Tax and Spend will not work!

Weekly Opinion Editorial

TAX AND SPEND DOESN’T WORK!

by Steve Fair

     There is a consensus among economists that the best income tax system is one that strikes a balance between economic efficiency and fairness. An efficient tax system is one that does the least to hurt worker production, provide incentive and is fair.  Unfortunately, there is great disagreement as to which plan best meets this criterion, but it’s for certain the current progressive income tax plan in America is neither efficient nor fair.

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     Here are five accepted systems of taxation among economists:
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     First, there is the ‘per-capita,’ or “head” tax.  This tax system requires each person to pay their per-capita fair share of the costs of government.  This is universally accepted as the most efficient and fair tax system because everyone pays the same for the same benefit derived from government.  There are no freeloaders- everyone has to pay their own way or have someone pay it for them.  It’s like a toll on a toll road- every car pays the same because they all derive the same benefit from using the road.
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     Secondly, there is the “flat” tax, which taxes each dollar of income at a single rate of percentage.  This is levied on all earned income from the first dollar and the system does not have any deductions or credits.  Herman Cain’s 9/9/9 plan is an example of a flat tax.
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     Third, there is the ‘digressive’ tax, which is a proportionate tax only on income above a certain threshold.  In other words, a portion of your income is exempt and you pay a percentage- either flat or progressive- on the income above that.
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     Fourth, there is the national sales tax or consumption tax.  Under this plan, every person living in the United States would pay a sales tax on purchases of new goods and services, excluding necessities.  Currently sixty one members of Congress, including Senator Tom Coburn, support the national sales tax. 
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     Fifth, there is America’s current system- the progressive tax, which taxes incremental income at higher marginal rates as income rises, resulting in an increase in taxes as a percentage of income as income increases.  In other words, the more a person earns, the higher the percentage of income tax they pay.

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     Advocates of the progressive income tax system say the system is fair because people with higher incomes have more to lose so they should pay disproportionately more for the protections and services afforded them by government.  They also believe that because taxes are a burden on society, everyone should share equally in that ‘burden.’   Since the more money you make means you likely don’t experience as much financial difficulty as your lower income neighbors, these folks believe higher-income people should pay enough more in taxes to equalize their ‘burden’ or sacrifice. 

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     President Obama has proposed a plan that would increase taxes on American families with taxable incomes of more than $250,000 a year.  According to the U.S. Census Bureau, that is about 4 million households.  Obama’s proposal of hiking the income tax rate on the rich plays well at a campaign stop, the crowd roars, probably because most in the audience pay little or no federal income tax.   Over 50% of Americans do not pay any federal income tax!  In fact the federal personal income tax provides refundable tax credits like Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit, which can reduce or eliminate personal income tax liability and  result in ‘negative personal income tax liability.’  That means many people get a refund check from the IRS when they haven’t paid a dime in federal income tax.
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     With America’s national debt  now over 16 trillion($51,000 per citizen) and  Congress and the President unwilling to cut any federal spending program, income tax increases are his primary solution to the crisis. 
What the President fails to mention is that raising taxes on the rich will not solve our debt crisis.  According to the Joint Committee on Taxation estimates this new tax would yield between $4 billion and $5 billion a year, so even if we collect the Buffett tax for the next 250 years, it would not cover the federal deficit in 2011. 
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America needs a radical overhaul of our tax system.  We should implement either a flat tax or a consumption tax.  The current system is broken.  It’s been proven time and time again- we cannot tax and spend ourselves into prosperity. 

Unions will not go gentle into that good night!

Weekly Opinion Editorial

UNIONS WILL NOT GO GENTLY INTO THAT GOOD NIGHT!

by Steve Fair

     On the November ballot in the state of Michigan is a proposal called ‘Protect our jobs.”  In a process not unlike Oklahoma’s initiative petition process, the unions in Michigan gathered sufficient voters’ signatures to get the state question on the ballot.  If Proposition #2 is approved, it would prevent Michigan from considering right-to-work legislation.  It would also guarantee public employees the right to collective bargaining.

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     On the Protect our Jobs website, (http://protectourjobs.com/)there are seven things enumerated the proposal would do if approved.  One would prohibit employers from retaliating against their employees for exercising their rights to organize or join a labor union.  With the exception of one, the other six are currently a violation of federal labor law .  The one that is not federal law is the guaranteeing of ‘public employees’ the right to collective bargain.  

