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Jack Goodman is another popular candidate for the Missouri District 7 Congressional seat, so I decided to take a look at his position on the FairTax plan.

The Web site for Mr. Goodman’s candidacy, www.JackGoodman.org, does not specifically address the issue of tax reform. Nor have I seen his position on tax reform stated in any printed materials. So, I made a call to the number listed on the Web site and asked. I was told that Mr. Goodman does indeed support the FairTax plan, and that if elected he would not only support it but would work to promote it as a U.S. Congressman.

In an interview conducted by KY3 News on July 19, 2010, Mr. Goodman had this to say when asked about his view of the FairTax initiative:
“I support the FairTax with minor modification and think the economic potential is tremendous, especially if we are able to pass a federal version.  In 2009, I was the Senate handler for Missouri’s version of the FairTax. The FairTax is transparent, eliminating the hidden layers of imbedded taxation in the retail price of products.  It also forces those who currently evade taxation to pay their share, such as drug dealers, illegal aliens and those in organized crime.  The Fair Tax would also be a huge incentive to bring manufacturing jobs back to America.”

While I would have liked to see a more demonstrative statement of his support of the FairTax plan in his candidacy materials I have to conclude that Jack Goodman is certainly worthy of consideration for the Missouri District 7 seat. I’ll leave you to evaluate his position on other issues, but as for the FairTax plan I believe he, ‘gets it.’

The Congressional race for the Missouri District 7, U.S. Representative seat is wide open with eight Republican and two Democrat candidates competing in the upcoming primary. There is no incumbent in this race as Congressman Roy Blunt is making a bid for the Senate seat of Senator Kit Bond. So, the question is where do these candidates stand on the FairTax?

Billy Long seems to be leading the pack of the Republican candidates so I decided to take a look at his position first. Mr. Long seems like a strong candidate in most respects, but unfortunately when it comes to the FairTax his position is a little weak and muddled. In his ads online and in print he indicates that he is in favor of “Fair Tax” (with the space between the two words). There’s a big difference between “Fair Tax” and the FairTax plan. Everyone claims to be in favor of “Fair Tax.” That is not specific support of the FairTax plan. In fact, Mr. Long’s stance on the issue of taxes states, “Billy is open to either a flat tax or a fair tax as a way to fix our tax system.”

This is like saying, “I’d be happy to take more poison or the antidote as a way to recovery.” The tax on income is the fundamental problem, and no amount of tinkering with it is going to fix it. Mr. Long’s openness to a flat tax indicates that he either doesn’t truly understand the problem, or he wants to ride the wave of support for the FairTax into a Congressional office.

I placed a call to the offices of ‘Billy Long for Congress’ to confirm his position on the issue, and was told that although his first choice would be the FairTax he is also open to a flat tax on income because of the difficulty of getting the FairTax passed. I’m sorry, but this is exactly the kind of wishy-washy stance we do not need in Washington.

There is no ‘either, or’ in the issue of tax reform. This Country will crumble under the weight and corruption of the income tax system, and we need representatives that understand that and are eager to fight for a new future. Accepting more of the same just because something is better than nothing isn’t going to cut it any longer. The only solution to our Country’s fiscal woes is to rid ourselves of taxes on income. Anything less is just politics. I wish Mr. Long all the best, but at this point I couldn’t vote for him.

Like so many others I try my hardest to keep up with the important issues and current events of the day. But, with all the demands that work, family and community place on our time it’s near to impossible to actually keep up. I sometimes suspect that we are all too busy to remain fully informed by design, but that’s a political conspiracy theory I’ll save for another day.

I’ve come to realize, though, that by trying to keep up with every issue I am not truly keeping up with any. While I may be somewhat familiar with the issues surrounding border security and immigration, terrorism and terrorists, tax reform, the economy, the environment, our health, our military conflicts, education, the oil spill in the gulf, and the ongoing tragedy of Lindsay Lohan, just to name a few, I can not hope to become and remain fully informed on all of them. So, what’s a voter to do?

I have decided that for the time being and for the foreseeable future I’m going to pick one as my primary issue. I’ll still follow the other important issues, of course, but my primary issue will be my focus. And, this primary issue is going to be tax reform, or more specifically the FairTax.

The November elections will soon be upon us and all the candidates will march about saying all the things they think we want to hear. Their position on most issues is predictable. No candidate is going to come out against border security, or for terrorism. Their positions on most issues will differ only by degrees and approach.

But, the issue of the FairTax is a line in the sand. The FairTax specifically proposes the abolishment of the federal income tax, and its replacement with a national consumption tax. American citizens, tourists, immigrants, anyone who spends money in America at the retail level will contribute to our national coffers. We determine how much tax we pay by how much we spend, and everyone pays the same percentage amount. The government’s ability to control the Country by manipulating the tax code goes away. And, any political candidate who supports handing the reins of the Country back over to the citizens of the Country by passing and enacting the FairTax is worthy of serious consideration.

I chose this as my primary issue because I am convinced that passing the FairTax plan is the single most important step we can take in preserving this republic of the United States of America. Our politicians and our government have become corrupt beyond reason and they will not correct themselves. Only by forcing them to relinquish their power to manipulate the flow of money can we hope to find equilibrium.

This is not to say that the other issues we face are not equally important, but I believe the FairTax is our best chance of returning our Country to prosperity through government by the people.

So, in the coming months we will be looking more closely at the FairTax plan and how it is meant to work. We will also look into the political candidates who support it or don’t support, as well as those who merely claim to support it as a bid for your vote.

If you want to learn more about the FairTax I urge you to visit the Americans for Fair Taxation Web site at www.FairTax.org.

This Cold War-era cartoon uses humor to tout the dangers of Communism and the benefits of capitalism. The dangers that it points out are the same as those our freedoms face today except that now those dangers are in the halls of power right here in Washington, D.C. Give it a look and if it doesn’t give you pause then you’re just not paying attention.