Chairman’s Report - November 30, 2018

BOB MCNAIR—THE PASSING OF A FAIRTAX GIANT AND A WONDERFUL MAN

Over the past 30 years, I had the privilege of briefly interacting with Bob McNair on issues relating to the FAIRtax.  The first time was when a close friend of Bob’s, Jack Trotter, arranged for many of his friends to meet at River Oaks Country Club in Houston to listen to me talk about replacing the income tax with a retail sales tax. 
 
The attendees at the meeting were multimillionaires and even billionaires—like Bob who had just sold one of his companies for $1.5 billion.  None of them was particularly affected by the IRS.  In fact, most of them would pay more tax under the FAIRtax than under the income tax.  However, they were all in favor of helping America and saw the consumption tax as a way to help everyone. 
 
Leo Linbeck, Jr., Jack Trotter and Bob McNair formed a group that raised, from themselves and others, tens of millions of dollars to finance the economic studies that validated the benefits of replacing the income/payroll tax system with the FAIRtax.  They devoted countless hours to eliminating the income/payroll tax and replacing them with the FAIRtax.  Again, this would not really benefit them personally.  They could afford the best legal and tax advice and minimize their own taxes legally and ethically.

However, they were convinced that this was the way to preserve the country they loved for their children, grandchildren and all of the rest of the people in the country.  We have all become jaded when we hear that someone is doing something for the good of the people because almost always it is for the good of themselves and their friends.
 
Leo, Jack and Bob really meant it when they said they were acting for the good of the people.  I got to know and spend a lot of time with Leo and Jack and some time on the phone with Bob. 
 
As far as being kind and considerate and caring, these three men may not have been in a class by themselves but, as Houston Oiler Coach Bum Phillips said of Earl Campbell, “He may not be in a class by himself but it don’t take long to call the roll.”  It wouldn’t take long to call the roll—they were special people.
 
Even after Bob left the AFFT board in 2014, he never stopped promoting the FAIRtax.  He contributed the money needed to prepare the Cebula study on income/payroll tax evasion.  I have been told by more than one candidate who approached Bob for a contribution that they were asked for their position on the FAIRtax.
 
When Bob left the AFFT board, he was presented a plaque thanking him for his service and contributions to the FAIRtax.  Our good friend Cindy Canevaro has worked closely with Bob since she left as the executive director of AFFT.  Here is what Cindy recently said to me, “Bob received an incredible number of quite lovely awards, plaques and honors.  He placed the FairTax award in his office at NRG directly in front of his desk.” 
 
Here is the picture that Cindy sent.

The following was released by Bob’s company.
 
It is with deep sadness that we announce that McNair Interests Founder and Senior Chairman, Robert C. McNair, passed away peacefully at his Houston home today with his loving wife, Janice, and his family by his side. In addition to his wife Janice, he is also survived by sons Cary and Cal, daughters Ruth and Melissa, 15 grandchildren and two great grandsons.
 
McNair was 81-years-old at the time of his passing. He was a leading businessman, sportsman and philanthropist in Houston, Texas who was perhaps best known in the business community as the founder of Cogen Technologies, which became the largest privately-owned cogeneration company in the world. After selling Cogen to Enron in 1999, he formed The McNair Group, which became McNair Interests in 2018.  
 
Stonerside Stable, a major thoroughbred horse farm in Kentucky, was among McNair’s many successes. A 1,947-acre thoroughbred horse farm and racing stable, Stonerside was home to more than 275 racehorses, broodmares, yearlings and weanlings. From its inception in 1994, Stonerside won 72 Graded Stakes, including the 1997 Belmont Stakes, and bred the winners of more than $50 million in purses. It was named Breeder of the Year in 2007 and 2008 by Kentucky horsemen.
 
McNair returned professional football to Houston in 2002 after the NFL awarded the 32nd NFL franchise to him on October 5, 1999. His influence and leadership brought two Super Bowls to NRG Stadium: Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004 and Super Bowl LI in 2017. He was actively involved in League affairs including serving as chairman of the Finance Committee and a member of the Audit, Compensation and Chairman’s committees.
 
Throughout his life, McNair and his charitable foundations generously gave more than $500 million to a wide array of scientific, literary, educational, human service and faith-based organizations. McNair chaired The Robert and Janice McNair Foundation, The Robert and Janice McNair Educational Foundation and the Houston Texans Foundation for more than 25 years. His philanthropic leadership, humanitarian efforts and impact in the community were recognized far and wide with numerous awards and honors. 
 