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     “Protect our jobs” is a reaction by labor unions to what happened in Wisconsin last year when Republican Governor Scott Walker signed a bill that eliminated collective bargaining for public workers in his state.  Last week, a county judge in Madison, Wisconsin overturned the law.  In his opinion, Judge Juan Colas also said the law violates the equal protection clause by creating separate classes of workers who are treated differently and unequally.  This ruling was not unexpected and Governor Walker has already stated it will be appealed.

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     Kristine Michaelson, an RN and a member of the Michigan Nurse’s union is an advocate for public employee’s unions and says on the POJ’s website; “Collective bargaining is what built this country and collective bargaining is what has obtained a lot of benefits for people that they don’t even realize. The 15-minute break – that is not a law; that has been negotiated. People died to have the weekends off, they died for the 8-hour day. And a lot of these things that have been fought for many, many years ago are being lost and just taken away in the blink of an eye.” 

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     Humm! Did our founding fathers and other ‘heros proved in liberating strife’ die for the fifteen minute break as Nurse. Michaelson states?  To even address the absurdity of the statement seems a waste of time, but the rights in the U.S. Constitution do not include the guarantee of a job to every person. 

The Constitution doesn’t guarantee any American the right to a job that pays you what you think you are worth.  It guarantees Americans the liberty and opportunity to place their skills into the marketplace where they are brought and sold.

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     As a wise man once told me, “We all work for ourselves. If we don’t like our job or the wages, we can always quit and find someone who will pay for our services.”  No truer words were ever spoken.  I realize that is a lot easier said than done.  Most people stay in their dead-end jobs because of fear.   They are unwilling to take the risk of not having a job.  Some employers take advantage of those people and underpay them.  But the truth is, those tyrannical short-sighted employers ultimately reap what they sow in lost productivity.

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     Mistreating of employees was the reason came into existence.  In the late nineteen century, employers were mistreating workers(long hours/low wages) and there was no government oversight- no federal labor laws. Disgruntled employees organized and negotiated with their bosses for better wages and working conditions- including the 15 minute break.  Initially labor unions made a difference and working conditions and wages improved.  But unions have long since outlived their usefulness.  Most of the gains unions helped workers achieve during their inception are now federal law.  Many large unions now exist only to protect lazy member workers who are the least productive from getting fired.

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     But big labor will not go down without a fight.  Now, their battleground is to work to protect public employees, who are already protected by federal law and who work for the taxpayer. They fight right-to-work laws- which give the worker the choice as to whether they join a union or not.  Unions know that without mandatory compulsion membership, they would die.  They use union dues to support the liberal left agenda and give overwhelmingly to Democrats. 

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     Governor Mitt Romney says, “Workers should have the right to join unions. But unions should not be forced upon workers. And unions should not have the power to take money our of their members' paychecks to buy the support of politicians that are favored by the union bosses.”

NO GOD?

Weekly Opinion Editorial

NO GOD?

by Steve Fair    

      Last week, at the Democrat National Convention, the Party resolutions committee presented a platform that left the word ‘God’ out of the platform and made no reference to Jerusalem being the capital of Israel. 

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     Defending their decision to leave out the Creator in their platform, one Democrat Party official said, “The platform includes an entire plank on the importance of faith based organizations and the tremendous work that they do. Further, the language we use to talk about faith and religion is exactly the same vocabulary as 2008. I would also note that the platform mentions: ‘faith’ 11 times; ‘religion’ or ‘religious’ 9 times; ‘church’ 2 times and, ‘clergy’ 1 time.” 

