One of many comments I received - "I heard Glenn Beck make that remark about different rates (under the FairTax) for each product on Friday's show" - this is just plain false. The rate is the same for everything & everyone & is @ least partially how the FairTax got its name.
Below is a commentary I received from a FairTax supporter who was in Beck's audience on April 2 & did a tremendous job of trying to educate both Beck & the public - this is the type of stand it takes to make the difference if you can muster the courage:
"My wife and I were in the audience for the "Ask Glenn Anything" episode of the Glenn Beck show which aired on Friday April 2nd.
As has previously been mentioned by others on this forum, Glenn Beck was asked why he supports the flat tax and has not considered the FairTax. Glenn gave an answer that implied that only the flat tax will be fair to all. The show went to a commercial and while the cameras were off, I called out to him saying:
'Glenn, your understanding of the FairTax is incorrect. It charges the same tax to all, it does not favor one product or service over another.'
Glenn left the stage and came over to where I was sitting and said that he believes that different special interests will say 'How can you charge tax on my product or service?' and that Congress will fold and grant exceptions. With extremely limited time, I jumped to my next talking point which was to tell him that our current income tax started as a flat tax but that those single digit tax rates mushroomed into what we have today.
At this point, the show was about to go back on so Glenn headed over to the stage. With seconds until the show resumed recording, I yelled out 'But only 50% of the country pays income tax. There are not enough people to tax!' The show was back on the air, and with our discussion still fresh in his mind, Glenn's first words after returning from the commercial were to say something about having a FairTax person in the audience who debated that last question.
Steven Crowder, http://stevencrowder.ning.com/, comedian and political commentator known for his hilarious YouTube videos like the one he did last summer on the Canadian health care system, facilitated the show by standing in the audience and either reading questions sent in or calling upon audience members. I got to talk to him after the show when he was exiting the Fox News building. He said he didn't quite agree with Glenn Beck on the flat tax, so I gave him the quick elevator pitch and handed him one of my pocket cards before he took off. Steven Crowder has been hired by Fox News to be a regular contributor, and he is in the process of moving to New York from California."
Lastly, below is a comment from a reader of ReturnToExcellence.net that adds more light to the subject of where Beck is coming from re the Flat Tax & the FairTax. It seems that the responder's research resulted in Beck determining that the current administration & Congress could not administer the FairTax properly. I never believe in negotiating with myself or in this case finding reasons why not to pursue the excellence of something like the FairTax. It is true that BO & Pelosi will never support the FairTax for obvious reasons & that is precisely why freedom loving Americans have to get rid of them so that we can find people who will. Beck could help spread the FairTax word that will result in people like Pelosi & BO not being reelected so that we clear the way for FairTax supporters. We can not start soon enough to spread the FairTax word & that is why to me Beck is very suspicious, @ best, & most likely has an agenda that is the opposite of returning America to the liberty to abundance stage of our heritage. If our Founders took a waiting position similar to Beck's on July 4, 1776 they would have been under their beds hiding instead of being @ Independence Hall with pen in hand chomping @ the bit for their turn to sign.
"If you actually investigated further into Glenn Beck's statement, his beliefs are that under the current administration and agenda of Congress, the FairTax could not be administered properly.
I would think he means all the lobbyists, political back room deals, the "good ole boy's" quid pro quo, the earmarks and entitlements embedded into all the bills that seemingly go unnoticed.
Isn't it strange that these hidden items just somehow find their way into bills that basically have nothing to do with the main body of the bill?
While I do not share Mr. Beck's view of the Flat Tax, nor do I agree with everything anyone says, Glenn Beck's statement does hold water based on the current situation we find ourselves in.
I continue to believe that the FairTax would be the correct path to bring our country back.
However, based on Paul Volcker's statement of recent days, a European style of VAT may not be out of the realm of reality. It could be even more of a reality than many think. It wouldn't be a tax …oh no that just wouldn't be right. We'll call it a…..National Recovery and Reinvestment Fee.
Oh gee, now I feel so much better, a fee to recovery and reinvestment. May I remind the administration that I was born one day…….etc.
According to various news sources, officials from the White House responded "Mr. Volcker was speaking for himself and not the administration. The president has not proposed this idea nor is it under consideration".
May I point out that Mr. Volcker is Chairman of the Economic Recovery Advisory Board under President Obama.
So while the WH may distance itself from the statement, I would keep my eyes on all the balls that are currently being balanced in Washington D.C. One or two of those balls may strike you in the face and you may not see it coming. It may even be "rammed down the throats of Americans" as a certain bill that just recently was approved. Or should I say negotiated within some of the "normal ways" Washington does business? "
I would say Beck gets his information from Art Laffer who has been on his show a few times.
ReplyDeleteTo throw Beck to the sharks would be a mistake.