Doug Hartlove's Report on Frelinghuysen Town Hall Meetings

From: "jdhcth"
Date: Sun May 10, 2009 5:19 pm
Subject: Town Hall Meeting Schedule jdhcth@verizon.net
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Following the Town Hall meeting in Somerville on April 25 where the FairTax was represented by 8 supporters who asked four questions the FairTax was represented @ Congressman Frelinghuysen's two town hall meetings held on Saturday May 9 in Succasunna @ 9 AM (Tom Freeman, Stephanie & Tom Sharp) & in Long Hill @ 1 PM (Stan Serafin & Tessa Sherman). There were two FairTax questions asked @ each of the meetings & everyone in attendance received a pocket card so the word was spread very well.

In Ken Hoagland's May 7 message he emphasized that participating in Town Hall meetings is the most effective way to influence congressional co-sponsorship of HR 25 when he wrote "the time has come for face-to-face “education” of Members of Congress. Our database of Town Hall meetings provides us listings of local Congressional Town Hall meetings across the country. This is where the “rubber meets the road” for the FairTax.

In the coming weeks grassroots coordinator Sean Matula will be calling you and asking for help. E-mails will be sent to every local supporter asking them to attend these meetings. Because Members of Congress deliberately keep advance notice of these events short, you may have very few days to encourage local supporters to attend. That is our challenge.

As we have seen before, however, when confronted with determined constituents, Congressional support and co-sponsorship of the FairTax legislation gains ground. When faced by knowledgeable supporters, wrong impressions of the FairTax get erased and deliberate distortions answered. Be ready to take on the excuses, the fallacies and delays by your Member of Congress. Let's remind Members of Congress that the federal tax system should serve more than Congress and lobbyists. Our tax system is badly broken and the FairTax is the solution. To that end, we’ll be providing talking points and other downloadable information for FairTax supporters who attend these meetings.

We have been rebuilding the national base of supporters, awareness of the issue and our national momentum over the past 18 months. Now we must exercise our grassroots muscle and make a real difference. All of our rallies, recruitment efforts, advertising and other grassroots activities really build toward this—direct communications with elected officials. Even with short notice, together we must get every FairTaxer in your area to attend these meetings and make the point that the FairTax is the answer the nation needs.

The rest of this year we will be asking state and district directors to turn the supporter base out to these meetings as they are announced. This is our chance to increase co- sponsorship of the FairTax legislation and begin moving us toward the floor of the House of Representatives.

This is what it is all about. Please help in every way you can."
Our work in NJ gives us a leg up on Ken's message. I request that every DD call their congressman to find out when he will be holding Town Hall meetings & then publish the schedule so that we can make our FairTax presence known & felt directly to each congressman the way we already have to Frelinghuysen three times in the last two weeks.

Doug Hartlove