The Race Card

I accept that we look at the world a bit differently. Our entire lives, we've been reminded of our race, gender and household income. Any time we fill out a form, whether it be for a doctor visit or loan application, there's that question:

Race: White or Caucasian, Black or African American, Asian or Phillipino, Latino or Hispanic, Other???

Our government reminds us that we have different colors of skin or varying ethnicities. I've always checked that box "white or caucasian". I've never been a part of what the government labels a "minority", although there really isn't a box for me because I'm a pure American mutt, just like most of my friends!

So, no, I don't know where you're coming from when it feels like you're being discriminated against because you're black, asian or latino.

In the age of Affirmative Action, it actually seems that people who aren't white have an advantage! Isn't that why we disclose our race? It's not to make sure that enough white people are getting loans or the jobs, it's to require that a certain number of "minorities" get those things. These Affirmative Action rules discard being judged by the "content of our character" in favor of the color of our skin.

From the website of the National Association for the Advancement of Conservative People of all Colors:

We believe that race is an institution designed to keep like minded citizens apart and separate. The institution of race has given us racism, social and political segregation and numerous barriers both physically and psychologically. The NAACPC stands strong behind the belief that there are no differences in people relative to skin color.

I do know what it feels like to make bad decisions and wish I had something besides myself to blame. From where I'm looking, we have a President who has instated some of the most radical regulations that will bleed Americans of our liberties and our work ethic. Here are a few examples:

• Government borrowing and then spending to stimulate our economy does nothing but kill private business. TARP was the stupidest thing Bush could have done before leaving office. On Obama's request and with the help of a Democrat controlled Congress, Bush passed TARP in November months before Obama would be sworn-in. If he didn't agree with TARP, he should have let Obama sign it himself. Obviously, he agreed. Bailouts of corporations is unacceptable and un-American. Unless we let the market work, we will control it to death. Let them fail and watch innovation at work.
• Cash for Clunkers wasted tax-payer money to supplement the purchase of brand new cars. Before leaving the lot, the dealership was required to destroy the old cars, which negatively impacts the used-car market. Rather than selling them for use or for parts to pay for the program, they were destroyed. In the name of the environment, the Obama administration encouraged the unnecessary purchase of thousands of new vehicles and wasted the "reusable" cars for people who truly need a break. If participants weren't already planning to purchase a new car, Cash for Clunkers put each buyer in debtors prison.
• ObamaCare is a gigantic entitlement program that doesn't solve any of the real problems in our healthcare system. Medicare and Medicaid are programs that should be designed and implemented on the state level. It creates more taxes and takes over an entire portion of our economy.
• The Obama Administration is pushing hard for some sort of Cap & Trade legislation which disincentivises investments in America and leaches more profits from businesses & households.
• Extreme extensions of unemployment has encouraged some workers to enjoy the time off rather than taking a job under their pay grade or perhaps two jobs. Unemployment funds are dry in every state, so the unemployed are living off future taxable earnings of Americans.
• More than 50% of people granted government mortgage loan modifications are defaulting! Rather than allowing these people to default on their home mortgage, we supplemented their mortgages with tax dollars and they defaulted again anyway! Wasted, borrowed money when half of the recipients should have gone directly to renting!

It's the policies that infuriate me! And the catch is that Obama is doing exactly what he said he would! It's just that the results aren't what people hoped for. Instead of a government run utopia, we have a crumpling, over-regulated society.

It is the intention of our federal government to reduce our liberties and increase our dependence upon it. It's been a long and well-planned scheme beginning back in the early 1900s. We just happen to be in the perfect storm - an "economic crisis", a war (or 2), and a black president who fuels race issues to distract us from the destruction of our Constitutional Republic.

Let's get off the race card and focus on our Constitution. The changes back to our roots may seem radical, but once we get a taste of liberty and freedom, the rewards will be great!

What's the problem with the New Black Panthers?

Back in the 2008 elections, there was voter intimidation committed in Philly by King Samir Shabazz, a New Black Panther member, at a polling location. He guarded the door wielding a nightstick and apparently harassed white voters. It was video-taped by someone and reported on the day of the election.

The federal voter intimidation charges were dropped against Shabazz and it's recently hit the news again because one of the attorneys in the justice department quit over what he believed what was a racially-motivated dismissal of conviction. King Samir Shabazz has been banned from any polling station until 2012 (is he banned from the 2012 election or is it fitting that the ban allows him to be back there for Obama's re-election?), but it seems that the New Black Panthers stand behind their man and his actions.

