The Small Scale Entrepreneur (Small business is the American little engine that could)

Comment

Comment by Mike Anthony Fernald Sr. on October 23, 2008 at 11:24am

Comment by Mike Anthony Fernald Sr. on October 23, 2008 at 10:00am

An Open Letter to the President, the Congress, and the American people
Concerning Reform of the Federal Tax Code
Dear Mr. President, Members of Congress, and Fellow Americans,
We, the undersigned business and university economists, welcome and applaud the ongoing
initiative to reform the federal tax code. We urge the President and the Congress to work
together in good faith to pass and sign into federal law H.R. 25 and S. 25, which together call
for:
• Eliminating all federal income taxes for individuals and corporations,
• Eliminating all federal payroll withholding taxes,
• Abolishing estate and capital gains taxes, and
• Repealing the 16th Amendment
We are not calling for elimination of federal taxation, which would be irresponsible and
undesirable. Nor does our endorsement call for reduced federal spending. The tax reform plan
we endorse is revenue neutral, collecting as much federal tax revenue as the current income tax
code, including payroll withholding taxes.
We are calling for elimination of federal income taxes and federal payroll withholding taxes.
We endorse replacing these costly, oppressively complex, and economically inefficient taxes
with a progressive national retail sales tax, such as the tax plan offered by H.R. 25 and S. 25 –
which is also known as the FairTax Plan. The FairTax Plan has been introduced in the 109th
Congress and had 54 co-sponsors in the 108th Congress.
If passed and signed into law, the FairTax Plan would:
• Enable workers and retirees to receive 100% of their paychecks and pension benefits,
• Replace all federal income and payroll taxes with a simple, progressive, visible,
efficiently collected national retail sales tax, which would be levied on the final sale of
newly produced goods and services,
• Rebate to all households each month the federal sales tax they pay on basic necessities,
up to an independently determined level of spending (a.k.a., the poverty level, as
determined by the Department of Health and Human Services), which removes the
burden of federal taxation on the poor and makes the FairTax Plan as progressive as the
current tax code,
• Collect the national sales tax at the retail cash register, just as 45 states already do,
• Set a federal sales tax rate that is revenue neutral, thereby raising the same amount of tax
revenue as now raised by federal income taxes plus payroll withholding taxes,
• Continue Social Security and Medicare benefits as provided by law; only the means of
tax collection changes,
• Eliminate all filing of individual federal tax returns,
• Eliminate the IRS and all audits of individual taxpayers; only audits of retailers would be
needed, greatly reducing the cost of enforcing the federal tax code,
An Open Letter to the President, the Congress, and the American people
-2-
• Allow states the option of collecting the national retail sales tax, in return for a fee, along
with their state and local sales taxes,
• Collect federal sales tax from every retail consumer in the country, whether citizen or
undocumented alien, which will enlarge the federal tax base,
• Collect federal sales tax on all consumption spending on new final goods and services,
whether the dollars used to finance the spending are generated legally, illegally, or in the
huge “underground economy,”
• Dramatically reduce federal tax compliance costs paid by businesses, which are now
embedded and hidden in retail prices, placing U.S. businesses at a disadvantage in world
markets,
• Bring greater accountability and visibility to federal tax collection,
• Attract foreign equity investment to the United States, as well as encourage U.S. firms to
locate new capital projects in the United States that might otherwise go abroad, and
• Not tax spending for education, since H.R. 25 and S. 25 define expenditure on education
to be investment, not consumption, which will make education about half as expensive
for American families as it is now.
The current U.S. income tax code is widely regarded by just about everyone as unfair,
complex, wasteful, confusing, and costly. Businesses and other organizations spend more than
six billion hours each year complying with the federal tax code. Estimated compliance costs