The McNairs’ love of community is evident throughout the city, including projects such as the Houston Zoo’s Elephant Habitat, the jogging trail at Discovery Green, the United Way 2-1-1 Helpline Center and McNair Hall and McNair Plaza at Houston Baptist University. McNair also donated $100 million to establish the McNair Scholars program, which recruits world-class physicians and research scientists to the Texas Medical Center. The Association of Fundraising Professionals honored McNair with the highest recognition given for exceptional generosity and outstanding civic and charitable responsibility. Additionally, Rice University named the Janice and Robert McNair Hall at its Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business and Baylor College of Medicine presented him with its first Pink Ribbon Hero Award for his commitment to fight cancer. In 2016, MD Anderson and Tom Brokaw honored McNair as an MD Anderson Living Legend.  
 
More recently, McNair established six McNair Centers for Entrepreneurism and Free Enterprise, which will empower a new generation of leaders who will be positioned to create jobs and economic growth. McNair has also been honored for his devotion to supporting the education of inner-city and underprivileged youth and was awarded the James A. Baker III Prize for Excellence in Leadership. 
 
Bob McNair was inducted into the Texas Business Hall of Fame in 1997 and the Houston Hall of Fame in 2010. In 2018, he became the sixth recipient of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame’s Lamar Hunt Lifetime Achievement Award.
 
McNair was born in Tampa, Florida and moved to Houston with his wife, Janice, in 1960. He graduated from the University of South Carolina in Columbia, S.C. in 1958. He received an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from South Carolina in 1999, and an Honorary Doctor of Humanities in Medicine from Baylor College of Medicine in 2010.
 
STATEMENT BY PRESIDENT SCOTT SCHWINGER
“Today we mourn the loss of our founder, Robert C. “Bob” McNair.  Bob was the consummate entrepreneur, who in all things led by example, and whose example encouraged others towards greatness. Bob McNair always lived by doing what’s right. He was our friend - our inspiration, and we are blessed to have worked with such a kind, caring and generous soul.  We will miss Bob and look forward to carrying on his vision and business principles. Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire McNair family.”  

CONCLUSION

In life, there are people with whom you interact or hear about and think, “Wouldn’t it be great to spend more time with that person?”  Such a man was Bob McNair.  Jack and Leo loved him and everyone I met spoke about Bob with great respect. In fact, over nearly 30 years of meeting people who knew Bob well, I never heard anyone mention an unkind act or remark by Bob.
 
Thank you Bob for all that you did in your remarkable life and for helping ensure that the FAIRtax will continue.

WHAT CAN EACH OF US DO


Call up the local or D.C. offices of your House Member and two Senators and you can use the following script:

• I am sure that Representative ____ or Senator ____ is in favor of everyone obeying the income tax laws.
• After they assure you that their boss is not in favor of anyone breaking the law, ask if they are aware of the Cebula study showing $9 trillion of evaded income/payroll taxes over the next ten years.
• Since most will say they don’t believe their boss has seen the study, either drop off a copy or get an email address and send a copy to them for their boss.
• Say you are going to call back in a week and ask what the Representative or Senator is going to do to stop this evasion.
• In a week, call back and ask specifically what the Representative or Senator is going to do to enforce the law.
• They probably will say their boss believes that simplifying the income tax will handle the problem.
• Explain that when people evade income taxes, they are also evading the 15.3% payroll/Medicare tax and state income tax.  So it is unlikely that they are going to pay 30% or 40% when they were paying 0% because they have already decided it is okay to cheat.
• Say that the only way to reduce evasion is to increase by tens or hundreds of thousands the number of comprehensive IRS audits done each year.
• Point out that Evaders do not self-identify by putting an “E” on their income tax return.
• 80% of the people likely to be audited are trying to comply, but they will be forced to endure these IRS audits as well.
• Ask if the Member is in favor of this?
• If they say no, then ask again how the Member proposes to stop people breaking the income tax laws.
• Then explain that the way to handle evasion without unleashing the IRS audits is the FAIRtax.

If you can see your Member or attend a town hall and ask these questions, you can be even more effective. 
 

FAIRtax POWER RADIO

#136 Play It Again Guys!

Due to a technical glitch, this episode was a replay of the program originally broadcast on November 14th.  However, it was very well received (again) and generated a lot of comments and questions.  This interaction is always helpful since it provides a springboard for further learning about the FAIRtax. 
 
Which are the best/worst states to do business in and how does this relate to the FAIRtax?  The FAIRtax Guys find a positive correlation between tax friendly states and the FAIRtax.  To no one’s surprise, some tax policies are the reason many people are voting with their feet as seen by the exodus from high tax states to other states with business friendly tax systems.
 
Then The Guys turn their attention to mail from our listeners/viewers.  Some people have serious questions about the FAIRtax and how it will work with various segments of our economy.  In responding to these questions, we all learn more about the most thoroughly researched tax proposal ever presented to Congress.
 