In any case, this coverage peaked my curiosity and I checked out NewBlackPanther.com to see what they're all about. The 10-point platform listed on the website is frightening. I've responded to each point to the best of my ability and the strength of my opinion. While I don't believe that this group represents the majority of black Americans, it's distressing to think that the New Black Panthers could be gaining traction in Washington and its members being pardoned for federal crimes.

The entire 10-point platform demands things from white Americans based on slavery that ended a hundred and fifty years ago. Not all black people in America were slaves, not all white people in America were slave owners. Did you know that white slavery was prevalent in America? It's a large piece of history that has been re-written. The only benefit I can see of this blatant misrepresentation of America's history is a political one guaranteeing race wars and divisiveness.

There's not a single slave owner in my blood line; there are, however, indentured servants, castaways and criminals.

Our government has never been so "giving" (welfare, Medicaid, free ERs, Section-8, food stamps...) than we are today and the New Black Panthers demand more only for black people. They even want exemption from taxes and military service because this is a white country and nothing is fair for black people.

In 1935, Franklin D. Roosevelt, the father of Social Security and welfare, warned our nation during his state of the union address:

The lessons of history, confirmed by evidence immediately before me, show conclusively that continued dependence on relief induces a spiritual and moral disintegration fundamentally destructive to the national fiber. To dole out relief in this way is to administer a narcotic, a subtle destroyer of the human spirit. It is inimical to the dictates of sound policy. It is a violation of the traditions of America.

Little did FDR know that his policies would destroy entire families, generation after generation, and cause a severe reliance on the government keeping poor people poor. It's alarming that any group of people (New Black Panthers, politicians, average citizens) would promote increased welfare spending while ignoring the statistics. And that's the message I read loud and clear in this 10-point platform.

Our generation ought to recognize this great country for reversing a law of slavery. There are dark days in every society, but the light has broken through here in America. It's time to recognize the achievements.

What the New Black Panthers Want What the New Black Panthers Believe

1. We want freedom. We want the power to practice self-determination, and to determine the destiny of our community and THE BLACK NATION. You live in America, you have freedom. Only you can hold you back. We believe in the spiritual high moral code of our Ancestors. We believe in the truths of the Bible, Quran, and other sacred texts and writings. We believe in MAAT and the principles of NGUZO SABA. We believe that Black People will not be free until we are able to determine our Divine Destiny. It's all yours! The great thing about America is freedom of religion - practice what you please.

2. We want full employment for our people and we demand the dignity to do for ourselves what we have begged the white man to do for us. Again, it's all yours! Work for it and you may have it. You cannot demand dignity, it must be in your soul. Stop begging and just do it. We believe that since the white man has kept us deaf, dumb and blind, and used every dirty trick in the book to stand in the way of our freedom and independence, that we should be gainfully employed until such time we can employ and provide for ourselves. You will and can be gainfully employed when you want to be. Do the job and it's yours. Lack in your dedication or commitment and you will be replaced by someone who shows dedication and commitment. With the opportunities given to ALL Americans, it is only you who keep yourself blind, deaf or dumb. We believe further in: POWER IN THE HANDS OF THE PEOPLE! WEALTH IN THE HANDS OF THE PEOPLE! ARMS IN THE HANDS OF THE PEOPLE! Sounds like the American dream & the 2nd Amendment. *Note that it was Democrats who tried to keep black people down including denying blacks the 2nd Amendment rights. It was not ALL white people, just the racist bigots.

