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CHAIRMAN’S REPORT– July 3, 2018 by: Steve Hayes, AFFT Chairman and President Share Tweet FACTS ABOUT THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE AND ITS SIGNERS For many Americans, July 4th has become a day off from work and an opportunity to gather with family and maybe enjoy a fireworks show. For some, there are 4th of July parades. For others, it is just an opportunity to catch up on their sleep and maybe do some chores around the house. However, in a conversation with Phil Hinson, a member of the AFFT board of directors and Vice President, we discussed how so many people seem to have forgotten the real risks and consequences faced by the 56 men signing the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Many of these men were wealthy and all were living comfortable lives. They were also intelligent men that recognized that they were advocating a rebellion against the greatest military power on earth. This was a time when traitors, and these men were considered traitors by the British, were at best imprisoned but most often just slain. These men also fully knew that they were not only risking their life and property but the welfare of their families because often their assets were also seized. They fully appreciated that the last sentence of the Declaration was more than just eloquent words. “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.” John Hancock, president of the Continental Congress, was one of the wealthiest people in the colonies. His large signature on the Declaration of Independence was his act of defiance to the British who had posted a large reward for his capture. When he signed, he commented, “The British ministry can read that name without spectacles; let them double their reward.” No delegate missed the meaning of John Hancock’s statement, “We must be unanimous; there must be no pulling different ways; we must hang together.” Nor did anyone miss the import of Benjamin Franklin’s words as he prepared to sign when he echoed the sentiments of Hancock, “We must all hang together or most assuredly we will all hang separately.” No one thought him being melodramatic when hearing New Jersey delegate Abraham Clark’s statement as he signed the Declaration, “Let us prepare for the worst. We can die here but once.” This information about the signers is from the Constitution Society: Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists Eleven were merchants Nine were farmers and large plantation owners Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured. Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War. Here is a link to an excellent video done by Paul Harvey about the signers and their fates. g PLEASE HELP US SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT THE FAIRTAX? Telling your friends and relatives about our new and improved FAIRtax Power Radio is a great way to help us garner more support. It is the American people who must demand REAL tax reform in Congress. We are trying our best to inform America about the FAIRtax! Please help us. Tune into our video broadcast each Wednesday. If you can’t watch live, then 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. A new podcast follows the live show every Wednesday just after High Noon. Please listen and tell everyone you know about the FAIRtax Power Radio. The FAIRtax: Once You Understand It, You’ll Demand It! THE FAIRTAX BOOK FOR NEWBIES - AMERICA’S BIG SOLUTION CHAIRMAN’S REPORT– July 3, 2018 by: Steve Hayes, AFFT Chairman and President Share Tweet FACTS ABOUT THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE AND ITS SIGNERS For many Americans, July 4th has become a day off from work and an opportunity to gather with family and maybe enjoy a fireworks show. For some, there are 4th of July parades. For others, it is just an opportunity to catch up on their sleep and maybe do some chores around the house. However, in a conversation with Phil Hinson, a member of the AFFT board of directors and Vice President, we discussed how so many people seem to have forgotten the real risks and consequences faced by the 56 men signing the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Many of these men were wealthy and all were living comfortable lives. They were also intelligent men that recognized that they were advocating a rebellion against the greatest military power on earth. This was a time when traitors, and these men were considered traitors by the British, were at best imprisoned but most often just slain. These men also fully knew that they were not only risking their life and property but the welfare of their families because often their assets were also seized. They fully appreciated that the last sentence of the Declaration was more than just eloquent words. “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.” John Hancock, president of the Continental Congress, was one of the wealthiest people in the colonies. His large signature on the Declaration of Independence was his act of defiance to the British who had posted a large reward for his capture. When he signed, he commented, “The British ministry can read that name without spectacles; let them double their reward.” No delegate missed the meaning of John Hancock’s statement, “We must be unanimous; there must be no pulling different ways; we must hang together.” Nor did anyone miss the import of Benjamin Franklin’s words as he prepared to sign when he echoed the sentiments of Hancock, “We must all hang together or most assuredly we will all hang separately.” No one thought him being melodramatic when hearing New Jersey delegate Abraham Clark’s statement as he signed the Declaration, “Let us prepare for the worst. We can die here but once.” This information about the signers is from the Constitution Society: Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists Eleven were merchants Nine were farmers and large plantation owners Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured. Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War. Here is a link to an excellent video done by Paul Harvey about the signers and their fates. g PLEASE HELP US SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT THE FAIRTAX? Telling your friends and relatives about our new and improved FAIRtax Power Radio is a great way to help us garner more support. It is the American people who must demand REAL tax reform in Congress. We are trying our best to inform America about the FAIRtax! Please help us. Tune into our video broadcast each Wednesday. If you can’t watch live, then 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. A new podcast follows the live show every Wednesday just after High Noon. Please listen and tell everyone you know about the FAIRtax Power Radio. The FAIRtax: Once You Understand It, You’ll Demand It! THE FAIRTAX BOOK FOR NEWBIES - AMERICA’S BIG SOLUTION Read More.

