://www.americac2c.org/profiles/blogs/hr-614-prevents-your-tax

Just think, if these people who support this awful act against GOD can make the progress they have with their "ERA" Constitutional Amendment, then we should be able to do the same for the "FairTax". Apparently, it only takes a "few" people to amend the constitution....it must be the case, because, I think the majority of the people in this country oppose "Abortion", but yet, because of apathy, the "ERA" amendment is possible. If we have half the motivation of the people behind the "ERA" amendment, we should have no problem, right!

[Everett Bennett, Jr.]

We are not going to get the FairTax thru Lobbyists. It has to be a Grassroots movement. The point about the 2 drives to amend the constitution for "sex" and "women's" rights is that it is a more attainable path then dealing with the people in DC. We had enough time for both Parties to get their act together. As far as your comments regarding Gay Marriage and Abortion. I have nothing against Same-Sex relationships, but I do not agree they should be given equal status to "Marriage".

As far as abortion goes, I think it speaks for itself. If it was up to me, I would display a "live" video of a "Partial Birth Abortion" on Prime TIme so that people will truly understand what Abortion is all about!

The only reason why most people would even consider abortion because they might feel that their family would punish them for what happened. I have never seen a "sad" Grandfather! I have seen how "abortion" has wrecked the lives of people who have "conscious".

I recently went to the "Bodies" exhibit. They had a "Fetus" of 27 weeks on exhibit. It is hard to believe that Doctors would even consider "Aborting" a 6-month Fetus. It is more of concern that 535 people in DC also allow it too happen! These are the same people that abuse us through the Income Tax! Remember, those 535 people in DC, have created our current environment in which we live. You can't blame the Lobbyists, the Special Interests, in the end, those 535 people make it law!

It is time to fix it!

It is broken!

Unless we go back to our founding father's principals, we are doomed as a nation.
The Founding Fathers predicted this would happen. They knew this by knowing History!

There is no way around it. If we are to survive as the USA, we will need to restore our country to

Grass Roots movement is the only hope!

[Fla Vol]

Hank,
I have a question for you.
Under what conditions would you support the Fair Tax?

For others reading these comments I have to wonder why Hank is commenting on a site that has the objective of promoting the Fair Tax.
I am sure they want discussion and suggestions for ways to improve the Fair Tax but by checking Hank’s other comments I find a viewpoint that is indicative of a person who has already discounted the Fair Tax and is opposed to it.

The comment that I am premature indicates he has not read my comments about why we need the convention. In addition the quotes he refers to about the Bureau of Labor statistics were reflective of a negative newspaper article that can be found here:
http://www.fairtaxblog.com/20051201/is-the-fairtax-regressive/

The actual survey can be found here:
The BLS 2007 survey http://www.bls.gov/cex/

You will find there were a high number of younger people, high number of females and high number of retired people with homes already paid for and a high number of segments of the population that might have just arrived in the country and were getting started by living together indicated by the high number of renters.

I suggest the readers look at both links and make their decisions.

On the other hand, if I misjudged Hank than I apologize and encourage him to make some positive statements about how we can change the FairTax program to meet his requirements.

[Fla Vol]

Thank you Everett for sharing some good thoughts with us. I have some thoughts about the abortion issue. I believe this is an issue that will be contentious for some time and not easily resolved. Of course I do not believe it is our right to take another life and I would be in favor of stopping abortion and stopping the death sentence. The death sentence is probably more expensive to complete with appeals and processes than leaving a person in prison so that should be reviewed and resolved. Abortion is against our instincts but there are those who feel it is the right of the Mother and the health of the Mother in some cases. This is a divided issue and needs compassion and understanding. The best thoughts I have heard so far have been to turn the issue back to the states. My guess is that most states would ban it but there would be a few that would allow it and if there were a health issue the Mother could go to that state for assistance. In the meantime this issue could be argued and discussed and settled peaceably as we grow in understanding and wisdom. The concept of people bombing and killing each other over the right to life must stop and we need to prevent that if possible. Logic tells me that with a strong coalition of various movements the public will make its wishes known and we will see how the people feel. In the central heartland states I believe life will win and be preserved because of the huge numbers who have a strong faith. We always have the wiggle room to return it to the states to allow more thought if there is a compromise.
Regarding sex I liked the thought expressed by Boortz. One time he had a caller who was condemning gays and Boortz asked him to name the exact moment in his life when he decided to be heterosexual. That question made its point and changes the course of the discussion. As a practical point of view I do not think a person would choose a life style that would bring them so many difficulties. We need to have compassion and understanding.
Your 3 thoughts at the end are good items. I feel we need to find about 3 organizations to be strong partners to the Taxation reform and if there are 4 groups they will lobby each state for their 4 items and that is what will be passed. They will be strong enough to suppress other items sought by smaller or weaker groups. Each state will pass legislation as requested by the majority of the population of their state and this will be influenced by the strength of the groups that support the legislation. Only the items passed will be considered at the convention.
We need to remove the amendment approving an income tax because if we do not we run the risk of 2 forms of taxation. Since we have to do it anyway we might as well speed things up and start now. With a strong coalition to help us we have a better chance of getting our program through the states.
Also expect opposition. There are some who make careers of supporting certain programs. They are always faced with success that ends their career or income. Some will be glad and move to bigger and better things.
My situation is different. I will be 80 next year. Probably 95% of you reading this will never get that old. The odds are that I will never see the implementation of the Fair Tax. I try to help for the benefit of our children and grandchildren. I want to see success as soon as possible.
Thank you for your interest and this opportunity to express my views.

