John H. Scott's Groups
District Leader: 11th Michigan Congressional
Profile Information
- Are you interested in becoming an organizer in your area?
- Yes
- Tell us about your experience with alternative energy:
- Driving the roads California, Texas, Spain and Portugal and seeing the reality of what has been done on the hills and mountains demonstrated to me that wind generation is a reality.
- What excites you about this campaign?
- We can do this.
- What do you want to do to help?
- Be involved at the organizaitonal and investment levels of this movement in my state of Michigan.
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To try to fix Michigan's tax system, the legislature enacted the Michigan Business Tax. Trouble is, the MBT still remains a gross receipts tax - which was the problem with the Single Business Tax it was designed to replace. We've been working hard to get the word out about a fairer, progressive consumption tax plan known as the Michigan FairTax. In order to give Michigan voters the power to choose, we are laying the groundwork for a ballot drive to get the Michigan FairTax on the 2010 general election ballot.
On
What's more, every Michigan resident-family will receive a monthly "prebate" check, in amount based on family size (.0975 x $ [ poverty level per family size] ). This will ensure that NO Michigan family will EVEN BEGIN paying the MI FairTax on goods / services unless, or until, they exceed poverty-level spending. Thus, the MI FairTax rate would effectively be 0% on all monthly family spending up to the monthly poverty level, thereafter it would be 9.75%. A reasonable average effective rate, inferred, would be about 5.5% (that's without putting anything away!) Monies placed into savings are not available to spend, and therefore would result in a further effective tax rate reduction.
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(We seldom email state-wide, generally notifying members nearby to events or initiatives.)
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Under a FairTax system, points of collection will be dramatically reduced (from millions of individuals to considerably fewer retailers, many of whom are already collecting sales tax). Michigan wage-earners will no longer experience income tax collectors adding interest and penalties to tax bills they only found out about after their return was prepared (and PAID for) at the end of the year. With a Michigan FairTax, income tax-- returns, audits, interest, and penalites vanish.
Currently, goods / services prices and fees carry income / payroll tax compliance costs - "a hidden tax," ultimately paid by us. The FairTax will externalize these costs, making them visible. Michigan exporters will then be able to jettison the FairTax, prior to shipment, making Michigan products more competitive, globally. The MI FairTax is NOT applied to non-retail, business-to-business purchases, as this inseparably embeds taxation costs in prices of finished goods and services.
This plan is revenue neutral, as it-- ends "first fruit" confiscation of wages, stops the practice of hiding consumer taxes in retail prices, makes the true cost of gov't visible, and properly pays for gov't as we meet personal and family needs. Take action! - JOIN OUR TAX REFORM ARMY - of 20,000, and counting! - to bring Michigan back!
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Made popular by the federal FairTax bill (H.R. 25, which was either co-sponsored or otherwise endorsed by several 2008 presidential candidates), this approach to taxation reaches across the political spectrum
Why the FairTax idea is right for America's working families.
Dr. Laurence Kotlikoff believes that it will take the FairTax to reverse unfunded U.S. government obligations, now above
$53$60 trillion and counting !-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------27FEB09
Honorable Speaker of the House Congresswoman Pelosi,
I am an Electronic Technician Chief in the US Navy with 27 years service stationed overseas. I’m outlying an idea to assist and work with current plans for achieving energy independence. I urge you, as speaker of the house and the driving force to form the select committee on energy independence and global warming, consider for discussion and introduction into the house US Treasury Savings Bonds for Energy Independance.
In WWII America sold war bonds supporting the war effort. When young, my mother told me her primary school raised enough money through bonds to build a tank to support troops. I am impressed with the patriotism and purpose of our greatest generation that accomplished so much.
Selling energy bonds for RE (Renewable Energy) development would lower foreign oil imports and assist with the complex problem of funding. Bonds sold as “Energy S” could support new solar trough plants, “Energy W” to support wind farms, Energy “H” to support hydroelectric plants, Energy “T” to support RE transportation such as electric bullet train routes powered by RE, Energy "C" COOPS for small communities only needing a small quantity of turbines, and Energy “I” for needed infrastructure high voltage power lines to the RE site. Bonds will have the project name and include an artist’s perspective of the project and an American flag. President Obama had great success with the internet during his campaign. In a similar manner, using the internet, energy bonds could have a website listing current projects and an “electronic checkout” could purchase a bond $25 or higher. Simpler methods of payment such as “PAYPAL” and credit cards would be available and after an electronic purchase is complete a color print out of the bond is available with a follow up of the bond in the mail. The website would limit quantity of projects for each category until funding is complete. After a project becomes funded, a new project will be available. A tab on the site will show history and status of previous projects. Purchasers may take great pride in “collecting” and displaying bonds of various RE projects and participating at different levels of financial support. Solar trough plants in the multi-hundred MW size capacity with molten salt energy storage in California, Arizona, and West Texas can provide a major portion of electric needs. North Dakota has potential to support 1/3 of our nations electric needs in it’s class 4 wind zone areas. There are plenty of suitable proposed wind turbine farms now around the nation to significantly increase our RE if funded. Mid sized hydro-electric has not been used in America to it’s full potential. Following the example of our neighbor, Canada, it would provide a significant increase in percentage of electric production. Developing all three we could provide the majority of our electric and heating needs through renewable energy in a "New New Deal" fashion allowing natural gas for transportation as T. Boone Pickens is working for. Bullet train routes have proven a viable alternative to commercial domestic air service and when powered by electricity provided by RE suppliers America would be in the forefront of world technology. Example, I heard of discussion for a commuter train from Denver to Colorado Springs. Such a route built as a renewable energy project with charter requirement legally requiring to only purchase electricity from available renewable energy sources would be a model example. There are many train routes, city bus systems, and government vehicles that can be converted to run from alternative energy sources and fuels. Jobs created would bolster the economy, lower trade deficit, and strengthen national security. I would take great pride in print outs of bonds with graphics of each project I supported and many other Americans would also. The energy bonds could have tax breaks. BLM lands may be a viable place to start for some projects.
