Fair Tax Leadership

Comment

Comment by Dave Sibole on February 12, 2009 at 11:43am

Here is a link to a website that list some Public Access Channels by state alphabetically. What about seeing if we can get the "It's Time" DVD aired on these stations. It's free I believe. May not have wide viewership but who knows what good may come of it. I've just inquired of the Hamilton Co. Ohio station to see what needs to be done to get it aired. I'll let you know if I have any success. Public Access Linsting

Dave Sibole

Comment by Jeffrey Locke on February 12, 2009 at 11:00am

I'm ordering a banner from Fairtax HQ and I will use it at every parade, event, and get together I can fit in my schedule. I will contact my circle of friends to see if they can make the events I can't or if local and scheduling reveals a conflict. I can't do it all but my team or circle of friends can help pull it off.

Comment by Dave Sibole on February 12, 2009 at 10:12am

Several people have mentioned (and I agree) a need to reach the younger crowd. How about someone starting a group for say maybe 30 and under. I don't qualify or I would. I'll bet they could gather some steam if they brainstormed and banded together for the cause.

Dave

Comment by Gary R. Anderson on February 12, 2009 at 12:07am

Go to "blogs" and read mine about forming a coalition. This could completely make-over our movement!

Comment by Ray Makalous on February 11, 2009 at 12:19pm

We need to have the very best college print ad person to help us with our I.O.U.S.A event at JCCC if we have success with JCCC we will take it to every counties community college location in KC on April 15th.

Comment by Aaron Schutte on February 11, 2009 at 5:10am

I'd like to add thanks to Jabari for his W&Ms legwork. This has always seemed to be at least a 2 part battle. Yes - we have the research and are credible - and yes - you must get on board unless you want an uncomfortable election campaign. His efforts especially help in the former.

In other news, the brand new newspaper ad page at https://secure2.convio.net/afft/site/Donation2?df_id=1922&1922.donation=form1 is the first step in very targeted fund raising for powerful projects. Look for a new page with details in the very near future. Thanks all!

Comment by Jabari Zakiya on February 10, 2009 at 9:36pm

I have added to Marilyn's spreadsheet of the W&M members the name and email addresses of all the non-cosponsors members (and their party designation). When I verify all the addresses (2 have been undelivered) I will make it available to the list. I also have the Tax LAs for all the voting CBC members (41), but need to put that in spreadsheet form, or can make it available as-is in text format (and someone else can put all the other info in like Marilyn did for W&M).

Taking Pat's suggestion, I will also now make inroads into the W&M committee staff. And I can not over emphasize his point that cultivation of all staff can/will make or break legislation, especially when members are teetering on the fence (or their asses are up against the wall). :-)

I think another thing this group should consider is using some collaborative information sharing sites (like google docs as an example) where we can collaboratively create these spreadsheets,
letters, talking points, etc, so we have a repository of info and people's contacts with members and staff so anyone can follow up on other people's work without sending around a lot of email.

I truly believe in working smart, not a lot. :-)

Jabari

Comment by Robert Lowry on February 10, 2009 at 6:29pm

Thank you Jabari. You have added a perspective to this discussion relative to W&M that was very much needed and right to the point. Would it be appropriate to publish the Tax LA directory you have gathered? I certainly would use it as you have. Thanks

Comment by Pat Conroy on February 10, 2009 at 5:41pm

Kudos to Jabari. He knows of which he speaks. I would add that at least as important as personal staff is the W&M committee staff. Most of the committee staff is essentially controlled by Rangel. There will also be some Republican committee staffers. Even though committee staff will be 90%/10% majority/minority (by party), they all know each other and often exchange ideas.

Getting staff on our side may be as important as getting members on our side.

Comment by Jabari Zakiya on February 10, 2009 at 1:50pm

Last week I spent the time calling to get the name and email for the Tax LA for every member of the CBC (Congressional Black Caucus) and W&M. Last week I emailed each of the CBC Tax LA (4 are W&M) on the Fair Tax AFTER having either spoken with them personally, OR leaving a voicemail stating who I was and to expect an email.

Yesterday (Mon 2/9/09) I emailed all 26 Dem W&M Tax LA, AFTER either having spoken with them, OR leaving a voicemail. I plan today to email the 12 (out of 15) Rep on W&M who are not cosponsors (Linder, Brady, and Brown Repubs on W&M support, so I am not emailing them).

Since I have emailed the CBC I have gotten 4 emails and/or personal calls from Tax LAs thanking me for the info. I even got a call from one Tax LA to tell me his member WOULDN'T support it, but he wanted to talk to me about the Fair Tax anyway.

It is vitally important that people do the leg work and develop personal relationships with the HUMANS who are these Tax LAs. I caught one of the LAs on his FIRST DAY on the job, and he emailed me back with a BIG THANK YOU, for sending him the info. He is green as a banana, I now I have a chance to educate a Tax LA on the issue, who is open to learning about it without preconceived notions.

To be effective you have to empathize with the reality of who these people are and how they think. I sense this ideological rigidity in people's posts and letters in this group that exacerbate and/or promote an Us-vs-Them mentality which is ineffective and a waste of time for the purpose of passing the Fair Tax. People need to express a sense of humility when interacting with some of these people, because MOST of them do listen, but they DON'T make decisions, the Congressperson does.

Some people in this group are going to have to accept that the Democrats are in power, and they are NOT EVIL, and they CAN and WILL listen, but you've got to get rid of your off point ideologically driven antagonism to them. And it comes across real clear.

The fact remains there are 26 Dems and 15 Repubs on W&M and these people are the first to directly determine the fate of the FT.
It is ABSOLUTELY IMPERATIVE the Tax LAs for them be cultivated in a manner that does not antagonize them to their potential support of the FT, as economic conditions worsen will literally force Congress to consider the FT, as more people become unemployed, and thus the base for the so-called "income tax" system dissolves.

I hope a lot of you can come to Marilyns Tea Party meeting in DC on March 1 so we can coordinate our actions to be more effective.

I plan to hopefully start meeting with W&M (et al) Tax LAs in March. We need to get 21 to vote it out of Committee.

THAT IS THE IMMEDIATE GOAL FOR W&M!!

This is my short term goal I am working on to achieve. If others want to help me, let's talk and coordinate details and strategies.

Peace

Jabari

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