MEET OUR NEW REGIONAL GROU
Claude Mertzenich
Professor Claude Mertzenich is a model of what FAIRtax supporters should do in retirement. Claude has a Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin and a B.A. in Chemistry from Carthage College, Kenosha, Wisconsin. He recently retired from his Chemistry Professorship at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. Decorah is in Iowa’s northeast corner.
Claude decided to devote his newly found time to the FAIRtax, and his decision has yielded a flurry of activity. He and David Boone have joined forces across the Iowa-Minnesota state line. Recently, both gentlemen joined Marty Sturmer and Frank Wagoner from California on their weekly FAIRtax call.
On the call, the group reviewed the AFFT Zoom meeting that preceded the California meeting. Because of the time difference, the Californians can stay up later and keep going after the monthly AFFT Zoom conference ends.
Although our national organization is making a special effort to appeal to a younger demographic, the Midwesterners underscored the importance of maintaining an outreach to older citizens. Their message to the older generation will be to emphasize how the FAIRtax stabilizes Social Security.
The group noted that Turning Point USA is planning to come to UC-Berkeley. Our Californians are looking at that event as an opportunity to present FAIRtax information to a likely large audience.
The Californians will start their weekly conference an hour earlier beginning next week for the convenience of the newly joined Midwesterners.
Claude’s and David’s outreach will support the FAIRtax effort in both regions. We thank Claude for taking this initiative.
Claude and his wife, Lauri, live in Decorah, Iowa. They have been married for over thirty years and have four adult children.
If you have any reports like Claude’s, I would love to hear from you.
Claude decided to devote his newly found time to the FAIRtax, and his decision has yielded a flurry of activity. He and David Boone have joined forces across the Iowa-Minnesota state line. Recently, both gentlemen joined Marty Sturmer and Frank Wagoner from California on their weekly FAIRtax call.
On the call, the group reviewed the AFFT Zoom meeting that preceded the California meeting. Because of the time difference, the Californians can stay up later and keep going after the monthly AFFT Zoom conference ends.
Although our national organization is making a special effort to appeal to a younger demographic, the Midwesterners underscored the importance of maintaining an outreach to older citizens. Their message to the older generation will be to emphasize how the FAIRtax stabilizes Social Security.
The group noted that Turning Point USA is planning to come to UC-Berkeley. Our Californians are looking at that event as an opportunity to present FAIRtax information to a likely large audience.
The Californians will start their weekly conference an hour earlier beginning next week for the convenience of the newly joined Midwesterners.
Claude’s and David’s outreach will support the FAIRtax effort in both regions. We thank Claude for taking this initiative.
Claude and his wife, Lauri, live in Decorah, Iowa. They have been married for over thirty years and have four adult children.
If you have any reports like Claude’s, I would love to hear from you.
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WE'VE GOT YOU COVERED – IF YOU LET US KNOW.
WE'VE GOT YOU COVERED – IF YOU LET US KNOW.
As a reminder, event insurance coverage is available, but you must let us know. Once the event is underway, it's too late. If you are planning an event, please provide me with the who, what, when, and where, and I will get you a certificate of insurance.
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TAKE BACK CONTROL!
[i] Florida does not belong to the handful of states that sponsor disability insurance benefits and deduct that cost from payroll.
[ii] Florida Budget Report for 2025-2026.
[iii] Tuerck, Bachmann, Jacob, “Fiscal Federalism: The National FairTax and the States,” The Beacon Hill Institute, September 2007, at p. 17, Table 3.
[1] You can design your own business card. I had mine printed at https://www.vistaprint.com. Here’s mine. Please clear your design first with our Marketing and Communications Team Leader, Randy Fischer, randy.fischer@fairtax.org. Randy turns requests around quickly. We need to know where our logos and service marks are going.
[i] You can design your own business card. I had mine printed at https://www.vistaprint.com. Here’s mine. Please clear your design first with our Marketing and Communications Team Leader, Randy Fischer, randy.fischer@fairtax.org. Randy turns requests around quickly. We need to know where our logos and service marks are going.
[i] The nine jurisdictions with statewide sales taxes but no local sales taxes are Connecticut, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and the District of Columbia.
[ii] Tax Foundation: https://taxfoundation.org/data/all/state/2024-sales-taxes/
[iii] Ibid.
[iv] Fiscal Federalism: The National FairTax and the States, Tuerck, Bachman, and Jacob, The Beacon Hill Institute, September 2007, see the chart at p. 17.
[1] The average rates expressed as a percentage of AGI within each jurisdiction are: AL--0.10%; DE--0.16%; IN--0.62%; IA--0.11%; KY--1.33%; MD--2.40%; MI--0.17%; MO--0.22%; NY--1.63%; OH--1.57%; PA--1.23%. In CA, CO, KS, NJ, OR, and WV some jurisdictions have payroll taxes, flat-rate wage taxes, or interest and dividend income taxes. See Andrey Yushkov, Tax Foundation “State Individual Income Tax Rates and Brackets, 2024” February 2024; https://taxfoundation.org/data/all/state/state-income-tax-rates-2024/l See also Jared Walczak, Janelle Fritts, and Maxwell James, “Local Income Taxes: A Primer,” Tax Foundation, February 23, 2023, https://taxfoundation.org/local-income-taxes-2023/.
AFFT Grassroots Coordinator & Secretary
🇺🇸 Call For Pictures & WriteUps - We need more of you to send in pictures and news. If you have something to share, please send your material to me, Jim.Bennett@FAIRtax.org, (908) 578-4975, or fax (908) 598-2888. When others see your activity, they are inspired, and the process snowballs. When the process snowballs, Congress Members, Senators, and even the President start to listen.
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