[Everett Bennett, Jr.]

Just remember, the Republicans did not think the Democrats would be able to get the Constitution amended to allow the income tax! Of course, we know the answer to that. Also, note that there are movements now to add Amendments to the Consitution regarding "sex" and "women's rights", i.e, abortion. They are making progress believe it or not. Have you heard of thousands of people marching in 2/3 of our States to pass these amendments? I have not. Apparently, it does not take too many people to change the Constitution.... just a well organized effort too make it happen . We also need (1) Term Limits, and (2) "We the People" need to also amend the Constitution to specifically limit the areas we want the FEDs to function, e.g., Military, Infrastructure, etc. And finally, (3) specifially require the FEDs to only address 1 "acton item" per BILL, no earmarks. Oh yeah, (4) add an amendment to tell the Judicial boys to not make up stuff when laws are passed by Congress.

[Fla Vol]

Craig, Thanks for your comment and assistance. There are two reasons for taking the convention route. First is, as you say, prevent the income tax from being added back and on top of the Fair Tax. The second reason is that the present administration does not want to consider the Fair Tax and the speaker has made comments that the bill will not be considered. If we are going to get this done it can be achieved by working around the congress. If 2/3 of the states pass legislation for a convention congress has to allow it, pay the cost of it and abide by its decision. The procedure of a convention can be seen here: http://foavc.org/file.php/1/Articles/Federal_Constitutional_Convention_Procedures_Act%20_1973.htm
The fractions and possible failure at a convention are minimized. First, we will work for a coalition of groups that we feel we can support and who will support us. Jointly these groups will work state by state to get a request for a convention passed. This request or legislation will define the subjects to be voted upon at the convention. Only those specified can be considered. Delegates are then elected by the people and the public will vote for those who will do as they want them to.
You can see the majority of states voting at this location
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~mejn/election/2008/
The majority of states were opposed to the present power. The past election was decided by the majority of votes and a shift of about 4 % from one side to the other would have changed the election. The convention route is not decided by the majority of voters but by the majority of numbers of states and there we have more power. More states can be added with promises of fair taxation. At this time this is the very best course we could pursue to gain the adoption of the Fair Tax.

[Craig Robertson]

I think you're both correct here: The purpose of repealing the Sixteenth Amendment is to prevent the federal government from being able to reimpose an income tax. As I understand it, income taxes were specifically not allowed by our constitution until the enactment of the Sixteenth Amendment. So abolishing it would reimpose the restriction against taxing our income. I do not believe any constitutional action would be required to enact the FairTax. Rather the constitutional action is more an act of prudence to prevent Congress from trying to get an income tax reinstated on top of the FairTax.

I do, however, think a constitutional convention would be a tremendous opportunity to make a few additional beneficial changes: (1) requirement that Congress must pass a balanced budget, and (2) setting term limits on Congress.

I am not sure of the dynamics involved with getting several different groups together as you talked about initially, but my concern would be the fractious nature of the issues you mentioned. You may be correct in that a vast majority of Americans do (hopefully) still believe in some of the priniciples you listed. But the other side of many of these issues has been very vocal in the past, and is currently in power. It would be unfortunate to actually succeed in convening a convention, and then failing to enact the fundamental change we seek.

Nevertheless, this (forming a coalition) is definitely a topic, in my opinion, worthy of further discussion.

[Fla Vol]

Hank, Thank you for your interest and comment. If you would refer to the Fair Tax book, Boortz and Linder explain how the constitution was set up without an income tax and none was wanted. An amendment was added to set up an income tax and that must be repealed to allow a consumption or sales tax.
States already collect sales taxes and it would not be a system of calculating a tax added to cover the sales or fair tax. It would be embedded in the selling price replacing the income taxes that are embedded in the selling price of everything you purchase. This is all explained in the book also. Just remember that you are taxed twice. You pay your income taxes plus you reimburse businesses for the taxes they pay. The Fair Tax eliminates the income taxes so that portion disappears and a sales tax is added back in-probably embedded- and is sent to the Federal Gov't by the state government. Once the Fair Tax is understood by the state legislatures they will approve it. It is like one more check for them and the benefits to their population is magnificent. There are more states in numbers that think like we do rather than in opposition to us. The vote you refer to is unusual and I think we will find an explanation to it and overcome it. We need about 34 states approval.
Thanks for the comment that allows me to explain this.
My great grandfather, John Rusby of Belleville, NJ, now named Nutley and adjacent to Newark became interested in a grass roots movement like we are involved in. The group he volunteered to help was opposed to slavery. They believed they could change the law and change the thoughts of others. They formed a new party which became the Republican party and they elected Lincoln and they freed the slaves. If they could do that, this is a piece of cake.
John was very religious just as most of our founding fathers were. They would be very proud of us if we could succeed with our coalition and we found a little more God and flags in schools in place of the lowered standards that we are allowing to develop.
I do sincerely believe we can do it and we owe our founders and our Protector to at least try.

[Fla Vol]

Thank you Dr. Lowry. I sincerely appreciate your understanding and support.
I believe the supporters of the FairTax want to see some positive movement and support from a bigger group. I have high hopes this approach will develop new interest and excitement.