Is anyone attending the FairTax rally in Gwinnet tonight? (Tax Vanity)

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[CSM]

I will be in the area for business and am wondering if any FReepers are planning to attend the FairTax rally tonight. If so, please FReep me soon, I'd like to meet some of my fellow FairTax Supporting FReepers.

[phil_will1]

"Listening on WSB, Neal advised that they had 4000 plus in the the room and turned just as many away. The parking lot was full and the Fire Marshall wouldn't allow more persons in the room."

They stopped letting people in around 6:30 and the event started at 7:30. It was an incredible event. The crowd was very loud and enthusuastic. The people from Houston left with a big box full of signed petitions. There was talk of making this a "road show". I think the key is having Hannity there. If we can duplicate this in other areas, then I think we are on our way.

The only downer was that FoxNews decided not to broadcast Hannity & Colmes live from there at 9 pm. That will have to wait for another day. All in all, a wonderful evening for FairTaxers, and a devestating blow for SQLs.

[phil_will1]

One gentleman came from Utah and a couple came by motorcycle from Michigan.

[RobFromGa]

then I would get to meet RobFromGa

If you'll send me a SASE, I'll send you an autographed picture.

[RobFromGa]

How could the parking lot be full when there were less than a third of the arena's capacity at the event?

I have been at many minor league hockey games there with over 5,000 and up to 9,000 people with no parking lot overflow issues or traffic issues with the notable exception of their first Springsteen concert with 14,000 there and a traffic mess- that was their first really big event. Since then, I have been to two or three sold-out concerts in the 13,000 range with no traffic or parking issues. Perhaps Boortz is just a drama queen.

I'm sure we'll hear some superlatives out of him today about the "BEST _____ since ___________"

I agree that Hannity is the key to the draw, people will come to see him as a celebrity. Boortz too, to a lesser extent, but he is a celebrity in these parts. I went to Boortzapalooza last year at the Fox and there were over 6,000 people there who paid $20-25 a ticket to be there for a Boortz roast.

Did you get any feel for whether most of the people there had read the 2nd Edition of the FairTax Book, where they take away the "Keep 100% of your paycheck, prices stay about the same" double-counting? Or are most of them still confused about this basic issue?

[phil_will1]

"How could the parking lot be full when there were less than a third of the arena's capacity at the event?"

It wasn't at the arena; the event was held in Ballroom A of the convention center next door. It was standing room only and I got calls on my cellphone from several people (including my daughter) telling me they had been turned away at the parking lot. As I posted above, they stopped admitting people an hour before the event started. There were several hundred people in the parking lot at one point listening over the radio.


Some of those who didn't get in came into the venue after it was over. One of these was the Alabama state director, who said his estimate for the number turned away was 2,000.

Do the SQLs have any rallies planned in support of the current system? You could probably get someone like Michael Moore, James Carville, Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson or Nancy Pelosi as your headliners.

[phil_will1]

"If you'll send me a SASE, I'll send you an autographed picture."

That would be wonderful. Please send me your mailing address.

[RobFromGa]

Do the SQLs have any rallies planned in support of the current system?

No need. I'm also not out there rallying for the Atlanta Braves and Falcons to stay in Atlanta, I'm not rallying for Summer to come, and I'm not rallying for the Sun to rise tomorrow morning either. It is up to those who want radical change to convince people that they have a better plan. You don't and you also don't want to hear what is wrong with your plan. You just want blind acceptance, and that is why the FairTax is DOA.

Did anyone at the rally have a sign that says:

I DON'T CARE IF EVERYTHING COSTS 20% MORE,
AT LEAST THE IRS WILL HAVE A NEW NAME!

or how about this one:

WHO CARES IF THE FAIRTAX MAKES SENSE...
WE HATE THE IRS

or

I WANT A NEW BOAT
AND THE FAIRTAX WILL GIVE IT TO ME

[RobFromGa]

Get it from Boortz...

[cdefreese]

You must had just missed it.

I heard comcast recorded it and has it on their 'on demand' programming.

They said that they might try to do a national tour. I hope they can get it going.

[cdefreese]

So, what is your problem with the fairtax? The actual HR-25. Not some sort of other made up or proposed national sales tax, the actual fairtax as proposed.

I'm curious to hear your complaints. And I'm assuming that you've read the book and/or know the actual plan when I ask this.

[KoRn]

"They said that they might try to do a national tour. I hope they can get it going."

That would be very nice indeed! I would have went to the one in ATL but its a 6 hour drive for me, and was on a work night.

[phil_will1]

"Do the SQLs have any rallies planned in support of the current system?"

"No need. I'm also not out there rallying for the Atlanta Braves and Falcons to stay in Atlanta, I'm not rallying for Summer to come, and I'm not rallying for the Sun to rise tomorrow morning either."