conservatively top $225 billion annually – costs that are ultimately embedded in retail prices paid
by consumers.
The Internal Revenue Code cannot simply be “fixed,” which is amply demonstrated by more
than 35 years of attempted tax code reform, each round resulting in yet more complexity and
unrelenting, page-after-page, mind-numbing verbiage (now exceeding 54,000 pages containing
more than 2.8 million words).
Our nation’s current income tax alters business decisions in ways that limit growth in
productivity. The federal income tax also alters saving and investment decisions of households,
which dramatically reduces the economy’s potential for growth and job creation.
Payroll withholding taxes are regressive, hitting hardest those least able to pay. Simply
stated, the complexity and frequently changing rules of the federal income tax code make our
country less competitive in the global economy and rob the nation of its full potential for growth
and job creation.
In summary, the economic benefits of the FairTax Plan are compelling. The FairTax Plan
eliminates the tax bias against work, saving, and investment, which would lead to higher rates of
economic growth, faster growth in productivity, more jobs, lower interest rates, and a higher
standard of living for the American people.
An Open Letter to the President, the Congress, and the American people
-3-
The America proposed by the FairTax Plan would feature:
• no federal income taxes,
• no payroll taxes,
• no self-employment taxes,
• no capital gains taxes,
• no gift or estate taxes,
• no alternative minimum taxes,
• no corporate taxes,
• no payroll withholding,
• no taxes on Social Security benefits or pension benefits,
• no personal tax forms,
• no personal or business income tax record keeping, and
• no personal income tax filing whatsoever.
No Internal Revenue Service; no April 15th; all gone, forever.
We believe that many Americans will favor the FairTax Plan proposed by H.R. 25 and S. 25,
although some may say, “it simply can’t be done.” Many said the same thing to the grassroots
progressives who won women the right to vote, to those who made collective bargaining a reality
for union members, and to the Freedom Riders who made civil rights a reality in America.
We urge Congress not to abandon the FairTax Plan simply because it will be difficult to face
the objections of entrenched special interest groups – groups who now benefit from the
complexity and tax preferences of the status quo. The comparative advantage and benefits
offered by the FairTax Plan to the vast majority of Americans is simply too high a cost to pay.
Therefore, we the undersigned professional and university economists, endorse a progressive
national retail sales tax plan, as provided by the FairTax Plan. We urge Congress to make H.R.
25 and S. 25 federal law, and then to work swiftly to repeal the 16th Amendment.
Respectfully,
Donald L. Alexander
Professor of Economics
Western Michigan University
Wayne Angell
Angell Economics
Jim Araji
Professor of Agricultural
Economics
University of Idaho
Ray Ball
Graduate School of Business
University of Chicago
Roger J. Beck
Professor Emeritus
Southern Illinois University,
Carbondale
John J. Bethune
Kennedy Chair of Free
Enterprise
Barton College
David M. Brasington
Louisiana State University
Jack A. Chambless
Professor of Economics
Valencia College
Christopher K. Coombs
Louisiana State University
William J. Corcoran, Ph.D.
University of Nebraska at
Omaha
Eleanor D. Craig
Economics Department
University of Delaware
An Open Letter to the President, the Congress, and the American people
-4-
Susan Dadres, Ph.D.
Department of Economics
Southern Methodist University
Henry Demmert
Santa Clara University
Arthur De Vany
Professor Emeritus
Economics and Mathematical
Behavioral Sciences
University of California, Irvine
Pradeep Dubey
Leading Professor
Center for Game Theory
Dept. of Economics
SUNY at Stony Brook
Demissew Diro Ejara
William Paterson University of
New Jersey
Patricia J. Euzent
Department of Economics
University of Central Florida
John A. Flanders
Professor of Business and
Economics
Central Methodist University
Richard H. Fosberg, Ph.D.
William Paterson University
Gary L. French, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President
Nathan Associates Inc.
Professor James Frew
Economics Department
Willamette University
K. K. Fung
University of Memphis
Satya J. Gabriel, Ph.D.
Professor of Economics and
Finance