3. We want tax exemption and an end to robbery of THE BLACK NATION by the CAPITALIST. We want an end to the capitalistic domination of Africa in all of its forms: imperialism, criminal settler colonialism, neo-colonialism, racism, sexism, zionism, Apartheid and artificial borders. If you want to remain in this country and to enjoy the freedoms of it, then you must pay taxes as all other citizens do. If you don't want to contribute to the funding of our government, move to where you will be happier. We believe that this wicked racist government has robbed us, and now we are demanding the overdue debt of reparations. A form of reparations was promised 100 years ago (forty acres and a mule) as restitution for the continued genocide of our people and to in meaningful measure and repair the damage for the AFRICAN HOLOCAUST (Maangamizo/Maafa). Are you saying that all black people are descendants of slaves? If 40 acres and a mule were promised and not given, then any descendent of slave should maybe get their portion of that reparation?? (ie. one guy a 100 years ago could have one hundred descendants) We believe our people should be exempt from ALL TAXATION as long as we are deprived of equal justice under the laws of the land and the overdue reparations debt remains unpaid. We will accept payment in fertile and mine rally rich land, precious metals, industry, commerce and currency. As genocide crimes continue, people's tribunals must be set up to prosecute and to execute. That's just silly. The Jews were given reparations. The Japanese were given reparations. The Black, the Red and the Brown Nations must be given reparations. The American white man owes us reparations. England owes us reparations. France owes us reparations, Spain and all of Europe. Africa owes us reparations and repatriation. The Arabs owe us reparations. The Jews owe us reparations. All have taken part in the AFRICAN HOLOCAUST and the slaughter of 600 million of our people over the past 6,000 years in general and 400 year in particular. We know that this is a reasonable and just demand that we make at this time in history. You owe yourself to live up to your potential. Every single one of us has ancestors who were wronged by some party of people. Stop living in the past and take responsibility for your future.

4. We want decent housing, fit for shelter of human beings, free health-care (preventive and maintenance). We want an end to the trafficking of drugs and to the biological and chemical warfare targeted at our people. You must be responsible for yourselves. Time and again, when free housing is given to people with no skin in the game, they have no pride in their homes and THEY destroy their housing. Only you can self-regulate the trafficking of drugs; only you can support your community and demand higher standards of each other. We believe since the white landlords will not give decent housing and quality health care to our Black Community, the he housing, the land, the social, political and economic institutions should be made into independent UUAMAA New African Communal/Cooperatives so that our community, with government reparations and aid (until we can do for ourselves) can build and make drug free, decent housing with health facilities for our people. The "white landlords" have not responsibility to "give" you anything. Are the black landlords "giving" you what you want? It's not the housing that is "drug free", it's the people. Only the people can take pride in their homes and keep it decent. Health care exists through Medicaid, Medicare, the ER and community clinics for those who can't afford private coverage.

5. We want education for our people that exposes the true nature of this devilish and decadent American society. We want education that teaches us our true history/herstory and our role in the present day society. We believe in an educational system that will give our people a knowledge of self. If we do not have knowledge of self and of our position in society and the world, then we have little chance to properly relate to anything else. It's all yours! Take your knowledge and start an education program for your local youth. Does it have to be provided by the government? NO! Just do it!

6. We want all Black Men and Black Women to be exempt from military service. We believe that Black People should not be forced to fight in the military service to defend a racist government that holds us captive and does not protect us. We will not fight and kill other people of color in the world who, like Black People, are being victimized by the white racist government of America. We will protect ourselves from the force and violence of the racist police and the racist military, by any means necessary. If you have no pride in this country, than shoot your toe off and exempt yourself. Or, move to another country where you'll be happier.

7. We want an immediate end to POLICE HARRASSMENT, BRUTALITY and MURDER of Black People. We want an end to Black-on-Black violence, snitching, cooperation and collaboration with the oppressor. Only blacks can end Black-on-Black violence. Are you advocating acceptance of violence and thievery? Should anyone be held accountable? Are black cops okay, or is it all cops? We believe we can end police brutality in our community by organizing Black self-defense groups (Black People's Militias/Black Liberation Armies) that are dedicated to defending our Black Community from racist, fascist, police/military oppression and brutality. The Second Amendment of white America's Constitution gives a right to bear arms. We therefore believe that all Black People should unite and form an African United Front and arm ourselves for self-defense. It's implied that the cops are always wrong and the black citizens are always in the right. Rather than creating armies or militias, how about teaching non-violent communication? Support and lifting up of your fellow-man to create ...

8. We want freedom for all Black Men and Black Women held in international, military, federal, state, county, city jails and prisons. Even those guilty of a crime? We believe that all Black People and people of color should be released from the many jails and prisons because they have not received a fair and impartial trial. Released means released to the lawful authorities of the Black Nation. I demand that ALL people who have not received a fair and impartial trial or who have been wrongly convicted be released from captivity.