This is excellent - a tacit admission that you do, in fact, support the current dysfunctional system. I will have to give you credit; the other SQLs won't even admit that is their true agenda. We hear all this garbage about them really supporting tax reform - just not the FairTax.

Now if we could get you guys to come out of the closet and identify yourselves as defenders of a system that Americans have grown to hate over the past 93 years .......

wishful thinking, I know

[eyespysomething]

We tried to get there early, but sat in traffic. And sat and sat and sat. And sat. But we still went, darn it. We weren't not going to after driving and sitting that whole way. Plus the kids really really really had to stretch their legs. Me too.

We met the Alabama state director also, Mike Frederick (SP?). Nice guy, regular guy with kids like us.

All in all, I was glad to see so many turn out.

[phil_will1]

"Get it from Boortz..."

I don't have a direct line of communication with Boortz; I have a direct line of communication with YOU. Besides, I seriously doubt that Boortz has any idea who RobFromGa is.

I say again: I am taking you up on your offer. Please send your mailing address, or stop making posts that you can't follow through on.

[RobFromGa]

Click on my name and look at the previous posts on the FairTax subject on my home page. There is a lot there from both sides if you are really interested.

The basic problems with the FairTax are:

1. The assumption that wage earners can keep their paychecks and prices stay the same is ludicrous. If wage earners keep their paychecks, prices with FairTax will rise 20%+ on domestic items and 30% on imports.

2. The assumption that the government can get by on the same amount of revenue as collected now when they know that they will be paying 20%+ more for everything they purchase and on every salary and benefit *yes, the FairTax is levied on all government purchases including payroll*. So, they will need about 20% more money than they collect now.

3. The "prebate" is the largest entitlement program yet invented, and will be used undoubtedly to redistribute wealth.

4. The enforcement of the sales tax rebate structure on business will be more unworkable than the present system, OR it will be much more easy to evade-- your choice.

5. The imposition of a 30% (36% for govt purchasing power neutrality) sales tax will lead to black market activity, and stifle consumption, which will require the rate to be raised, causing more evasion and black market activity, causing the rate to be raised further.

6. The only way to avoid evasion is strong enforcement, and you need to check everyone closely because you don't know who are the cheaters, and this is one of the major things that FairTax people think they are getting rid of.

7. When the whole FairTax plan proves unworkable, they will re-institute the Income Tax as an emergency measure and we will have both.

There are other problems, but these are my primary concerns. And I have read the book.

[RobFromGa]

I have been very open from the beginning that I think that the real problem we face is out of control spending:

On the spending side, we need to privatize Social Security, somehow curb Medicare cost growth, we need to eliminate pork and "earmarks" and we all need to stop expecting the government to do things for us that we can do for ourselves. Because if the federal government is paying for it, we are probably paying at least double.

We need to incrementally change the income tax system by continuing to lower marginal rates, and we need to eliminate corporate taxes, and we need to continue to reduce capital gains taxes. All of these will help the economy to grow and increase revenue to the govt.

I also support the elimination of death taxes because they are wrong.

The FairTax does not address the real problems we face, and has serious misrepresentations that show it hasn't been well thought-out or vetted by serious people.

[RobFromGa]

I am taking you up on your offer.

Sorry, I just ran out.

[phil_will1]

"We need to incrementally change the income tax system"

Which is precisely what we have been doing for the past 93 years and the result is a dysfunctional system which is out of control from a compliance and complexity standpoint.

"...by continuing to lower marginal rates..." which the FairTax does.

"....and we need to eliminate corporate taxes..." which the FairTax does

"...and we need to continue to reduce capital gains taxes...." which the FairTax does - reduces them to zero

"All of these will help the economy to grow and increase revenue to the govt." Agreed - which is precisely what the FairTax does.

"I also support the elimination of death taxes because they are wrong." Which the FairTax does.

"The FairTax does not address the real problems we face..." other than the ones mentioned above?

"...it hasn't been well thought-out or vetted by serious people." As compared to your proposal to simply eliminate taxes, rather than approach tax reform from a revenue neutral perspective? That approach is politically DOA and you know it. The FairTax has been endorsed by more than 75 professional economists, including one Nobel Laureate. How many economic endorsements does your plan have?

[RobFromGa]

"All of these will help the economy to grow and increase revenue to the govt." Agreed - which is precisely what the FairTax does.

I disagree that the FairTax will do this, or I would be on board. I think the FairTax kills the economy.

[RobFromGa]

As compared to your proposal to simply eliminate taxes

I said no such thing, I said that we need to keep reducing marginal income and capital gains tax rates and revenue will continue to increase due to increases in the economy. In order to eliminate corporate taxes and death taxes, we will need spending control.