A $50 Lesson / Campaign for Liberty
John Tate
A $50 Lesson
I recently asked my friends' little girl what she wanted to be when she grows up. She said she wanted to be President some day. Both of her parents, liberal Democrats, were standing there, so I asked her, 'If you were President what would be the first thing you would do?'
She replied, 'I'd give food and houses to all the homeless people.'
Her parents beamed with pride. 'Wow....what a worthy goal.'
I told her, 'But you don't have to wait until you're President to do that. You can come over to my house and mow the lawn, pull weeds, and sweep my yard, and I'll pay you $50. Then I'll take you over to the grocery store where the homeless guy hangs out, and you can give him the $50 to use toward food and a new house. '
She thought that over for a few seconds, then she looked me straight in the eye and asked, 'Why doesn't the homeless guy come over and do the work, and you can just pay him
the $50?'
I said, 'Welcome to the Libertarian Party.'
And btw, her parents still aren't speaking to me, which is cool with me.
April 14, 2009
Dear Friend of Liberty,
Once again, Americans are turning to the calendars and dreading the coming of April 15th. This year, the federal government will reach into our pockets to pay for their unnecessary corporate bailouts, the so-called stimulus, and an escalation of unconstitutional wars overseas. But even with all this dangerous recklessness, we can have hope in knowing that each day our coalition of freedom-loving individuals grows by leaps and bounds.
In "honor" of April 15th, allow me to share with you excerpts from an article on taxes written by Ron Paul. It's called The Case Against the Income Tax.
Could America exist without an income tax? The idea seems radical, yet in truth America did just fine without a federal income tax for the first 126 years of its history. Prior to 1913, the government operated with revenues raised through tariffs, excise taxes, and property taxes, without ever touching a worker's paycheck....
The harmful effects of the income tax are obvious. First and foremost, it has enabled government to expand far beyond its proper constitutional limits, regulating virtually every aspect of our lives. It has given government a claim on our lives and work, destroying our privacy in the process. It takes billions of dollars out of the legitimate private economy, with most Americans giving more than a third of everything they make to the federal government. This economic drain destroys jobs and penalizes productive behavior. The ridiculous complexity of the tax laws makes compliance a nightmare for both individuals and businesses....
Is it impossible to end the income tax? I don't believe so. In fact, I believe a serious groundswell movement of disaffected taxpayers is growing in this country. Millions of Americans are fed up with the current tax system, and they will bring pressure on Congress....
And this pressure is building! Thousands of tea parties and protests will take place tomorrow in opposition to the dangerous policies being pursued by the federal government. If you are attending any of these activities, I encourage you to distribute our educational and action-oriented handouts to fellow citizens also disaffected with the current economic situation. Additionally, be sure to read some very helpful advice for effective grassroots activity at these events from our very own Adam de Angeli here.
It is critical to make those attending the tea parties aware of the culprit behind our country's economic woes - the Federal Reserve. While the elimination of the income tax is a noble and necessary goal, we must understand that our efforts will be in vain if we do not deal with the silent, destructive tax of monetary inflation. Dr. Paul's bill, HR 1207, requires a legitimate audit of the Federal Reserve System. Please sign our petition here to urge your congressman to co-sponsor the Federal Reserve Transparency Act.
Rest assured, with your continued efforts, we are building a coordinated grassroots-oriented network that is becoming more and more effective in standing up for freedom, individual liberty, and the Constitution as envisioned by our Founding Fathers. Together, we will accomplish the goal of making April 15th just another day on the calendar.
For Liberty,
John Tate
President, Campaign for Liberty
P.S. If you're attending an event tomorrow, don't forget to take along some Audit the Fed slimjims, petitions, fliers, and fact sheets to spread the word about HR 1207!