9. We want all Black People when brought to trial to be tried in a court by a jury of their peer group or people from their Black Communities, as defined by white law of the Constitution of the United States. I demand that ALL people be tried in a court by their peers - including doctors, teachers, hobos, salesmen, mothers, small business owners, land owners, tenants, judges, or fathers... We believe that the courts should follow their own law, if their nature will allow (as stated in their Constitution of the United States) so that Black People will receive fair trials. The 6th Amendment of the United States Constitution gives a man/woman a right to an impartial trial, which has been interpreted to be a fair trial by one's peer group. A peer is a person from a similar economic, social, religious, geographical, environmental, historical and racial background. To do this, the court will be forced to select a jury from the Black Community from which the Black defendant came. We have been and are being tried by all white juries that have no understanding of the average reasoning person of the Black Community.

10. WE DEMAND AN END TO THE RACIST DEATH PENALTY AS IT IS APPLIED TO BLACK AND OPPRESSED PEOPLE IN AMERICA. WE DEMAND FREEDOM FOR ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS OF THE BLACK RED AND BROWN NATION! If one is guilty of a crime and the penalty is death, what does race have to do with it? We want land, bread, housing, education, clothing, justice and peace. Don't we all?! And, as our political objective, we want NATIONAL LIBERATION in a separate state or territory of our own, here or elsewhere, a liberated zone (New Africa or Africa), and a plebiscite to be held throughout the BLACK NATION in which only we will be allowed to participate for the purposes of determining our will and DIVINE destiny as a people. Head on over to Africa! I'm sure there's some land for you there. I have a feeling you'll miss America. Crazy how you want a society of only black people when we've been working for years to share a country of ALL people. FREE THE LAND! UP YOU MIGHTY NATION! YOU CAN ACCOMPLISH WHAT YOU WILL! BLACK POWER! History has proven that the white man is absolutely disagreeable to get along with in peace. No one has been able to get along with the white man. All the people of color have been subjected to the white man's wrath. We believe that his very nature will not allow for true sharing, fairness, equity and justice. Huh? This is opposite of what I know to be true. There are people of every race or ethnicity who are difficult to get along with. The beauty of America is that if you don't encroach on another's independence, then the law is on your side. This is a country of laws; if you don't want to follow them, no matter your skin color, you will be met with hostile force. Therefore, to the Red Man and Woman, to the Yellow and to the Brown, we say to you

THE SAME RABID DOG THAT BIT YOU, BIT US TOO! ALL POWER TO THE PEOPLE! April 9,2010

My healthcare nightmare...

My husband, Mason, and I were living in Atlanta and both working full-time with full-benefits when we decided to go on a baby-making-vacation to Key West. It was an amazing Christmas week filled with conch fritters, draft beer, bicycles and lots of baby-making. And the plan worked! Not only did I get knocked-up with our first child, we made a nearly equally pivotal decision to purchase the Wing Zone restaurant in Daytona Beach, FL.

A few months later, all the details of the business purchase had been negotiated. It was time to tell our respective employers the exciting news of becoming small business owners and parents! We were both working for amazing, self-made individuals who supported our decisions whole-heartedly. It seemed, in their eyes, that it was only a matter of time before Mason and I ventured out on our own. Entrepreneurship is undeniably in our blood.

My boss had some bad news for me, though. Because we were a small company with only 9 employees, they were not required to offer me COBRA benefits! Not only were they not required, they weren't going to do it. Having a pregnant woman on the rolls was going to do them no good for their young, healthy staff benefits, even when I was paying for it. Honestly, I can't remember if I had thought about my pregnancy coverage before that moment. But from then on, it was a foremost concern with our impending move to Florida.

I had full benefits through Aetna, a provider that also serviced Florida. Logic would presume that I could call Aetna and have them transfer my coverage to the State of Florida. After all, I was already a customer! I didn't get knocked-up and then decide I needed coverage, I was already covered. They were the first company I called and NOPE, I could absolutely not transfer coverage or start a new policy because I had... du du du daaaaa... a pre-existing condition.

No insurance company in the State of Florida would cover me due to my pre-existing condition of pregnancy. Comes to find out that this was not a self-imposed regulation by the insurance conglomerate. No, it was actually imposed through our Federal interstate guidelines. I would completely understand if I had no coverage before getting pregnant. I was, however, completely covered before inception and absolutely willing to pay for continued coverage. Our Federal Government decided that I wasn't allowed to carry coverage over from state to state!

So it came down to two choices:

1. Pay out of pocket for pregnancy expenses, birth and any possibility of complications or
2. Apply for Florida Medicaid

I applied for Florida Medicaid and was approved. Amazingly enough, pregnancy coverage comes in a one-size-fits-all package. Even though I was willing and able to pay for my benefits, I was given a 100%, full-coverage policy. And, on top of it, our son Jake was automatically put in the system upon birth for his first year of life. Again, everything covered without co-pays or premiums.

