Subject: 545 People

007

Charter Member
May 8, 2004
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Correctly Attributed.

What in the world happened to us? The article below is completely neutral, ...not anti republican or democrat. Charlie Reese, a retired reporter for the Orlando Sentinal has hit the nail directly on the head, defining clearly who it is that in the final analysis must assume responsibility for the judgments made that impact each one of us every day.


545 vs. 300,000,000


Charlie Reese has been a journalist for 49 years.

545 PEOPLE By Charlie Reese


Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them..

Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?

Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?

You and I don't propose a federal budget. The president does.

You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.

You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.

You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.

You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.

One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president, and nine Supreme Court justices equates to 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.

I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.

I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a president to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.

Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.

What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits.... The president can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.

The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House? Nancy Pelosi. She is the leader of the majority party. She and fellow House members, not the president, can approve any budget they want. If the president vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million can not replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.

If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.

If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red ..

If the Army & Marines are in IRAQ , it's because they want them in IRAQ

If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.

There are no insoluble government problems.

Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like "the economy," "inflation," or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.

Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.

They, and they alone, have the power.

They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses.

Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees...We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!

Charlie Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper.

What you do with this article now that you have read it...is up to you.




This might be funny if it weren't so darned true. Be sure to read all the way to the end:

Tax his land,
Tax his bed,
Tax the table
At which he's fed.

Tax his tractor,
Tax his mule,
Teach him taxes
Are the rule.

Tax his work,
Tax his pay,
He works for peanuts
Anyway!

Tax his cow,
Tax his goat,
Tax his pants,
Tax his coat.

Tax his ties,
Tax his shirt,
Tax his work,
Tax his dirt.

Tax his tobacco,
Tax his drink,
Tax him if he
Tries to think.

Tax his cigars,
Tax his beers,
If he cries
Tax his tears.

Tax his car,
Tax his gas,
Find other ways
To tax his ass.

Tax all he has
Then let him know
That you won't be done
Till he has no dough.

When he screams and hollers;
Then tax him some more,
Tax him till
He's good and sore.

Then tax his coffin,
Tax his grave,
Tax the sod in
Which he's laid...

Put these words
Upon his tomb,
Taxes drove me
to my doom...'

When he's gone,
Do not relax,
Its time to apply
The inheritance tax..

Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
CDL license Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Excise Taxes
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Gasoline Tax (currently 44.75 cents per gallon)
Gross Receipts Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Luxury Taxes
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Personal Property Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Service Charge T ax
Social Security Tax
Road Usage Tax
Sales Tax
Recreational Vehicle Tax
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone Federal Excise Tax
Telephone Federal Universal Ser vice FeeTax
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge=0Tax
Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring Charges Tax
Telephone State and Local Tax
Telephone Usage Charge Tax
Utility Taxes
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax

STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY? Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, and our nation was the most prosperous in the world. We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.

What in the hell happened? Can you say "politicians?" And I still have to "press 1" for English.
 
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Given that a hundred years ago mos of the stuff on that list did not exist it would have been rather difficult to tax it. And Mr. Reese is like most utterly ignoring the fact that The Dmocrats ave own the congress for roughly 70 of the last 80 years and that Presidents seldom get any let alone all of what they want especially when the other party controls congress as was the case in 8 of the twelve years we had a president named Bush all eight of Reagans All of Nixon's fords, LBJ's, Eisenhower's, Carter's, all but 2 of Truman's and all of Roosevelt's.
 
Nail? meet hammer. great thread, and what I've been thinking for years.

IF the Politicians think they haven't anything to do to justify thier existence? How about repealing alot of the Liberty-Limiting crap on the books. That'll keep 'em busy for DECADES, no?

I say we start a companion thread to see what LAWS can be repealed to foist liberty again on the people.
 
Given that a hundred years ago mos of the stuff on that list did not exist it would have been rather difficult to tax it. And Mr. Reese is like most utterly ignoring the fact that The Dmocrats ave own the congress for roughly 70 of the last 80 years and that Presidents seldom get any let alone all of what they want especially when the other party controls congress as was the case in 8 of the twelve years we had a president named Bush all eight of Reagans All of Nixon's fords, LBJ's, Eisenhower's, Carter's, all but 2 of Truman's and all of Roosevelt's.

I think that the point is that the politicians on both sides of the aisle are working for someone other than the people that elected them and have been for some time now.
 
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It is a good example of why limited government is so important. Well intentioned (and the not so well intentioned) Constitutionally constructed leaders try to make things "better" for us. Can't help themselves, but to try and improve our situation and condition. Much like an unrestrained Christmas shopper, they pull out the credit card too often.
 
It is a good example of why limited government is so important. Well intentioned (and the not so well intentioned) Constitutionally constructed leaders try to make things "better" for us. Can't help themselves, but to try and improve our situation and condition. Much like an unrestrained Christmas shopper, they pull out the credit card too often.

Exactly. And then we're told the intentions were good enough but disreguard the result.

And the cycle starts over again.
 
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On the Rare ocassion the Republicans have controlled congress they are more often than not been far more frugal than Democrats.
 
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The voters are to blame. They decide who makes the laws.

A certain amount of truth to that, although you can elect someone who says one thing and does another once in office. Also, at election time, you still are only one vote.
 

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