A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day....01-28-03...The Taxman Cometh

FreeTheHostages; Billie | FreeTheHostages

[Billie]

A Few of FR's Finest.....
......Every Day

FR is a Treasure Trove of talented, compassionate, patriotic, wonderful people who gather every day to discuss the latest news and issues; salute and support our military and our leaders;  tell a few jokes;  learn a new word;  write poetry;  pray for those in need;  and congratulate those who are deserving. Thank you, Jim Robinson, for giving us the vehicle in which we can express ourselves.

Free Republic made its debut in September, 1996, and the forum was added in early 1997.   I can remember lurking when there were only a few regulars who posted, and now there are over 60,000 who have registered for posting privileges. The forum is read daily by tens of thousands of concerned citizens and patriots from all around the country and the world.

A Few of FR's Finest November 11, 2001

So many people have written me since my original Veteran's Day Tribute, asking how they, or a loved one, could be included in that tribute. Since I can no longer add the photos to the body of the thread, I've been including them in additional posts as I received enough to make another collage.

Still that doesn't seem to be enough. I think there's never been a better nor more appropriate time to keep the faces of our own Veterans and Active Military in front of FReepers--every day! That's why I wanted to do yet another Daily Thread .....ABOUT FReepers .....and FOR FReepers. But not only about our Military FReepers; for all FReepers! Wouldn't it be nice to get to know a few of the other FReepers as well? That's why, in addition to seeing FR's Finest Military Personnel every day, I thought it might be fun to feature a different FReeper (or FReepers) each day. If you would like to be pictured, or know someone who would, please FReepmail me and we'll turn the spotlight - on YOU - for the day!

And do let me know if you'd like your picture added to the groups of Veterans/Active Military below. I will keep this page updated, and continue to add them to the comment section of the original Veteran's Day thread as well.

<

TOP:  g'nad, AgThorn's son Justin, SLB, AgThorn's son Brett.
MIDDLE:  fish70, razorback-bert, CheneyChick,Leroy S Mort, Mark17.
BOTTOM:  Terry's Take, Taxman, DinkyDau.

TOP:  ValerieUSA's son Grant, SK1Thurman, kd5cts, RangerVetNam,
dansangel and .45man's son-in-law Tony
BOTTOM:  rangerX, Old China Hand, Trish, Howlin's dad, Mustang

TOP: ohioWfan's son, MamaBear's father-in-law, MamaBear's dad, ladtx
MIDDLE:  The Mayor's niece, M.Kehoe, Beach_Babe's son-in-law
BOTTOM:  deadhead's dad, HiJinx, Severa's hubby, viligantcitizen's granddad.

TOP:  spectr17, RightOnline, SERE_Doc, Tet68.
MIDDLE:  FutureSnakeEater, RightOnline's wife, CIApilot, Clamper1797
BOTTOM:  usmcobra, onedoug, DiverDave, Joe6-pack

We now have eleven groups of veterans/active military; we will post each group of three or four twice a week, with thumbnail/links of the remaining seven or eight groups on each thread. Click on any of the thumbnails below to see the group full-size.

         

GROUP 1A: TOP: Logos, SwedeGirl's hubby, Neil E Wright, FallGuy, 1John, Sneakypete MIDDLE:  T'wit, COB1, LadyX, Dick Bachert, 68-69TonkinGulfYatchClub BOTTOM:  YankeeinSC, Delta21, JoeSixPack1

GROUP 2A: TOP:  Bosniajmc, AFVetGal, Archy, A Navy Vet MIDDLE:  4TheFlag, Aeronaut, 68Grunt, Xinga BOTTOM:  Codger, AAABest, Clinton's A Liar, Duke809, dcwusmc

GROUP 3A: TOP:  mc5cents, Norb2569, LBGA's son, VanJenerette MIDDLE:  Jim Robinson, KJenerette, davidosborne, KG9Kid BOTTOM:  gwmoore, Equality7-2521, SAMWolf

GROUP 4A: TOP:  porgygirl, Phil V., MudPuppy, NorCoGOP MIDDLE:  RaceBannon, OneidaM, rdb3, jwTexian BOTTOM:  USMC Vet, TheMayor, Vineyard, rhododogma

      

GROUP 9A: TOP: Q6-God, Scan59, Mama Bear and JKPhoto's son, ofMagog. MIDDLE:  Big'ol_freeper, JustAmy's great uncle, Prodigal Son. BOTTOM:  JustAmy's husband, JustAmy's brother-in-law, JustAmy's brother.