And we wonder what's wrong with our current medical system? We are limited by our Federal Government and nearly forced into government assistance, whether we want or need it.

Why didn't the proponents of Obamacare request to open state lines? Answer: government dependency.

I'm now on my second pregnancy. We've had private health insurance through Blue Cross at the price of $700/month (covering Jake & me). A maternity rider had to be added to my policy at least 3 months prior to inception at the additional cost of $120/month in order to cover the pregnancy - with a $3,000 deductible and 50/50 coverage after that. With a payment plan in effect at the OB/GYN, my family is paying over $1,000 per month for health insurance coverage. That Florida Medicaid sure sounds sweet right now!

Fair & Balanced? Not unless you contribute!

On Tuesdays, I co-host a local talk radio show - The Roland Via Morning Show on WNDB am1150. The regular host, Roland Via, is on hiatus while he's running for re-election as mayor of Holly Hill, FL.

There is an FCC regulation requiring equal time on the radio for all candidates in a race - even when being a radio host is one's job! Even advertisements aired using Via's voice count for equal time. So far, none of the other mayoral candidates have taken the radio station up on its requirement of air-time; the time expires after 7 days, so it's ever-revolving.

Via had regular co-hosts on his show, so it's only natural that we co-hosts continue our gigs while contributing to the new Morning Drive program, hosted by Dave Laing, the program director and sound engineer.

This morning, Laing received an email from a listener suggesting that WNDB scrap the morning show while Via is on hiatus and replace it with a liberal talk show host to "balance" the station. (WNDB airs Neal Boortz, Rush Limbaugh, local host Marc Bernier, Sean Hannity and Jim Bohannon) While it's an interesting idea, wouldn't WNDB have pursued it if it thought that the liberal show would make the station any money?!

We discussed the email on-air and invited the altering views to please CALL-IN! The phone lines are always open and we want lively debate! That's what makes good radio. Of course, we didn't hear from the guy except for the email.

Not long after that, Laing received an email from a female listener asking who I was... obviously, we hadn't said my name enough. We'll have to correct that! She accused me of being a one-sided conservative. She reiterated the suggestion of buying a syndicated liberal talk show for the morning - after all, we're supposed to be "fair & balanced".

Somehow, this woman thought that I worked for Fox News, which has the tag line "fair & balanced", and that I was reporting the news.

This is where things are really messed up in America. People take talking-heads' and comedians opinions as their final news source! Since when are opinions fact? Yes, I'm opinionated and yes, when it comes to fiscal and individual responsibility, I'm conservative. (Ask me about gay rights, legalization of marijuana or abortion and you may think differently of me.) Combined with the radio outlet to spew my opinionated thoughts, my goal is to get people riled up enough to call and debate! We again asked the woman behind the email to call and help "balance" out the show. You guessed it, she didn't call.

Some of the best radio I've been a part of has been wild debate. It's boring to have everyone agree and different viewpoints foster creative thinking. We're not supposed to agree with anyone 100% of the time. One beauty of living in a free society is the ability to think freely and express our opinions without recourse from our government. I love America.

Incidentally, the topic of the morning was a recent Gallup poll of Americans showing that 42% consider themselves conservative, 35% moderate and 20% liberal. My question to the audience and the County Council Candidates who called-in was: Does Vousia County follow the national trend? From the listener response, it sounds like we do. The candidates also said that's what they're seeing in the trenches.

If the liberals think the county doesn't follow the national trend, stop hiding behind your computer and pick up the phone!! Your input is invaluable and yet diluted when not voiced.

Live stream every Tuesday morning from 6-8:30am on www.WNDB.am or listen in greater Daytona Beach at am1150. Call in to 386-239-0033 or *1150 on your AT&T wireless phone.

Talk to you next week!

Why isn't America taking the help it so desperately needs to clean up this oil spill? It's a major tragedy that evokes emotion in nearly everyone, even when finger-pointing is all over the place.

Almost immediately, organizations called for hair and stocking donations to make booms to soak up the oil. Thousands of people participated and thousands more oil sucking booms were created with almost zero cost. Before they could be deployed to help contain the spilling crude, BP engineers claimed that commercial booms were more effective and they wouldn't be using the organic hair booms. WHAT?!?