Mount Holyoke College
Dave Garthoff
Summit College
The University of Akron
Ronald D. Gilbert
Associate Professor of
Economics
Texas Tech University
Philip E. Graves
Department of Economics
University of Colorado
Bettina Bien Greaves, Retired
Foundation for Economic
Education
John Greenhut, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Finance & Business Economics
School of Global Management
and Leadership
Arizona State University
Darrin V. Gulla
Dept. of Economics
University of Georgia
Jon Halvorson
Assistant Professor of
Economics
Indiana University of
Pennsylvania
Reza G. Hamzaee, Ph.D.
Professor of Economics &
Applied Decision Sciences
Department of Economics
Missouri Western State College
James M. Hvidding
Professor of Economics
Kutztown University
F. Jerry Ingram, Ph.D.
Professor of Economics and
Finance
The University of Louisiana-
Monroe
Drew Johnson
Fellow
Davenport Institute for Public
Policy
Pepperdine University
Steven J. Jordan
Visiting Assistant Professor
Virginia Tech
Department of Economics
Richard E. Just
University of Maryland
Dr. Michael S. Kaylen
Associate Professor
University of Missouri
David L. Kendall
Professor of Economics and
Finance
University of Virginia's College
at Wise
Peter M. Kerr
Professor of Economics
Southeast Missouri State
University
Miles Spencer Kimball
Professor of Economics
University of Michigan
James V. Koch
Department of Economics
Old Dominion University
Laurence J. Kotlikoff
Professor of Economics
Boston University
Edward J. López
Assistant Professor
University of North Texas
Franklin Lopez
Tulane University
Salvador Lopez
University of West Georgia
Yuri N. Maltsev, Ph.D.
Professor of Economics
Carthage College
Glenn MacDonald
John M. Olin Distinguished
Professor of Economics and
Strategy
Washington University in St.
Louis
Dr. John Merrifield,
Professor of Economics
University of Texas-San
Antonio
An Open Letter to the President, the Congress, and the American people
-5-
Dr. Matt Metzgar
Mount Union College
Carlisle Moody
Department of Economics
College of William and Mary
Andrew P. Morriss
Galen J. Roush Professor of
Business Law & Regulation
Case Western Reserve
University School of Law
Timothy Perri
Department of Economics
Appalachian State University
Mark J. Perry
School of Management and
Department of Economics
University of Michigan-Flint
Timothy Peterson
Assistant Professor
Economics and Management
Department
Gustavus Adolphus College
Ben Pierce
Central Missouri State
University
Michael K. Pippenger, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of
Economics
University of Alaska
Robert Piron
Professor of Economics
Oberlin College
Mattias Polborn
Department of Economics
University of Illinois
Joseph S. Pomykala, Ph.D.
Department of Economics
Towson University
Barry Popkin
University of North Carolina-
Chapel Hill
Steven W. Rick
Lecturer, University of
Wisconsin
Senior Economist, Credit Union
National Association
Paul H. Rubin
Samuel Candler Dobbs
Professor of Economics & Law
Department of Economics
Emory Univeristy
John Ruggiero
University of Dayton
Michael K. Salemi
Bowman and Gordon Gray
Professor of Economics
University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill
Dr. Carole E. Scott
Richards College of Business
State University of West
Georgia
Carlos Seiglie
Dept. of Economics
Rutgers University
John Semmens
Economist
Phoenix College
Arizona
Alan C. Shapiro
Ivadelle and Theodore Johnson
Professor of Banking and
Finance
Marshall School of Business
University of Southern
California
Dr. Stephen Shmanske
Professor of Economics
California State University,
Hayward
James F. Smith
University of North Carolina-
Chapel Hill
Vernon L. Smith
Economist
W. James Smith
Dean of Liberal Arts and
Sciences and Professor of
Economics
University of Colorado at
Denver
John C. Soper
Boler School of Business
John Carroll University
Roger Spencer
Professor of Economics
Trinity University
Daniel A. Sumner, Director,
University of California
Agricultural Issues Center
and the Frank H. Buck, Jr.,
Chair Professor,
Department of Agricultural and
Resource Economics,
University of California, Davis
Curtis R. Taylor
Professor of Economics and
Business
Duke University
Robert Vigil
Analysis Group, Inc.
John H. Wicks, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus
Department of Economics
University of Montana
F. Scott Wilson, Ph.D.
Canisius College
Mokhlis Y. Zaki
Professor of Economics
Emeritus
Northern Michigan Universit

