Fair Tax Nation

Replace All Federal Taxes on Income with the Fair Tax Act , HR 25

Congressman Steve King (IA) Talks With FairTax Nation, Part II

Congressman King presents an American flag to Dwight Hauff from Sioux City, America’s Oldest Worker. Hauff, 100, has been a staple in Sioux City business since 1933. The following continues with more of the conversation that took place last Friday morning between Congressman Steve King and myself. We got into some of the stuff that FairTax supporters need to realize but may not know about the two way street between our FairTax co-sponsors and our grassroots efforts.
FairTaxNation: (Speaking first) We've spent years debating back and forth and I've listened to the same arguments being said two weeks ago that was being argued 2 years ago. It seems that we have to keep going over these same arguments over and over again because these people are just wasting our time with it. If the other side, and I'm not blaming the Democrats or the Republicans here, but if the people who are opposed to FairTax decided that they suddenly wanted to have a VAT tax, they would just jump on CNN and start selling it... A guest on CNN said last Sunday that the US would have to impose a VAT tax because the current tax code was sure to fail very soon. [The host] quickly agreed and thanked the guest for telling us what we will be looking at very soon. We had eight to ten thousand people at the republican [debate] in Columbia SC last year. CNN basically went out of their way to ignore us. The question I want to put to you is this: Since you have been very vocal for FairTax, what do the FairTax supporters like me need to do to help you get this thing moving along? I just don't think writing letters to our congressmen is going to get it.
Congressman Steve King of Iowa: We have people come into this Congress that understand that the FairTax is a good idea and then they are pummelled by their political opposition who spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to accuse them of wanting to raise the tax on a loaf of bread by 30%. Then [the FairTax supporting candidate] has to go out and raise enough money to offset that. Some are beaten, not that many, some curl up in a political fetal position and just slide away from it. That's what's been happening so when you have people who are solid FairTaxers and they get pounded, and they win anyway, then they slide away from it. Now I'm not speaking of anything that Pete Sessions has said, I just watched what happened down there a couple of election cycles ago. Pete got pounded for his support of the FairTax and he won the election. And Pete is a great guy, a fighter, and smart and all of that but he has not been very vocal about the FairTax since then and I'm not sure if he is a co-sponsor of the bill anymore, I've not looked. So, umm, thats part of it. So if the opponents are wounding members who are FairTax supporters, then there has got to be strong support on the part of FairTax to defend them. Now let's just say Pete Sessions's race, and then again, this is not anything that Pete has said to me, its just what I've seen from the outside, let's just say that when Martin Frost brought that attack on him, Lets say that FairTax had enough resources to come in and run independent ads beating up on Martin Frost by advocating for the FairTax. They could prep the landing zone, so to speak. If that were to happen and you were able to convince people by informing them before they could be mis-informed by those little bumper sticker phrases about raising the tax on a loaf of bread by 30% Those kinds of things would help. What I'm saying is "It does take money." Money is the mother's milk of politics. Now, I'm solid and I haven't asked for anything of FairTax. You know, I believe in it... I'm never going to change and I'm eager for the debate. Let somebody come and run against me on the FairTax and I'll drag them out in the open and make them defend the IRS. In fact, I did that when I first ran for Congress. I ran against a CPA who was very proud of his, I'll say, financial [status]. I dragged him out into the open and just pounded him mercilessly to the point where he would not even talk about taxes anymore in the last three weeks of the election. Then we went and took a debate that we did and played it on cable TV in his home town for two weeks solid. It ran several times a day. So, I'm not your typical person when it comes to that. [FairTax supporting candidates] have to know the issue well enough to want to fight! They have to realize that they can gain from that debate politically. The vulnerability has come because there has been money that has run against them and it has not been matched up on the other side. Putting the information out...running a website...getting as many interviews as possible... getting as many op eds as possible... Getting as many high profile people as possible who will advocate for the FairTax. We have Huckabee and we have Sean Hannity who are both very strong FairTax supporters. As much as that can come on so that people can get confidence, that it is a good solid idea and that it is the salvation of this economy. That is all good. You have to build enough grassroots out there so that you can have a PAC that will defend these members that are attacked. If not, they are going to curl up in that political fetal position.
FairTaxNation: Ok, That's some great information! That is some of the things we have been looking at doing. FairTax Nation is just a little bit different than FairTax.org, I mean AFFT, in that...well we think that FairTax.org has the greatest plan in the FairTax and all the [research] that they have right there. Ken Hoagland is the Communications Coordinator for AFFT. He was telling some of us that there were 175,000 people who submitted their names to FairTax.org just in the past fifteen months. That's just phenomenal in my opinion. But what's also my opinion is that we need to have these people out in the public eye. If we had 175,000 people screaming, yelling, and organized to do something we could press Congress to do something. Press CNN.. Press Fox News to be serious about it. I think we can do more. What do you think about that?
King: It's hard to press CNN on that and Fox will emerge a little bit. You have got to have a hook to get the news. You [AFFT] rallied all those people in South Carolina... How many did you say, Jim?
FairTaxNation: Somewhere between eight and ten thousand people. They surrounded the entire building but a handful of war protesters received all the coverage. If you looked back behind the war protestors, you could see this, I don't know... this huge stream of FairTaxers walking around the building. They did not get covered but a hand full of war protesters getting all this coverage at a republican [presidential debate].
King: Now I remember that happening and I remember seeing the FairTax film of that so it is kind of in my mind. Lots of people wearing those white tee shirts with FairTax on it. And that was all good. You said you've got 175,000 people signed up on FairTax.org? Ummmm...
FairTaxNation: That's just in the past 15 months or so. There's...
King How many on the database all together? Do you know?
FairTaxNation: Well, I don't know for sure, but over the past 10 years or so I understand that the people have added up to over a million who have left their names with FairTax.org. In my mind, I feel like many of them think they are by themselves where FairTax Nation hopes to get them fired up in a community type effort. For example, the lady in Washington State named Jamie Wheeler kind of feels like she is out there all by herself but she is plugging away for it. Here she sees her efforts as part of a nation wide effort and her ideas are being talked about and discussed on the site. I mean people all over are able to get involved and see their efforts move the thing forward. We are only two months old and without any real advertising or anything, we have a couple thousand members already. Many, not all, of the FairTax activists are already starting to join the site. This is where we are really hoping that we can work hand in hand with FairTax.org and really get the grass roots moving.
King: I'm just thinking about how you energize and you get people to do the buy in.... @ 26:00 min
(to be continued).