People all over America pulled their resources and volunteer hours to help contain the oil spill and engineers are denying the use of the donated booms? sniff sniff sniff... smells like conspiracy to me! Who makes these commerical booms? BP of course! (and I'm sure many other deep-seeded corporations) So what if they "don't work as well" - use two of them! They're FREE!!

Here's a comparison of commercial booms vs. hair booms:

Looks like the hair booms work pretty well! Especially AT NO COST.

Thankfully, states are taking advantage of the donated hair booms.

A more important issue is: why haven't all U.S. vessels been deployed for spill containment and clean up? We have ships sitting idle on the Gulf coast that could be skimming all day, every day, working tirelessly to get the oil before the oil gets our coast. Give them some hair booms and get to cleanin'!

President Obama has denied help from 13 foreign governments by not waiving the Jones Act, which requires that all goods transported by water between U.S. ports be carried in U.S.-flag ships. The restriction was created to support the U.S. Mercantile industry (effectiveness to be disputed). Sometimes good intentions are the source of destruction! By accepting help from other countries, we can control, stop & clean up this monstrosity of destruction. Once American vessels can handle ALL the work alone, we can send the help away.

Let's get our ships out there and let's take help from willing countries! We're not the first to go through a terrible oil spill; there is experience and knowledge all over the world - we can learn from history!

Thought provoking on cigarettes...

Cigarettes are gross. They stink and they make people stink and they are just gross. Beyond that, it's been widely advertised (through the government) for generations that they're bad for your health! **this is after years of propaganda stating that cigs were GOOD for your health**

When I was just 7 years old, my little bro and I plastered "No Smoking" signs all over our house to show our mom how much we cared about her and wanted her to quit. Where did we get that idea? From school, of course! I'd like to think it worked, too, since she quit smoking that year.

At 11 years old, I vividly remember walking through the Oaks Mall in Gainesville Florida and complaining to my non-smoking mom how nasty it was that people were smoking inside. Soon after that, the Oaks Mall voluntarily banned smoking in doors. It was wonderful!

Right after college, I found myself back in Tallahassee lobbying with members of the Florida Restaurant Association and the Florida Hotel & Motel Association (now the Florida Restaurant and Hotel Association) against a law proposed to ban smoking in public places. Restaurants, hotels and other businesses said it was their right to choose whether they wanted to be smoking in their establishments. After all, the best vote is one with the dollars! There were already places like the Oaks Mall that had voluntarily banned smoking! We lost.

Now we have a complicated, draconian law regulating Florida businesses, which includes the entertainment industry (we're losing massive amounts of revenue because smoking is banned on movie sets, meaning that companies that can & want to, will shoot elsewhere). Rather than allowing me, the non-smoking Floridian, to choose where I spend my hard-earned money, my choices are limited. As a business owner, I can't capitalize on offering a non-smoking establishment.

So anyway, I came across this thought provoking piece from Dr. William C. Douglass. With my Constitution Colored glasses on, it's extremely interesting how our minds are molded through government propaganda...

Tobacco attack in Massachusetts

They're baking more than beans in Boston -- Massachusetts officials are roasting common sense and decency, too.

The state is getting ready to force stores that sell cigarettes to put up disgusting photos that show the alleged damages of smoking. Whether you smoke or not, you're going to have to stare at these awful state propaganda posters -- the new law says they'll have to go right next to the cash registers at some 9,000 convenience stores, pharmacies, gas stations and anyplace else with the nerve to sell tobacco products.

Shopkeepers who refuse to deface their businesses with oversized images of rotting teeth and black lungs will face hundreds of dollars in fines.

The only hangup right now, ironically, is more political correctness: Officials are trying to figure out how many languages the signs should be in. By the time they're done, these things will be a mile long, and stores will have to use them as wallpaper.

Even if you don't live in Massachusetts, you should care -- because you're paying for this bird-brained scheme. The program is being funded by $316,000 in federal stimulus money. That means some well-connected poster-maker is getting ready to print his ticket into the good life.

The rest of us won't be nearly as stimulated, especially if this catches on. Regardless of how you feel about smoking, there are plenty of industries out there that COULD get this kind of treatment someday.

Today, it's cigarettes. Tomorrow, some public health dummy may decide he doesn't like drinking, sex, bingo night or stinky cheese -- and you'll be forced to deal with whatever rules and obstacles he puts in your way.