Comment by Natural Fuels Solutions, LLC on October 2, 2008 at 7:17am

UPCOMING NFS EVENTS...
October 17 - 18 - 19, 2008
*****Boggy Bayou Mullet Festival
Niceville, FL

Natural Fuels Solutions, LLC would love to hear from YOU! We will be available to answer your questions and speak with you about CNG, NGV's and the FuelMaker's "PHILL", CNG Home Refueling Appliance. Come by and see us at the Okaloosa Gas District Booth!
_______________________________________________

October 28, 2008 - November 2, 2008
*****NORTHWEST FLORIDA FAIR
Fort Walton Beach, FL
Natural Fuels Solutions, LLC will also be teaming up with Okaloosa Gas District at the Fair! Please com by the Okaloosa Gas District booth for more information about CNG vehicles and the FuelMaker's "PHILL".

*****We will have our Pickens Plan Pledge sheets available at both events. We are hoping to sign up as many people as we can!

Thank you Okaloosa Gas District for your support!

NFS
www.naturalfuelssolutions.com

Comment by Chris Caldwell on September 19, 2008 at 8:03pm

My Blog. Technology is available now! Get it together!
National Environmental Report
Learn about Oil Free Air Bearings
See How A MicroTurbine Works

Comment by Getulio Bastos on August 28, 2008 at 1:30pm

Gentlemen,

This is a letter I just sent to Congressman Ron Klein of West Palm Beach and Florida Senator Bill Nelson. I suggest that all of our members do something similar to provoke some reaction from our politicians.

Mr. Bill Nelson,

Florida is one of the worst hit states in the Real Estate crisis. Our tourism industry is being hit tremendously by the gasoline price hikes. And our state is one of the least served with alternative forms of energy. But we can do something about it and one of the things we can do is to facilitate the creation of an infrastructure to sell, install conversion kits in our cars and distribute natural gas within our region.

There are entrepreneurs interested in creating this infrastructure, but the major obstacle is EPA, which has no scientific reason to keep their antique regulations for the conversion of our cars to use natural gas in our roads. There are no technology barriers at all.

It would save our taxpayers a lot of money in the near future while providing for a new source of employment for thousands of Floridians in a brand new industry. In training of new mechanics, installation of conversion kits, installation of natural gas filling stations, distribution of natural gas across the state and maintenance of it all.

There’s a Bill going through Congress now, entitled “THE DRIVE AMERICA ON NATURAL GAS ACT OF 2008” introduced by Senator James Inhofe of Oklahoma.

If you need to research more about it, please visit www.push.pickensplan.com. Please, click here if you want to see the reactions to my discussion Brazil is 100% oil independent. Why aren't we?.

While there you can also see several pictures and videos related to the usage of natural gas as a vehicle propulsion energy both in Brazil and the US.

As a citizen I urge you to support this Bill to pass and provide easier means for our people to expend less on their cars while creating a new industry for the state of Florida.

Your voter,

Getulio Bastos

Click here to send your message to Senator Bill Nelson
Click here to send your message to Congressman Ron Klein
...

Comment by Jon M Stresing on August 17, 2008 at 2:39pm

I am an accountant graduating in December. I am quite familiar with business however don't have too much money saved up. If someone will help finance me as an angel investor, I will open up an alternative energy store in my city and sell wind and solar to the 10's of thousands of farmers in the 100 miles around me. There is no source for alternative energy around me. I am putting together a business plan now and any help anyone could give me would be appreciated and will eventually help the country once I implement this. It could be very profitable and also help the USA and planet. Please help.

Comment by Skip Lambert on August 10, 2008 at 9:40am

On Saturday Aug 9 on NPRs All Things Considered they covered the town of Rockport Missouri who put up 7 wind turbines and generate enough power to power the whole town and sell extra back to the grid. You can hear the story at NPR.com. I hope this will help add credibility to this movement.

Comment by tommy hicks on August 10, 2008 at 9:02am

good to be with you. i am a semi retired small town publisher hoping to sell the windspire or something like it if there is enough wind in rutherford county........right at the base of the blue ridge mountains.