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Comment by Peter D. on March 13, 2009 at 5:13pm
Congressman King - Thank you SO MUCH for your interest, desire to understand, and your advocacy of our cause!

As Jim sated, FairTax Nation exists to coordinate community efforts and help us to gel into a powerful voice. Support from inside Congress is critical to getting that voice heard.

I think all FairTaxers should take heed of what Congressman King said regarding money: we need a powerful arm to support SPECIFIC candidates that support our cause. Non-partisan as it may be, our lack of progress is - in my opinion - largely due to AFFT's non-profit status and the restrictions placed on them in this arena.

Folks....it's time for FTN to get cranking, organized, and raising funds to support our agenda; put our money where our mouths are so-to-speak. Without it, we'll get plenty of co-sponsors, and little or no actual movement.

One more time: Thank you Congressman King. We deeply appreciate your support!
Comment by Beverly - Eugene LaCross on March 12, 2009 at 10:35am
Hi, Mr King thankyou for the inspiration.We are presenters of the Fairtax in Ft.McCoy,Fl. We feel we are out in the cold.We explain the Fairtax to people and the one that do sign up very rarely we ever hear from them again. So now we decided to try a different tactic we have joined a tax group that are against taxes in general. In hopes that they will join us at the Fairtax rallies because we are going to a tea party rally in Jacksonville on the 11th. of April and we might be in South Carolina on 4/15. thankyou for your support. Gene & Bev of Ocala, fl.
Comment by Harry Douglas on March 11, 2009 at 10:18am
NOW IS THE TIME FOR ALL AMERICANS TO TAKE CONTROL OF AMERICA'S FUTURE AND STOP LETTING THE WEAK LEADERSHIP THAT WE HAVE IN WASHINGTON DC DICTATE OUR COURSE.

FOR THE PAST FIVE FOUR YEARS ON MY RADIO TALK SHOW I HAVE BEEN AN ADVOCATE FOR THE FAIR TAX ACT. IT IS PAST TIME FOR YOU AND ME TO STOP THROWING OUR HARD EARNED MONEY TO A TAXATION SYSTEM THAT IS OUT DATED AND JUST DOES NOT FUNCTION ANY LONGER.