If this was purely about showing people the true health ravages of their lifestyle choices, then your local fast food dive would be adorned with pictures of bloated, obese corpses.

But they wouldn't dare try that.

In America, it's OK to go after smokers. But don't your dare touch somebody's Big Mac!

A poster child for common sense,

William Campbell Douglass II, M.D.

P.S. Doesn't change my mind on the grossness of cigarettes, just opens my mind up more to deception and the underlying motives of our government...

FairTax Clarity

After volunteering an entire weekend with FairTax at the Seaside Balloon Festival in New Smyrna Beach, I have a renewed clarity on my support for FairTax, HR25.

FairTax is a national movement to abolish the Federal Income Tax. Rather than paying taxes on what we earn and invest, we will pay taxes on what we spend. Right now, only those who legally report their income pay income taxes. The more you make, the more money you have to find loopholes in our 70,000 page tax code. Our income tax incentivizes people to do business under the table, to invest overseas, and if they can afford it, to completely move their businesses to countries with more favorable tax codes.

Currently, we're taxed on income (through payroll and income taxes), investments, gifts and most insultingly, we're taxed if we have anything left when we die. Businesses must operate at a profit to say afloat, so when we raise taxes on businesses, they must pass it on to the consumer. That means we only get to keep some of our earnings and then we pay taxes for businesses when we spend that money!

FairTax, HR25, proposes to replace all those individual taxes with one transparent retail sales tax charged only on new goods and services at the final retail level. I'd like to clear up some common, yet valid, misconceptions I heard over the weekend about FairTax:

• FairTax is regressive, the poor will pay more than the rich. FALSE! What makes FairTax unique is the monthly pre-bate. Written into the bill is a rebate to every American household on taxes spent up to the poverty level. Rather than basing it on income, it's based on the Federal Poverty Level and household size. No American will pay Federal Taxes until they spend above the poverty level. If one spends $50,000 in a year, their tax rate is 13.6%. The more you spend, the more you pay in taxes.
• FairTax will promote a black market. Right now, it takes only one person to cheat on their tax return form. Under the FairTax, it takes two people - the person selling the goods and the person buying them. Most retailers will not jeopardize their businesses to save someone the cost of federal taxes. In addition, our trillion dollar black market is finally taxed - do you know a drug dealer or prostitute who legally reports their income? Certainly not! They do, however, legally purchase goods and services in this country.
• How will we fund our roads or social security if you want to end federal taxes? FairTax REPLACES the Federal Income Tax. FairTax has nothing to do with budgeting or spending. FairTax defunds the IRS and eliminates our 70,000 page tax code. Rather than collecting taxes from those who legally report their income, FairTax collects revenue from everyone in America. Americans keep their entire paychecks while everyone in America pays taxes.
• How, in economic times like these, can we count on spending to fund our government? Historically, spending is more consistent than income. Take your unemployed neighbor, for instance. They no longer have a job with income, but they must spend about the same amount of money to merely exist. (Remember, they'll also receive the pre-bate, untaxing all spending up to the poverty level.) And, that unemployed friend may take money out of their 401k or other retirement plan to pay their bills without penalization from our government.
• What about the home mortgage deduction? Well, if you get to keep all your income, there's nothing to deduct! We only have deductions because the government keeps a portion of our income before it hits the bank accounts. Receiving your entire paycheck means no more pandering to get your money back.
• Why not a flat tax? The more you make, the more you pay to the government! Flat tax still depends on people honestly reporting their income to the Federal Government. The flat tax does not repeal the payroll tax, America's most regressive tax of all, which deducts 7.65% from employees paychecks and charges the employer 7.65% for the "privilege" of offering employment. It also keeps the IRS in tact and similarly encourages businesses and wealthy individuals to conduct business overseas.

The FairTax Act, HR25, encourages economic growth and estimates a 10% in our GDP in the first year of implementation. Because America will be a tax haven, corporations throughout the world will flock to our shores, creating jobs and wealth. Currently, American products do not compete on a world-stage because our income and payroll taxes are embedded in every item produced in America. FairTax removes embedded taxes, allowing for fair competition of American products. It also adds the same federal tax to any imported goods sold in America.

No longer will we punish productivity; instead, we will encourage job creation and economic growth. No longer will law-abiding citizens be punished for reporting their income to the IRS. Every American keeps their entire paycheck; everyone in America pays federal taxes.