GROUP 10A: TOP: dakine's wife, MeeknMing's dad, Auntbee's nephew, MilitiaMan7, AlasBabylon. BOTTOM:  Joe Brower, Temple Owl, Temple Owl's wife, dutchess' dad, Aomagrat.

GROUP 11A: TOP: ladtx #2 son; DiverDave's twin Don; petuniasevan and husband poorman; Mustard; ladtx #1 son. BOTTOM: AlamoGirl's brother Floyd; AG's dad; AG's brother Jim (inset); WVNan's husband; ladtx' Aunt Eva.

                     

   NO! NO! NO!

The Taxman Cometh by FreeTheHostages
”So soon? Don’t I have 2 1/2 more months?”

Relax, this guy’s easy on your wallet. Taxman’s working hard to replace the income tax with a National Retail Sales Tax (NRSTA) and abolish the IRS! Let’s explore....

Meet FRank L. Davis, Jr., MBA, Captain, USNR (Ret). (He's got a stylish baseball hat with the international "NO" circle atop the letters "IRS"....you'll be hard-pressed to find him when he's not wearing that cap!)

Taxman officially became a FReeper on November 2, 1998, two days after the March for Justice, but committed to becoming one on October 31, 1998, the minute he arrived at the rally site. He has "been hooked ever since." He has been to all the major FReeps. His favorites (other than of course the "Get Out of Cheney's House" which is just about everyone's favorite), include the "Second Amendment Sisters Mother's Day Anti-Million Mom March" and working security for the Inaugural Ball. He's a guy with a gregarious (may I say "frank"?) way and a wry sense of humor very active in day-to-day FReeps.

At left, here he is waving a small flag at the January 18, 2003, DC Chapter Patriot’s Rally III FReep, and on the right, Taxman is pictured at a DC Chapter FReep of the Al Gore booksigning.

      

You're saying, “Yes, yes, FTH, you’re a cheerleader for the DC Chapter, but do you have a license to write such pandering prose??!! WHAT ABOUT THE HAT and the IRS?”  OK, OK, onward and forward.....

FRank and the Hat Thing:
Secure in His Conservatism

Just in time for those W-2s arriving in your mail, you ought to bend an ear and listen to what he and the Free Republic’s front page (in the “what we stand for” section) thinks of the 16th Amendment establishing a federal income tax:  NOT MUCH!! Taxman, if you could possibly abolish the IRS before April 15, it would be MUCH appreciated about these parts! FRank co-founded and is the Executive Vice President of the National Retail Sales Tax Alliance, Inc. (NRSTA).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Frank recently described his "stylish look" for an upcoming DC FReep in winter chill (LOL – he edits me with “Chill? It was damn cold, sweetie!”) as follows:

CLICK ME!

“A fur-lined LSO hood, over my NO IRS ball cap, of course. No one recognizes me without my NO IRS ball cap. LOL! And, my mock hippie necklace.”

Wait! Stop! New question: “What did you say about a Mock Hippie Necklace?” Um, like I said, FRank is secure in his conservatism. How far are we going to carry this style thing, Taxman??

Well, with the utter lack of care most leftists show in their attire, it's nice to see that Taxman actually takes the time to protest in the proper accoutrements - those that might annoy the leftist the most.

His eye for detail includes choosing to hold the most appropriate and hilarious signs. Below is his hilarious sign at a June 18, 2002 Fundraiser that Hillary Clinton held for Rahm Emanuel, Pres. Clinton's former fundraiser:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I guess it’s safe to joke about attire if you’re as experienced a naval aviator as FRank. Born in Richmond, VA, Taxman was raised in Jacksonville, Florida, and is a proud Florida State University grad. There’s a reason he looks like a naval aviator:  he made 4 “WESTPAC cruises” to Vietnam as a Naval Aviator - 2 in the USS Kearsarge (CVS 33) and 2 in the USS Kitty Hawk (CVA 63).