US companies closed out 2017 with strong hiring in December, adding the most jobs in nine months — news that sent the Dow Jones industrial average soaring past a record 25,000 points Thursday morning. Read More.

​The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped past 25000 for the first time Thursday, on pace to notch the fastest run to a fresh 1,000-point milestone in history. Read More.

What does tax reform mean for the next big lottery winner? That will depend on where in the U.S. the winning ticket is purchased. Read More.

The new Republican tax law sets up major changes to the US tax code. Republicans are already acknowledging they will need follow-up bills to help correct any implementation issues. Democrats may not go along with any attempts at fixing the law, given that Republicans blocked fixes to the Affordable Care Act under President Barack Obama. Read More.

The new Republican tax law sets up major changes to the US tax code. Republicans are already acknowledging they will need follow-up bills to help correct any implementation issues. Democrats may not go along with any attempts at fixing the law, given that Republicans blocked fixes to the Affordable Care Act under President Barack Obama. Read More.

Despite lots of noise leading up to the passage of the tax reform bill, retirement planning was left mostly alone. While the tax cuts and changes might have a big impact on government program cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security in the future and might also significantly impact how people save, spend, and invest money, only a few direct changes were made to retirement planning laws. Read More.

A day after House and Senate Republican leaders said they had reached agreement on a merged version of their tax bill, they continued looking for ways to pay for the tax overhaul and faced the possible defection of a Republican senator, Marco Rubio of Florida. Read More.

Sen. Marco Rubio, a Republican from Florida, told congressional leadership that he will not support the latest version of the GOP tax bill if the legislation doesn’t make the child tax credit more generous. Read More.

In the 1990’s when I met with Bob Packwood, the Senator from Oregon who was the Senate Finance Committee Chairman in 1986, he told me a story about a request he made to the Senate Judiciary staff in 1986 during the weeks leading up to the passage of the 1986 Tax Reform bill. Packwood said one night he was very tired and some Senators were demanding that changes be made that would produce more income and lower the deficit from the tax cuts. Read More.

The Senate passed the most sweeping tax rewrite in decades early Saturday, with Republicans lining up to approve an overhaul that will touch almost every corner of the United States economy, affecting families, small business owners and multinational corporations, with the biggest benefits flowing to the highest-earning Americans… Read More.

The GOP’s tax plan is likely to advantage wealthy Americans in numerous ways, including with estate-tax and private-tuition benefits. But where the housing market is concerned, proposed changes — particularly in the House version of the bill — are set to disproportionately hurt wealthier homeowners. Read More.

The GOP tax bill has long been expected to boost corporate profits. Now we know just how much the biggest tech companies in the US stand to save — and what that could mean for their bottom lines… Read More.

SOME political theorists argue that the law draws legitimacy not just from voting, but also from public debate before legislation is passed. In voting through a tax-reform bill on December 2nd, Republicans in Congress have tested this principle to destruction. The bill, like most, has its strengths and its weaknesses, but Republicans have rushed it through disregarding the value of consistency and evidence. Their success will weigh on the quality of American government. Read More.

In a recent Hill.com article entitled, Analysis: More than 6,000 lobbyists have worked on taxes in 2017 by Megan Wilson, she clearly illustrates why the Swamp loves to play with the income tax system and is deathly afraid of the FAIRtax… Read More.