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     GOP challenger Mitt Romney said omitting a reference to God suggested Democrats were out of touch with mainstream America. Republicans also said omitting a reference to Jerusalem showed Obama was weak on Israel.
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     Congressman Paul Ryan said, “It’s not in keeping with our founding documents, our founding vision, but I guess you would have to ask the Obama administration why they purged all this language from their platform.”
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     After the outrage from the public, Obama campaign officials said President Obama personally intervened to change language in his party’s platform on Jerusalem and God. 
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     A resolution was offered from the floor by former Ohio Governor Ted Strickland, an ordained Methodist minister, to amend the platform to restore those references to God and Jerusalem.  If you watched the proceedings on TV, you heard many of the delegates in the hall boo after the convention chairman, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, rule that the amendment had been approved.  Violating every conceivable rule of order, Villaraigosa called for a voice vote three times before finally ruling the amendment had passed by a two thirds majority.  From viewing video of the vote, it was clear adding God back into the platform was not the will of two thirds of the delegates in the hall, but the Mayor declared the amendment passed anyway.
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     Passing the amendment upset atheist. Hemant Mehta, chairman of Foundation Beyond Belief, who wrote in his “Friendly Atheist” blog that the Democrats showed some “backbone” by initially leaving God out of the platform. “Belief in God is a personal choice and there’s no reason to include reference to one faith or one system of belief in a platform designed to represent a large, far-from-monolithic party.”  “You knew it wasn’t going to last,” he added.  I agree with Mehta.  It takes courage to publish what you truly believe- even if it is wrong.  
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     Here in the Sooner state, some Democrats thought the initial idea to remove God from the platform was over the top.  In an article in the Washington Examiner, James Wright, a Democrat from Oklahoma City was quoting as saying, “As a Democrat, it bothered me that God was left out of our platform.  It bothers me even more that my fellow Democrats booed when God was added. I always thought there was room in the Democratic Party for everyone, even God.” George Clark, another OKC Dem said, “Despite what people might say, our country was founded on Christian beliefs. Because of that, we have freedom of religion. Democrats booing God it is a slap in the face to that freedom. No one’s higher power should be booed. Not ever.”
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     So why did God, who was only referenced once in the Democrats’ 2008 platform disappear in the 2012 platform?
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     According to John Green, a University of Akron professor of religion and politics, it was because the Democrats have a problem with ‘God talk” because  their voter base includes a substantial number of nonreligious people but also a diversity of religious people with varying approaches to God, doesn’t have a clear and simple conception of the divine.  So rather than risk offending anyone in their Party, the platform committee decided to leave God out.  
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     In the only platform that will endure for eternity- the Holy Scriptures, David wrote in Psalms 14:1 “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.”  The Apostle Paul said in Romans 1:25: “Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator. “  
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     Republicans are far from perfect.  We have the same depraved, wicked heart that a Democrat has, but we do recognize our rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness come from God.   

Will we be better off in four years?????

Weekly Opinion Editorial

WILL YOU BE BETTER OFF FOUR YEARS FROM NOW!

 by Steve Fair

     

     When Ronald Reagan was running against Jimmy Carter he asked the question: “Are you better off now than you were four years ago?”  With run away inflation, record unemployment, and an uncertain economic future, Reagan struck a nerve with the voters and won the election in a landslide with President Carter winning just three states. 

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     Many are comparing the current economic climate in America with 1980, and there are a number of similarities.  For example gasoline has doubled in price in the past four years, unemployment has doubled, and there doesn’t seem to be any relief in sight, so way is President Obama still hanging onto poll numbers that suggest he could be re-elected?  Three reasons:

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    First, he was a transitional figure.  President Obama is a young, energetic figure whose appeal to youth is he would provide hope and change.  The specifics on what that hope and change were unclear, but by Obama’s own admission, he was able to capture ‘lightening in a bottle,’ in 2008.  He will not be able to duplicate that again this year. 

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     Second, the vast majority of minorities vote as a block for him.  It only takes about on third of the rest of voters to give him the election.  Unfortunately our electorate consists of this many liberal ideologues- social and economic- that bind together in elections better than conservatives. 

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     Third, Obama is winning the sound bite war and easily obscuring his own record with the barrage of negative attacks on Romney that are so far going unchallenged.  Amazing that Romney is being attacked for being successful in business.  Ads that portray those who vote for Romney as being racist are inappropriate and over the top, but are never challenged by the main stream press. 