He’s well-known in the FReeper veteran community. Check out this moving post . It’s praise that we could all say about Vietman veterans here, but it's great to hear them say it about each other.

Anchors Away with the IRS

In 1975, he left the Navy, got an MBA, and became a jack-of-all-trades:   corporate pilot, insurance salesman, computer geek, aviation engineering program manager, and more. He was recalled to activity duty for Operation Desert Storm and retired FRom the Naval Reserve in October, 1991.

Just prior to retiring from the Navy Reserve, a strong wind blew FRank toward his new mission. He read a Pat Buchanan editorial in support of a proposal to abolish the income tax and replace it with a National Retail Sales Tax. He agreed completely and had to do something! So he began to volunteer for the Citizens for an Alternative Tax System (CATS) San Diego Chapter.

In 1994, when Republicans won the Congress, he moved to the District of Columbia area to become more involved in conservative politics. After failing to get hired in the new Congress (if you want an insight into how Washington, DC works, get him to tell you the story!), he worked a spell with CATS in Manassas, VA, and then set sail to co-found the National Retail Sales Tax Alliance, Inc. in 1999.

Taxman will have a booth at CPAC, so I won't BORE YOU with - did I say "bore"? I meant "fill you in with" - the details of tax policy. If you go to CPAC this week, please stop by his booth and talk to him! If he’s not as fun and gregarious as I promised, well, then you didn’t talk to FRank!

In a nutshell, FRank says:

"If the United States had a retail sales tax rather than an income tax, people in this country would be able to dictate how much tax they paid by how they spent their money. They would regain a huge measure of control over their economic and personal lives with a national retail sales tax (NSRT). The NRST = FReedom."

I even think I heard FRank say, when he thought I wasn’t listening, that the NRST would have the extra benefit of making attorneys and accountants "get honest work." Oh my!

OK, I'm not saying I agree with FRank on *everything,* but it sure is an interesting idea and one he pursues with trademark enthusiasm. If you forced FRank to FRame the issue in three points, he would say:

• 1.  "It's a FReedom issue." "We will never be a truly FRee people so long as we have the income tax and the IRS. We live in the FReest country in the world and yet we have a tax system which imposes the heavy hand of government on how each of its citizens work, save and invest." The income tax system "imposes itself artificially in every aspect of our lives." Taxman believes that prior to 1913, when the income tax was implemented via the 16th Amendment, people were the master of their government and the government was the servant. So should it be again.

• 2.  Economic growth. (Editor’s warning: the next two sentences can be experienced by some persons as BORING and you may wish to skip to the part about the cow.) The rate of personal savings in the U.S. is absymal. The income tax system first taxes income, then taxes interest/dividends/capital gains earned from that already-taxed income and, if you are fortunate enough to have anything left at the end of your life, taxes your estate (death taxes).
  
  INTERESTING:  It's a far cry from when FRank's granddad would sell a cow or calf at the local auction, go straight to the bank and put 10 percent of the sales revenue into his savings account. Back then, if you saved such proceeds, the federal taxman wasn’t interested and interest/dividends/capital gains earned were not taxed. Under FRank's proposal, no person will pay any taxes until they purchase a good or a service, and the national savings rate will triple!
  
  BORING AGAIN: FRank reports that prominent economists have conservatively estimated that moving to a national retail sales tax would triple personal savings rates and double the rate of GDP growth. Americans who choose to work, save and invest would be rewarded instead of punished, as they are now. Death taxes would be abolished. ("Nonsense!" is Taxman's answers to those who claim a NRST would hurt the poor. Ask him why, he’ll explain.)

• 3.  Equal Justice for All. The progressive income tax violates the constitutional guarantee of equal protection of the laws to every American. The NRST guarantees equal treatment before the bar of economic justice, as the Founding Fathers intended.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's fun to be introduced to another Finest FReeper in such an entertaining way; getting the text from FreeTheHostages on her profilees, along with links to interesting FR threads and/or photos, is a treat for me because I get to do the fun part.....choosing how best to put it together to compliment her fun style of writing! ~ Billie

Taxman....Today's Finest FReeper!