I'VE HAD IT WITH THE WAY THAT WASHINGTON DC OPERATES. LATER THIS YEAR I WILL ANNOUNCE MY PLANS TO RUN FOR CONGRESS IN THE EAST TENNESSEE DISTRICT THAT ZACH WAMP HOLDS NOW. I WILL BE COUNTING ON THE SUPPORT AND VOTE OF THE FAIR TAX MOVEMENT MEMBERS.

IT'S PAST TIME FOR THE POWER OF GOVERNMENT TO BE GIVEN BACK TO THE ONES THAT IT RIGHTFULLY BELONGS TO, THE CITIZENS OF THESE GREAT UNITED STATES of AMERICA.

Please feel free to contact me: harry@carconcerns.com
Phone: 1-865-622-3032

PLEASE JOIN ME AS I FIGHT FOR YOU...WE CAN MAKE IT HAPPEN!!!

Harry for Congress
P.O. Box 10883
Knoxville, TN 37919
Comment by Jamie Wheeler WA on March 11, 2009 at 3:16am
Congressman King THANK YOU!!! A "billion" times thank you for being willing to hear about this legislation, educate and then take a firm stand regarding it's importance to every American! We need the FairTax and we need more Congressmen like you who are willing to educate and discuss with not only your constituents but all Americans. When "one" congressman or woman does or doesn't vote for a bill it affects everyone in the US! Thank you again and keep up the good fight and together we can make a difference! Go FairTax. Jamie (Washington State)
Comment by Tamara on March 10, 2009 at 11:56pm
I hope Congressman King doesn't back down to his fellow congressman when the going gets tough. We need someone up there with the guts to stand firm and tell these people " This IS what the people WANT and it is our "job" to give it to them. We are their voice and that is what we were sent here for. Congressman King if you can and will do that I WILL BACK YOU ALL THE WAY! Your people do want this and our country NEEDS this. Please continue to help not only spread the word but help us change the minds of the politians in Washington before they completely ruin this country for our children and leave them with such debt they will never see the light of day. Fair Tax is the hope for them to end the madness of over spending!
Comment by Bob Whigham on March 10, 2009 at 2:31pm
I hope Congressman King understands how much we appreciate his support. It's nice to know there is at least one other elected official willing to stand up and be counted. Maybe he and Congressman Linder can inoculate a few more. On April 19, 187(5?) Ralph Waldo Emerson spoke at the centennial of that little skirmish at Lexington and Concord and likened it to "...a thunderbolt that hit an inch of ground yet lit the horizon." Maybe Congressman King can be that thunderbolt in Congress we've been looking for.
Comment by Joshua on March 10, 2009 at 1:25pm
Thank you very much for promoting the Fair Tax on the floor of the house. I hope you will be able to persuade many of your collegues !to support the bill as well. There are many that have co-sponsored the bill, but you are one of the very few that have been outspoken about it as you have. Thanks again
Comment by Art Villa - Global Perspective on March 10, 2009 at 12:51pm
On behalf of me and my young family I thank you for rising above the politics-as-usual mentality in Washington in order to do the right thing.

Thank you very much Congressman King! We look forward to teaming up with you to get the FairTax passed!
Comment by David B Reed on March 10, 2009 at 12:48pm
I have read Part I and Part II of your conversation through twice. Each time I gained a greater appreciation for you, your integrity, knowledge and the wisdom you offer. I believe individuals, like yourself, who recognize and support solid principaled efforts toward reform in govenrment are a treasured resource the population of this counrty need search out and support. Individuals such as yourself and Rep. Linder and the co-sponsors of the Fair Tax Effort give hope to us at the grass roots level, who know deep in our hearts; there is a body of individuals in Washington who still have an intrest of doing what is right... Those who sent you to Congress can take great pride in their chosen Representative and your desire for their future, and the future of their children. Thank you!!!

Thank you for spending the time and sharing in conversation with us through our represenative of The Fair Tax Nation.
Comment by Bob Scarborough on March 10, 2009 at 9:25am
When the history of the FairTax is recalled generations from now, the conversations will include words about a remarkable man who took the time to truly understand the importance of the legislation and actively support it. Representative King, it is refreshing to experience true support from a man who represents all of us in this campaign. Thank you.

In time, leadership from our own districts will come aboard more openly and actively. Of this I am certain. Until then, thank you for keeping the torch burning with the others in the House who are supporting the FairTax. The FairTax Nation will be fanning the flames.

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