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     The question of this election should be: “Will you be better off four years from now if Obama is re-elected?”  Based on what he has done, what will he do in his second term?  What is Obama’s vision for a second term?  His campaign slogan is ‘Forward.’  There is little talk of what the country would move forward toward, or the specifics.  On economic policy, the President has said his vision is to “create an economy built to last.” But this talking point has, even to Democrats, begun to wear thin.  “Nobody really knows what that means,” said Joe Trippi, a Democratic strategist who handled Jerry Brown’s gubernatorial campaign in 2010.
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     The President has said that the most important policy he could address in his second term is climate change, one of the few issues that he thinks could fundamentally improve the world decades from now. He also is concerned with containing nuclear proliferation. In April, 2009, in one of the most notable speeches of his Presidency, he said, in Prague, “I state clearly and with conviction America’s commitment to seek the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons.” He conceded that the goal might not be achieved in his lifetime but promised to take “concrete steps,” including a new treaty with Russia to reduce nuclear weapons and ratification of the 1996 Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty.   In March during a meeting on Nuclear weapons at the White House with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Obama said, "This is my last election ... After my election I have more flexibility."  "I will transmit this information to Vladimir," said Medvedev, Putin's protégé and long considered number two in Moscow's power structure.

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     It is also likely the President would tackle immigration reform, which means amnesty with no repercussions or penalties. Obama has also said that he hopes to have the time and the attention to address a more robust foreign aid agenda for developing countries than he was able to muster in his first term. Translated, that means sending more of your tax money to foreign countries. 

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     Would we be better off four years from now with Obama as President?  Absolutely not!  If re-elected, he will tax and spend America into bankruptcy, disarm our military, open up our borders to illegals and destroy what liberty we have left.   I would urge every American to see 2016-Obama’s America.  It will give you a idea of what frames his thinking and it’s not the civic rights movement of the 1960s.

Thomas hits nail on the head

Thomas hits nail on the head!

by Steve Fair

Cal Thomas is a journalist.  He writes a weekly op/ed for USA Today and his column is carried  by some 300 plus newspapers across America.  But on Sunday at a large Baptist church in Tampa, he sounded more like a preacher.  “Our problem in America is a moral and spiritual problem,” he said.  “Until God changes a man’s heart, we are only changing the external.”  Lynn Windel, former 4 term Oklahoma National Committeeman  from Ardmore and I traveled more than an hour from the Oklahoma delegation hotel to hear Thomas speak.  It was well worth it and Thomas’ remarks will define how I view this convention.

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Thomas briefly mentioned his time with the Moral Majority and how that organization’s plan to ‘reform’ America failed.  He cited the late Dr. D. James Kennedy who founded Reclaiming America and how that premise failed to accomplish it’s goal.  “The motive is right, but the tatic is wrong- only God can change America- one heart at a time,” Thomas said.  I couldn’t agree more.  Electing a more conservative President and Congress is a worthy goal and may slow down the moral decline in America, but until we understand the only hope America has is the gospel of Jesus Christ, we are doomed to fail.

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I was somewhat surprised that Thomas spoke so boldly on the subject of the depravity of man.  Total Depravity is something few journalist know anything about and embrace.  Mr. Thomas cited Romans 8:8 that states all of fallen mankind, are capable of externally good acts (acts that are good for society), but we cannot do anything really good, i.e., pleasing to God because God sees our heart. And from his ultimate standpoint, fallen man has no goodness, in thought, word, or deed. 

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Total depravity is the fallen state of man as a result of original sin. The doctrine of total depravity asserts that people are by nature not inclined or even able to love God wholly with heart, mind, and strength, but rather all are inclined by nature to serve their own will and desires and to reject the rule of God.  It is the first tenet in the five so-called doctrines of Calvinism.  Many don’t teach it because they are afraid it is too negative and places man in a hopeless, helpless situation.  They instead teach man is inherently good, born innocent with a spark of divinity.

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Charles Spurgeon, the so-called prince of preachers, said, “I am bound to the doctrine of the depravity of the human heart, because I find myself depraved in heart, and have daily proofs that there dwelleth in my flesh no good thing.”

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“Some believe that man has a spark of divinity and all we have to do is find that spark and fan it,”  Thomas said.  “That can’t be found in the Bible.”  Indeed it can’t be.  Throughout the scripture it is clear that mankind has inherited a corrupted, depraved nature.

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Thomas’ point was that no amount of political activism will result in any meaningful change until God changes men’s hearts.  “This doesn’t mean we don’t get involved or stay engaged in the political process.  We are told to be the Salt and Light of this world so it is very important Christians are involved,”  Thomas said, “but we must recognize that we cannot by activism alone bring about the change America needs.”