THIS WEEK'S THREADs 01-27-03 Aquamarine

Opinions by our own 'King of Ping' The guy's good, folks!

Thanks, Mixer!

1) Click on the graphic to open the Calendar.
2) Once there you can click on any month and even click to the right to go into next year. Once you are in the month that you joined FR you will need to click on the number in the calendar and then an add item screen will come up.
3) In the next box enter your name in the "Calendar Text" field and then click on submit.
4) If any of the screens fail to load simply click on refresh in your browser and that will usually fix it.
5) If all else fails or simply if you want me to do this for you send me an FReepmail and I will gladly do it for you. ~Mixer

[Billie]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Uncertain days lie ahead of us, and more than ever, the leaders of our country need the prayers of our nation for guidance in the decisions they will be making that will effect each and every one of us including our children and grandchildren.

Tonight President George W. Bush will stand before the assembled leaders of the United States Congress in Washington, D.C., and deliver the annual State of the Union address.

We pray for all our nation’s leaders, and for our military personnel, their families and friends. May God hold them close to His heart.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Almighty God, we commend to your gracious care and keeping all the men and women of our armed forces at home and abroad. Defend them day by day with your heavenly grace; strengthen them in their trials and temptations; give them courage to face the perils which beset them; and grant them a sense of your abiding presence wherever they may be; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

[Billie]

Fly your flags, sport your Dubya 04 Bumper stickers, and be sure and listen to the President's State of the Union Address tonight. Please pray for our leaders and our military men and women.

[FreeTheHostages]

DC Chapter ping: Taxman is profiled here as one of Freeper's Finest. Come tease him so his head doesn't get too big!

[Billie]

Morning, Free - thanks for pinging the DC Chapter. Hope someone gets here with the coffee soon. :)

[nicmarlo]

Morning BUMP!!!

[nicmarlo]

congratulations to you, taxman, on being one of FR's Finest!!!

[FreeTheHostages]

Billie, I've already told you how much I love the graphics work you did for Taxman. But that pledge of allegiance is really beautiful. Thanks for all the work you do.

[Aeronaut]

Hey Billie. My flag is already up. Go W!

[Billie]

Oh, thank you, nicmarlo, for this wonderful picture of our President and First Lady saluting the flag. May we use again it for a Pledge graphic?

[Billie]

Thank you, Free. The additional text below the Pledge this morning was sort of a combination of a couple of suggestions we had last week. Daisy found that beautiful praying hands graphic and used it once, and Lori did this weekend.

[Billie]

Good morning, Aeronaut. Coffee?

[deadhead]

Good Morning, hope everyone is doing well. Congratulations Taxman, enjoy your day in the spotlight. I had the pleasure of meeting you at the Freeper Ball. I am looking forward to President Bush's State of the Union address this evening. My bumper sticker on my car says: I stand with President Bush. I work at a very liberal University and proudly display my view each day :-) Have a great day everyone!!

~~~Colleen~~~

[Aeronaut]

Coffee?

Aaaahhhhhhh!

[Pippin]

(((Billie))))!

(((FTH))))!

(((Taxman))))! (hmm, never thought I'd be hugging a taxman,LOL!

Good morning everyone!

FTH, with that write up of TM, makes me wish I could meet him someday. I would join with that group, I like the idea of aboloshind income tax and instituting retail tax instead. I read that post you had a link to and felt a lump come in my throat.

Taxman, congratulations for today.

And thank you for your service to our country.

[Taxman]

Dear Billie and FReeTheHostages,

Thank you for your kind words and "careful" edit. I consider myself a Patriotic American just doing my duty as I understand what a citizen's responsibilities are.

Proud to be an American!

Proud to be a FReeper!

[GailA]

Moring All. Congrats Taxman. Rocky is walked, my flag is UP and Coffee is on

[nicmarlo]

Yes, I uh, stole, uh ah I mean borrowed it from another FReeper : ) (I borrow so much, I don't know who originally posted it!)

[GailA]

[Taxman]

LOL!

[LadyX]

Yikes, Billie!
I heard you talk about wanting coffee and found this fellow in the back room.

Afraid if all of you don't place your cups under the spout quickly, we'll flood the floor of the Finest Kitchen!

H-E-L-P !!