I contacted the US treasury department and was told that the marketing department for savings bonds closed several years ago. I was told there would be problems because savings bonds are at the federal level while the projects will be at the state and local level. I disagree and believe that these can easily be figured out in the way of grants to the state and local level using money from the bonds for those specific projects. I was told to check out auctions on the www.treasurydirect.gov website and found them to not apply to citizens wanting to buy savings bonds to support a cause such as energy independance. I was told by the treasury department to look into CREB (Clean Renewable Energy Bonds). I found CREB to be large scale funding that a citizen would not be able to participate in as a US Treasury Energy Independance Bond would provide. If given the tools to participate directly, the power of the citizens of the United States to help achieve energy independance could not be denied. Americans mean well and the Energy Independance Savings bond program will give citizens the power at their level to make it happen. If marketed through a web page, commercials, and to federal employees the word would get out and participation would spread like wildfire.
Mr. Paul Gipe, a resident of Bakersfield CA, an author of several books about wind energy, and recipient of multiple awards as a pioneer in the industry since the 1970's has put a letter I wrote to Senator Dorgan on this subject as well as an older letter I wrote on wind COOP in JAN07. These websites are:
http://www.wind-works.org/coopwind/RenewableEnergyBondsforEnergyIndependence.html
and
http://www.wind-works.org/articles/AmericanEnergyIndependencethroughCooperativeInvestmentinWindEnergy.html
Sincerely and very respectfully,
ETC(SW/AW) Mike Kendall USN
Mailing address: PSC 476, Box 879, FPO AP, 96322 USA
Telephone (803) 265-4756, Email: ke6cvh@yahoo.com
How is MI-11? They are lucky to have you. If you or anyone in your group has gathered 100 or more new supporters, will you please inform me, so we can invite them into the 100CLUB? Their success and stories will inspire and motivate others. Ideas that work need to be shared!
THANK YOU, John!
Best
Kim
Welcome to the PickensPlan!
I would like to invite you to join our group Green Jobs Now! at:
http://push.pickensplan.com/group/greenjobsnowcom
I hope to see you there soon.
Melissa
Thanks for bringing Vic to the party- Got more?
Thank you, also, for helping with MI-11. Time is of the essence. In less than 2 weeks, our new Congress will be sworn in. Only the threat of political suicide will keep them focused on the job of getting us independent from foreign oil! The only way to accomplish this is with sheer numbers - THERE IS NO INFLUENCE WITHOUT NUMBERS.
WILL YOU HELP?
http://media.pickensplan.com/downloads/PP/pollingsignupsheet.pdf
Download the petition, get them filled in and fax them back fast. WE CAN DO THIS. WE MUST DO THIS.
Best and Happiest
Kim
Please let me know how it goes. If you get 100 we would be honored to have you in the 100CLUB! It is easy, Boone has done the hard work. EVERYONE wants to get off foreign oil - we just need to gther their names.
I think that the reason for the district groups is to get many more signatures before the elected officials are sworn in. Therefore, I think we must meet as soon as possible after the holidays are over. The end of Jan, early Feb. is probably too late.
I'm affraid that many people who were ready to go out and take action have given up on the site. Due to the fact that everyone wants things to happen NOW for everything and it takes time to develope ideas and implement them, so many times information from the top has been slow in coming.
I have downloaded a Petition from Kim Anderson's blog - Is Anyone Out There? I will try to get signatures at the Christmas party with my family.
If you have a fax machine, the 888 number is Free to send them to.
Do you know how to search for a member by name? Click on the Members tab above and there is a place to type in the name - it has to be spelled correct.
Kindest Thoughts,
Lyn
Thank you for adding me as a friend, so that I can stay informed on the local level of this next step in the Plan. Thank you for taking charge of our district and congratulations on the appointment to the leadership of District 11. And last, thank you for your compliment on my Page on the site.
As far as a meeting goes, I'm not sure what the brass has in mind for us. I saw that we will be trained and I think that is essential before anyone goes out to promote the Plan.
Have they contacted you with information for us to follow?
I have made some comments on the group site, pertaining to what I think should happen for public appearances.
If you are asking for a spot to meet, I would think that any Library or public place has space to rent or use. I can arrage to have food for a big event/training session. There are rooms to rent for training at the Eastern Michigan Universtiy satelite location on I-275 and 7 or 6 Mile and the building is very nice. They have a kitchen/lunchroom area that will accomodate small groups and you can bring food in. Other colleges may have the same.
Hope that helps...
Kindest Thoughts,
Lyn W
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