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I was surprised that a man whose columns I have read for years was saying exactly what I have contended for years; America’s problems are not political- they are spiritual.

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I brought one of Cal’s books, Common Ground, one he authored with Democrat strategist and Fox News host Bob Beckel.  I got it signed and got my photograph taken with Thomas.  I then had the opportunity to talk with him briefly and when I told him I appreciated his ‘Calvinist’ message, he laughed.  We agreed that American Christians involved in the political process must stop focusing on behavior modification, but understand we cannot change the heart of man- only God can.

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Cal Thomas’ message is one that is fundamental if we truly want to change our country.  The secret to restoring America’s greatness is to recognize our country has a sin problem and it is rooted in our hearts.  We will never have the blessings of God on our country until we see man as he is before a holy God.  No keynote address at the convention will deliver a more needed message to America than Cal’s.   

The CRAZY hat!

Weekly Opinion Editorial

    

THE CRAZY HAT!

by Steve Fair     

     On Friday, I leave for the Republican National Convention in Tampa.  This will be my third straight GOP convention.  The last two I have served as a national delegate, but National GOP Party rules do not permit me to serve three consecutive times as a delegate, so this time around I am the Oklahoma GOP delegation aide. 

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     In May, I was honored to be elected Oklahoma’s National Committeeman at our state convention.  The Friday after the convention, I will participate in the reorganizing of the GOP National Committee.   There are just 168 members of the National Committee- 3 per state and territory.  The job of the RNC is to establish the rules for how the GOP operates as a Party, craft the message of who we are as a Party, and provide leadership for the grassroots.  I am excited about my new role and look forward to the challenge.

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     A national political convention is like the Super Bowl for a political junkie, but it’s not all fun and games.  Delegates travel to the convention at their own expense. While in Tampa delegates will have a seat on the convention floor and are expected to attend and participate in the various convention sessions.  The sessions you see on television are largely keynote speeches.  If you want to see more of the nuts & bolts of the convention, watch C-Span.   What is not seen in prime time is the actual Party business that is conducted at a national convention.  Here are the four major committees that will function at the GOP national convention.

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     First, there is the credentials committee.  The Credentials Committee examines and rules on the accreditation of state delegations to the conventions. The credentials committee handles disputes and challenges from the various delegations.  Polly Hawke from Logan County and Allie Burgin from Garvin are the Oklahoma GOP representatives on credentials.  As a member of the credentials committee, they have to be at the convention nearly a week early.  Credentials are the first thing the national convention delegates will vote on.  Until the 2,286 delegates are credentialed, no official business can be conducted.  Oklahoma has 43 delegates to the 2012 national convention.

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     The second committee is the Rules committee.  This committee establishes the ‘proposed’ rules by which the convention business will be conducted.  They also meet several times prior to the convention and craft rules that are designed to facilitate business in a fair, equitable manner.  Rules are designed to insure the will of the majority is ascertained while giving a voice to the minority.  The rules are ‘proposed’ until the convention delegates approve them.  That is the first order of business.  Stuart Jolley, from Oklahoma County and Linda Lepak from Roger Mills County are Oklahoma’s representatives on Rules. 

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     The third committee is the platform committee.   This committee meets several times prior to the convention.  Members of that committee take all the resolutions that have been submitted by the State GOP organizations across the country and craft them into a proposed GOP Party platform.  The proposed platform is then voted on at the national convention by the delegates.   The GOP platform resolutions in the platform had their beginning in a GOP precinct meeting somewhere in America.  Our platform is crafted from the bottom up, not the top down.  That’s why it is important to get involved in your precinct meetings.  Our next scheduled precinct meetings/elections will be in January of 2013.  Oklahoma’s representatives on the Platform/Resolutions committee are Carolyn McLarty, our current National Committeewoman from Woodward County and Tony Lauinger, State Chairman of Oklahomans for Life from Tulsa County.. 

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    The fourth committee is the committee on Permanent Organization.  This committee’s primary role is the selection of convention officers. Trent Shores, from TulsaCounty and Lonnie Lou Anderson from Pittsburg County are Oklahoma’s representatives.