Comment by David Smith on July 20, 2008 at 5:56am

I see natural gas as a bridge to the hydrogen economy. The natural gas technology with a few modifications is transferrable to hydrogen. This is very important to me since I am a proponent of hydrogen technology. Bridging is an acceptable method of achieving the end goal of hydrogen production. This will intensify the hydrogen research and bring the technology online much quicker.

California has been asking for these changes for years so they can develop a comprehensive infrastructure transferable to hydrogen in the future.

I do not care which politician makes the proposal as long as the result is getting off the foreign oil bandwagon as quick as possible. This will reduce our foreign dependence very quickly.

This act will help many Americans by reducing cost and creating a nationwide training system throughout the Vo-Tech education system. Millions of jobs will be created and millions of gas technologist will be educated on natural gas and hydrogen technologies. This is a good common sense approach to bridging.

Here are changes it will make.

NATURAL GAS VEHICLE RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, AND DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS – This is a big deal it is directing the EPA to develop alternatives to the present certification procedures to streamline and centralize the process.

Expanding product availability by assisting manufacturers with the certification of the engines or vehicles described in paragraph – EPA is directed to release propriety data to manufacturers so they do not have to figure out the OBDII system by guesswork (A very big deal)

CERTIFICATION OF CONVERSION SYSTEMS = COOPERATION AND COORDINATION WITH INDUSTRY – This is designed to streamline the certification process and remove the adversarial system now in place.

Waive all fees applicable to small volume manufacturers for the certification and conversion of alternative-fueled vehicles – Dramatically reduces the cost of a conversion kit.

Waive requirements for recertification of kits for the conversion of vehicles in any case in which, as determined by the Administrator – More cost reduction

The kit has been previously certified for the model of vehicle to be converted; and neither the kit nor the design and specifications of the model of vehicle to be converted have substantially changed – More cost savings = less expensive conversion kits.

Modify such regulatory requirements relating to OBD systems as the Administrator determines to be appropriate to provide flexibility to small volume manufacturers in reprogramming OBD systems to be compatible with the use of alternative fuel – Huge savings and allows many more companies into the industry = less expensive kits.

Permit small volume manufacturers to include more vehicles and engines in a single engine category to improve the cost-efficiency of emission testing of converted vehicles – less expensive kits and more competition = dramatic savings

OLDER VEHICLES — the Administrator shall waive emission certification system requirements for a vehicle that is over 10 years old or has over 120,000 miles that is powered by natural gas – I really like this one because it is designed for the working poor and the youth with older vehicles. The cost of these kits would be astronomically low.

Comment by David Smith on July 19, 2008 at 7:25am

Pickens Army,

There may be relief in sight. We need to track this legislation and make sure the American people are protected as it moves through congress. This could open up the conversion market if we hold our representatives and senators feet to the fire.

Here is a piece of legislation that proposes to deal with the natural gas regulations on the federal level.

Senator James M. Inhofe of Oklahoma Introduces Drive America on Natural Gas Act and we need to show our support. This is a first step on the road to energy independence.

Below is the contact page.
http://inhofe.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.ContactForm


Here is Senator James M. Inhofes website

http://inhofe.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressRoom.PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=32cee86f-802a-23ad-4e25-8ceb2615ebae

The regulations of certification are addressed in a way to open up the market. Finally!!!!!!!!!

David Baker contributed this section.

We have to drown out the foreign oil Lobbyists in Washington. Collectively We have to become the VOICE for changing our reliance on foreign oil, by Vocalizing our Support for the wide scale use of Alternative Energy Producing Systems.

The ACTION we can take Today is to influence our LEGISLATURE. We must change the thinking in Washington. This is accomplished by CONTACTING your Senator, Representative, Governors.

The following links to Websites are one way of Contacting Congress. I find these links to be the quickest at getting to the "contact web form" used by most of Washington.

SENATORS:
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
and look for the link to their web form

Representatives:
https://forms.house.gov/wyr/welcome.shtml

To Contact Your Governor:
http://www.nga.org (national Gov. list)

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi
http://speaker.house.gov/contact/

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid
http://reid.senate.gov/contact/

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell
http://mcconnell.senate.gov/contact_form.cfm

http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml

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