[Editor’s note: This week’s Grassroots Corner comes from our Florida Team, but not from Florida. Read Ron Maiellaro’s account of his and Bob’s trip to Oklahoma State University to meet up with CPA Jade Walle. This week we also pause to remember our former FAIRtax State Director, Bill Phelps.]
FAIRtax Power Radio/TV at Oklahoma State University
By Ron Maiellaro, Florida State Director and one of the FAIRtax Guys
At the invitation of Jade Walle, a CPA from Colorado, Alumnus of Oklahoma State University and the Presenter of the quarterly FAIRtax Webinar, The FAIRtax Guys joined him in a Practicum offered to graduate level CPA students at OSU. On May 24, 2019, The FAIRtax Guys, Bob Paxton and Ron Maiellaro, conducted a two hour question and answer session with 24 students.
Mr. Walle and his co-presenter, Arron Lawson, were invited by Sarah Johnson, professor at the School of Accounting at OSU, to present this Practicum to her students. Mr. Walle has been involved in this Practicum for several years and has become quite an expert on the FAIRtax.
The FAIRtax Guys interviewed Jade Walle several times previously on FAIRtax Power Radio. After last year’s Practicum, he offered to have Bob and Ron conduct a question and answer period as part of the course this year. Jade and Arron spent time, prior to the arrival of The FAIRtax Guys, explaining the basics of the FAIRtax.
The discussion was wide ranging with questions about the Prebate, the complexity of the FAIRtax compared to the current tax law, its effects on the costs of health care and the possibility of putting tax professionals and IRS employees out of work.
The FAIRtax Guys, accompanied by their able producer, Elaine Maiellaro, video recorded the two hour session which will be available to everyone in episodes #163 and #164 of FAIRtax Power Radio/TV. These episodes will be live streamed to Facebook (facebook.com/fairtax) and YouTube on The FAIRtax Guys Channel (http://bit.ly/1PZUFVU), After live streaming, they can be found at those sites as well as The FAIRtax Guys own website: fairtaxguys.com
You will find these episodes interesting since the students, being new to the FAIRtax, asked a number of questions that are typically asked at other public presentations. You can send questions and/or comments to thefairtaxguys@gmail.com.
William C. Phelps 1934 - 2019
FAIRtax has lost a leader. William C. “Bill” Phelps, the 40th Lieutenant Governor of Missouri, passed away in Houston, Texas, March 19, 2019 following a short illness. Bill was our Missouri State FAIRtax Director for many years.
Bill was elected Lieutenant Governor of Missouri in 1972, serving under Governors Christopher S. (Kit) Bond and Joseph (Joe) Teasdale, 1973-1981. Bill was the first full-time Lieutenant Governor, earning him the nickname “Full Time Phelps.” He set a new standard for service by giving up his law practice for the next 8 years.
Bill established the Ombudsman Program, the Missouri Volunteer Office and a college internship program. Under his personal guidance college students gained real “hands on” government experience, learned the sacred trust of public service while minimizing the cost of these new initiatives to taxpayers. This internship program included college students who went on to have successful careers in the public and private sector.
Bill played football and basketball in high school and was Valedictorian of his class. He received a degree in economics in 1956 from the University of Missouri-Columbia and completed his active duty service with the US Army following college. Bill graduated from the University of Missouri School of Law in 1959 and joined the Kansas City law firm of Morrison, Hecker, Cozad and Curtis.
After leaving politics in 1981, Bill joined American General Corporation in Houston, Texas, retiring in 1996.
Bill’s obituary makes a point of mentioning that he was active in the Fair Tax movement, advocating replacing the Federal income tax with a national sales tax. Bill was a presence at meetings in Chicago, Houston and Nashville. Bill maintained his contacts with State government and legislators. His strength for us was his willingness to use those connections to make FAIRtax a movement to be reckoned with during his time.
Bill is survived by his wife of 46 years, Joanne.
CALL FOR PICTURES AND WRITEUPS
We need more of you to send in pictures and news. If you have anything to share, please send your material to me at jim.bennett@fairtax.org, or text me at (908) 578-4975, or fax me at (908) 598-2888. When others see your activity, they are inspired, and the process snowballs. When the process snowballs, Congress Members and Senators and, yes, even the President start to listen.