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     Starting Monday the 27^th, watch the Republican National Convention.  It will be on every major network and cable channel.  Governor Chris Christie will be keynoting Tuesday night and I expect will deliver a powerful speech.  Watch for me-I will be the one in the crazy hat! 

Ryan is a great pick!

Weekly Opinion Editorial

RYAN IS A GREAT PICK!

by Steve Fair     

     

     On Saturday morning, Governor Mitt Romney chose Congressman Paul Ryan from Wisconsin as his Vice Presidential running mate.  Ryan is the Chairman of the House Budget committee and surprisingly the pick seemed to please both Republicans and Democrats.

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     Republican grassroots Party activists were excited when Romney chose the seven term Congressman who has a life score of 93% with the American Conservative Union.   Matt Pinnell, Chairman of the Oklahoma Republican Party said, “Today marks a turning point in this presidential race. Ryan’s addition to the ticket shows that Governor Romney, in addition to his focus on job creation, is prepared to run a robust campaign with a sharp message built around tax and spending cuts, deficit reduction and entitlement reform; policies that will literally save this country. “When you couple this winning message with the fact that he’s married to an Oklahoman and his dogs are named Boomer and Sooner, Mitt Romney couldn’t have chosen a more qualified running mate.”

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     Minnesota State GOP Chairman Pat Shortridge said: “Ryan’s a great pick.  This proves Gov. Romney knows that getting to 270 electoral votes is a means to an end.  Only bold solutions will suffice.”

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     Democrats seemed excited they would have Ryan to hammer in the election.  President Obama’s senior campaign adviser David Axelrod called Ryan a “right wing ideologue” and said, "It is a pick that is meant to thrill the most strident voices in the Republican Party, but it's one that should trouble everybody else - the middle class, seniors, students.” President Obama said Ryan was a decent guy, a family man and he welcomed him to the campaign, but that he fundamentally disagreed with him. 

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     Is Paul Ryan a good pick for Romney as VP?  Absolutely and here is why? 

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      First, it’s a bold pick that will force the Obama and Romney camps to talk about the sustentative issues like the national budget, Medicare and Social Security during the course of the election.  With the unemployment rate in the United States at 8.3 percent and job creation at all time lows, the American public is ripe and ready for hearing about real solutions and not just clever themes.  Ryan has been dealing with the hard issues for a long time and is not afraid to tackle them with solutions. 

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      Second, by picking Ryan, Romney puts Wisconsin, and their ten electoral votes, into play.  The presidential election is decided by ‘electoral votes.’ Wisconsin has not gone for a Republican presidential ticket since 1984, but emboldened by their defeat of an effort to recall Gov. Scott Walker for his reforms of pension and health care plans for some public sector employees, Badger State GOPers are sure to be encouraged further by the choice of one of their own for second place on their ticket.

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     Third, Ryan is young and a health nut.  He is the first Gen Xer to be a presidential ticket candidate.  At 42, he is closer to the age of most college students than he is to Joe Biden.  He has 6% body fat, works out all the time and eats healthy.  Ryan will have appeal with young voters who voted for Obama in 2008 expecting hope and change, but instead got despair and decay.   

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     Fourth, Ryan married a southern Oklahoma girl- Janna Little from Madill.  She is the niece of David Boren, President of OU and the cousin of Representative Dan Boren.  Ryan visits Oklahoma frequently to hunt and fish.  He loves to ‘noodle’ for catfish.  He is real guy who lives in the same small town he grew up in.  He is a family man who is pro-life and pro- traditional marriage.    

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    Fifth and maybe the most important reason: President Obama fundamentally disagrees with Ryan’s vision for America.  That should be reason enough for most Americans to vote for the ticket of Romney and Ryan.  Obama’s vision for America has  been to use government to prop up businesses and banks, redistribute wealth, and to implement socialized medicine.  He wants to make America like eastern Europe where personal initiative and their economy has been destroyed.

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     Rest assured, the Democrats will attack Ryan and his bi-partisan budget plan.  They will do anything to make Ryan look like an extremist.  The truth is we need an extremist to get America back on track.  Ryan will raise the level of dialogue on the economic woes that are destroying our country.  Win or lose, this was a great pick!