And then there’s the hate mail; the guy who demonstrates by his questions and comments that he truly does not understand how the FAIRtax will work and apparently believes that dropping the f bomb helps him make his case.  Even a guy like this provides a teachable moment.
 
Please get engaged and help others learn about the value of the FAIRtax by turning them onto FAIRtax Power Radio - the ONLY weekly FAIRtax digital TV show in the country!  Watch every Wednesday at 11:30 AM (ET).  We are streaming to Facebook LIVE (www.facebook.com/fairtax).  If you’re not a fan of Facebook, you can watch FAIRtax Power Radio on xcluded.tv at the same broadcast time - or any time.  

FTPR podcasts for each show are posted on Spreaker (http://bit.ly/2oesbk7), iTunes & iHeart Radio every Friday morning.  A free FAIRtax Power Radio app is available for iOS and Android.  Since it’s a podcast, you can download it and play it whenever it’s convenient for you.

The Facebook videos are saved to a number of pages:
FAIRtax Official (https://www.facebook.com/FairTax/) 
The FAIRtax Guys (https://www.facebook.com/thefairtaxguys/) 
Democrats for FAIRtax (https://www.facebook.com/DemocratsForFairTax/)
and many others. 

Xcluded.tv is a subscription based site which costs $30 per year and features a number of other shows along with FTPR with no commercial interruption. 

Please help us educate as many Americans about the FAIRtax as possible.  Be sure to tell everyone you know about this great new format for FAIRtax Power Radio.  Whether you watch the weekly video or listen to the weekly podcast, this is a great way for more Americans to learn about the best tax reform plan in Congress at this time.

Tune into our video broadcast each Wednesday.  Or, if you prefer, you can listen to the podcast of the show later.  You can listen to FTPR on any platform - Mac or PC, iPhone or Android. And it’s 100% free.  Listen on Spreaker.com (http://bit.ly/2oesbk7), iTunes (http://apple.co/1Te8VdF) or iHeart Radio (http://bit.ly/2eqEG7y) on your computer or smartphone.  The easiest way to listen to FTPR on your smartphone is by downloading the free FTPR app.  Just search for “FAIRtax Power Radio” in your app store, download the app and start listening.  

Remember, FTPR digital TV every Wednesday at 11:30 AM (ET) followed by the podcast on Friday morning.  Please listen and tell everyone you know about the FAIRtax Power Radio.  The FAIRtax: Once You Understand It, You’ll Demand It!

AMERICA’S BIG SOLUTION - A BASIC INTRODUCTION TO THE FAIRTAX

America’s Big Solution is a basic introduction to the FAIRtax and is meant for people of any age.  And you can download it to your tablet or smartphone right now.  It’s also available in print form.  See below.
 
Do you know someone who would like an introduction to the FAIRtax and would prefer to read about it in a booklet rather than search online for Tweets, Posts and Shares?  If so, America’s Big Solution is their best choice.
 
America’s Big Solution is an introduction to the FAIRtax written by Terry Tibbetts, author of A Spartan Game: The Life and Loss of Don Holleder, with help from Ron Maiellaro, President of the Florida FAIRtax Educational Association.  

You can buy an electronic version of ABS as follows:  AMERICA’S BIG SOLUTION is available for only $2.99 for the Amazon Kindle (http://amzn.to/1WIRHry), the Barnes & Noble Nook (http://bit.ly/1XeG8bH) and Apple iOS (http://apple.co/1tnqK0P).  

You can purchase a print copy at the same Amazon link above for $9.25.  Regardless of whether you choose the electronic format or the print format, you’ll find AMERICA’S BIG SOLUTION will give someone the boost they need to begin their study of the FAIRtax and the suggested resources to learn more. Buy AMERICA’S BIG SOLUTION now!

LINKS TO MORE INFORMATION

These links will help you promote and support the FAIRtax, make yourself familiar with the links below. We always do our best to keep our AFFT community up to date, and you can stay ahead of the curve using these convenient sites.

• The website of Americans for Fair Taxation (www.fairtax.org)
• Read the Summary of the Evasion Study. 
• Welcome to the Online FAIRtax Community  (member.fairtax.org) 
• The website at which you can help make it happen. (www.bigsolution.org)
• The Facebook page for Americans for Fair Taxation 
• The Facebook page for The FAIRtax Guys 
• The Twitter page for Americans for Fair Taxation 
• PopVox - Connecting people and lawmakers for more effective participation and better governing 
• YouTube channel for AFFT 
• YouTube channel for The FAIRtax Guys
• The Official FAIRtax Logo Store (www.fairtaxlogostore.org)
• Xcluded.tv - A new platform for FAIRtax Power Radio Video and other shows.

Thank You For Opening The FAIRtax Chronicles, Our Sponsored Mailings

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Thank you for staying FAIRtax strong!