Fair Tax Nation

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

My Speech at the Mid America Fair Tax Rally

Hello, I am Jessica Wexler. I am a strong supporter of the FairTax. I have volunteered with FairTax KC for the past year and written an organizing manual to be used by Fair tax supporters across the country. So there is no confusion, I am a Democrat. I have worked 20 hour days, 7 days a week, for months at a time. I have slept on office floors with blankets pulled from the trunk of volunteers' cars. During Senator McCaskill's campaign, I learned the benefit of a union hall with showers, even if they were behind a door marked Men's. On Novemeber 4th while polls were closing and parties were starting. I was still at President Obama's Raytown office, working to insure every vote was counted. I have organized teachers in New Orleans and registered voters through Rock the Vote. I have been in favor of the FairTax for several years. Ever since my uncle, for those of you who don’t know him, he is the FairTax KC Geezer, gave me a small paperback book to read. My uncle and I disagree on all the major hot button issues from abortion to gun rights, social security to the death penalty. To sum it up we disagree on how the government should spend our tax dollars. We are in complete agreement on how the government should collect those tax dollars. The FairTax!
I am here to speak about why I, a democrat, support the FairTax. Why other Democrats must support the FairTax. And why it is crucial that the FairTax is a nonpartisan issue both on a local and national scale.
My top 3 reasons for supporting the FairTax are it will increase jobs, widen our tax base, and gives me control over the money I earn.
The FairTax increases jobs by eliminating some of the major reasons, such as the capital gains and corporate income taxes, that caused and continue to cause U.S. companies to leave the U.S.
The FairTax widens our current tax base. Under the FairTax; People making money from criminal activity such as drugs pay taxes. Illegal Immigrants pay taxes. People being paid under the table pay taxes. People who once used accountants, attorneys, and financial advisors to find loopholes in our current system pay taxes. Everyone in the U.S. who buys anything new will pay taxes.
With the FairTax; I will finally have control over my money. Managing a nonprofit in Kansas City earning $30,000 a year I was bringing home $418 a week. With the FairTax in place I would be brining home my entire pay check of $576 a week. That’s an increase of $632 per month, totaling $8,216 for the year. A college graduate with $21,000 in student loans would be able to pay off the loans within 3 years using only the increase in salary. I will no longer have to wait a year to receive a refund on the money I earned that the government borrowed interest free; my money will be there every payday.
Fellow Democrats must support the FairTax because it simplifies our tax system, boosts our economy, and is far more Progressive than our current tax system.
We all agree that our current tax system is complex and hard to understand with over 70,000 pages of tax code. According to Money magazine, 99% of us will pay a tax professional to file an incorrect tax return! Democrats want a simplified tax system. The Fair Tax is the simplified tax system! Pay a tax once on new items purchased and that’s it. Buy anything used clothing, books, house, car there is NO Federal tax.
The FairTax will boost our economy in a number of ways. The most important way due to our current unemployment is it will creat jobs. There is over 13 trillion dollars in offshore accounts. The FairTax will bring back an estimated 2-3 trillion dollars in the first year alone to be invested here at home.
The third reason Democrats must support the FairTax is that it is far more Progressive than our current system. Under the FairTax Low-income households experience five times the benefit increase as compared to high-income households. This gives us a greater opportunity to move up the economic ladder and achieve the American Dream.
It is crucial that the FairTax has nonpartisan support. On the National level the FairTax cannot pass without bipartisan support. Our current Senate is made up of 57 democrats, 2 independents, and 40 republicans the House of Representatives is made up of 256 democrats and 178 republicans. We must persuade those on both sides of the aisle to gain passage of the FairTax.
I can not stress enough the importance of nonpartisan support at the local level. Imagine if my uncle never gave me the book, or if I was close minded and unwilling to learn about the FairTax because of all the issues we disagree on. There are entire families of strong Democrats that don’t have an Uncle to persuade them to take the time and learn about the FairTax. If we supporters of the FairTax dismiss the Democrats, we lose 50% of our potential supporters. Everyone must decide if the FairTax is their number 1 issue above all other issues, that is the only way the FairTax can succeed. Most Democrats don't realize they have a vested interest in the FairTax. Simply because they are unaware of the facts and have been convinced that the FairTax is a Republican issue. We must show them that the FairTax is an American Issue. We have to be welcoming and inclusive of all people willing to listen. I discovered at my first FairTax meeting that if my uncle was not there I as a liberal democrat would have ran away and never come back. To look at the crowd before me today, it is safe to assume that the majority of you are not Democrats. Democrats are not here for the same reasons I was ready to runaway. At the meeting volunteers were discussing inviting Sarah Palin to speak at an event, and pro-McCarthyism to name a couple of the topics that made me uncomfortable. I was thinking to myself. “What on earth am I doing attending an event with right wing republicans? I need to re-evaluate the FairTax, if this is an example of other supporters.” I am happy to say, I now have great relationships with everyone at FairTax KC. I talk to Earl and John at least once a week. Never would have guessed how well we get along and how many things we are in agreement on. Thankfully, I was able to explain how isolating their unconscious actions were to an outsider. Now we remind each other that all social issues are left at the door. If you want to discuss the War in Iraq go right ahead, just NOT at a FairTax meeting or FairTax event. All of FairTax KC pamphlets, emails, and speeches are examined to insure that they are inclusive of all people. We have formed a strong grass root organization that thrives on diversity and stays focused on what matters: the FairTax. A year ago, we had 200 email addresses after reevaluating and marketing our ideas to be inclusive of all political parties and organizations we now have over 4,000 email addresses. We have to take the time and make the effort to be inclusive, Not exclusive. I am standing here today as evidence that a staunch liberal democrat does support the fairtax without compromising my liberal views on social issues. Thank you!

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Comment by Sean Fagan on June 25, 2009 at 9:54am
Thanks for posting your speech Jessica, makes me wish I was there to hear it in person.

You are, of course, 100% correct and as a conservative I must admit I have been guilty of making those same kind of partisan statements in the past. I have since come to realize, like you, the Fair Tax is an American issue and must be nonpartisan and all inclusive.

We all stand to learn a lot from your message.
Comment by Dan Hunt on June 24, 2009 at 10:03pm
Excellent speech Jessica! I'm sure it garnered attention. I gave an impromptu Fair Tax speech at a tea party rally last month in Hartford, CT. I wish I used some of the points in your speech. Keep up the good work and Thank you!
Comment by Nancy L. Gatchel on June 23, 2009 at 9:48pm
Bravo, Jessica! You had me on my feet a number of times at the Midwest Fair Tax Rally, applauding your speech. The Fair Tax is not a partisan issue, it's an American issue, and you exemplified that. We citizens can find that common ground on which to meet and the Fair Tax is that common ground. Though I belong to a different political party, half of my family are Democrats that support the Fair Tax. Keep fighting for us. We're right there with ya! I hope you travel 'cause you know you'll be called upon to speak, maybe right here in OH.
Comment by Clay Welsh on June 22, 2009 at 6:44pm
Very well said Jessica. You're right on. Keep up the fantastic effort.

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