Newspaper Page Text
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VENTl
Why does the school board
need a retreat? What are
they retreating from? How
will this benefit the schools?
And I am like the other guy
who will be paying for their
"vacation"? Sorry "retreat",
rank: 38
I feel for Will Davis and his
house-selling dilemma. I too
have disrepectful people in
my neighborhood with a dirt
bike track. They have no re
spect for the other neigh
bors. rank: 32
MC get together and pray
for a speedy recovery of the
girl that was struck by the
car outside 9th grade acad
emy. We love her. rank: 25
Why does every county in
Georgia have their own
BoE. Fraud, waste and
abuse of taxpayers and we
just got hit again in a mas
sive increase of our proper
ty tax. It is time to strike as
the great John Galt. Are you
with me? rank: 20
Today's mail had mixed re
views. We received one
great newspaper and a
$380 increase in our prop
erty tax note with a pretty
yellow note. Time for a
REAL tea party! rank: 16
WOW. Got my letter from
the tax commissioner today.
Don't have children in the
school system, live on a
state maintained highway,
no water out my way, pri
vate garabge pick up.Other
than the sheriff or fire de-
partmment, if or when I
need them (never used) -
what am I getting for my
taxes? rank: 15
I wish Monroe Academy
would come back. We really
need a private option of ed
ucation. rank: 14
A fund has been set up at
Monroe County Bank to
help the family of Mary Per
sons freshman Christina
Ligeikis, who is suffering ex
tensive brain injuries after
being hit by a car Tuesday
morning.Ligeikis remains in
the Medical Center with
head injuries. Please do
nate to the Christina
Ligeikis fund, rank: 9
The new police chief of
Forsyth needs to be some
one from outside the police
department, but one who is
experienced in small-town
policing and community re
lations. rank: 9
Dept of Corrections plus
400 jobs equals 400 more
cars and trucks - traffic..traf
fic..traffic.. rank: 9
Our local, state and federal
officials are buying land with
our tax dollars. Uh oh! I
smell a rat, and it is really,
rank: 8
Educated or not I think
everyone deserves a
chance to make an honest
living and provide for their
family. $7.00 x 40 hours =
280 - gas and taxes leaves
what? You live off of it. rank:
7
Who taught the MCR math?
Frontpage, center....151 is
what percent of 2,600 vot
ers? rank: 7 (Editor’s note:
Our apologies. It should
have said 6 percent. We
had good math teachers but
poor concentration skills.)
GO JACKETS! rank: 6
I feel that it isn't fair that the
street and sidewalk are
cleaned regularly in front of
city hall, The Rose Theater,
the Grits Cafe and all other
sides of the square except
in front of Ann's Deli. Why is
that corner of the square
not taken care of? rank: 6
I vote Mr. Finch and his
whistle for the new Chief of
Police, rank: 6
^Reporter
November 4,2009
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Mel Suddeth of High Falls, right, asks a question of state insurance commissioner John Ox-
endine, left, at Thursday’s Fair Tax Town Hall meeting at Alderman Hall.
Oxendine stumps for
Fair Tax in Forsyth
y
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BY WILL DAVIS
Gubernatorial candi
date John Oxendine vis
ited Forsyth on
Thursday to show his
support for the Fair Tax,
a proposal to eliminate
all federal taxes and the
IRS in exchange for a 23
percent national sales
tax.
Oxendine, the current
state insurance commis
sioner, is running for the
Republican nomination
for governor in 2010. He
joined Fair Tax advo
cates at a town hall
meeting inside Alderman
Hall at the Welcome
Center, saying the plan
would boost the economy
and return power to the
people.
"The income tax is fun
damentally wrong," said
Oxendine, adding that
government shouldn't
punish people who are
productive by confiscat
ing their income.
He said countries like
Bermuda and Ireland
have seen tremendous
surges in economic
growth in recent years
because they cut income
taxes, and said the Fair
Tax would accomplish
the same thing.
Oxendine said he was
disappointed that
Georgia's effort to scrap
its income tax in favor of
a higher sales tax, the
GREAT plan proposed by
House Speaker Glen
Richardson, failed last
year.
Without mentioning
him by name, he blamed
Gov. Sonny Perdue, say
ing Perdue opposed the
change because it threat
ened his ability to spread
government favors to his
constituents. If elected,
Oxendine said he'd sup
port it and let Georgia
show the country it can
work.
While critics say sales
tax revenues are too
erratic to be the only
source of government
revenue, Oxendine noted
they’re now one of
Georgia’s more stable
revenue streams.
Ronnie Kinnas of
Prime Home Mortgage
in Forsyth attended
Thursday’s forum. He
said he likes the idea but
doesn't think it has a
chance to pass. "It's the
fairest tax," said Kinnas.
"The more you spend,
the more (taxes) you
pay."
But he said since more
and more Americans are
exempted from income
taxes it will never gain
the political support it
needs. Asked if he was
concerned that the Fair
Tax would eliminate the
mortgage deduction for
income taxes, and there
by possibly hurt his busi
ness, Kinnas said it was
a concern. And he said
he doesn’t understand
advocates’ claim that
eliminating other taxes
would bring prices down
by an equal amount. But
he agreed the Fair Tax
would be the only way to
get revenue from the
underground economy.
David Davis of 1st
Franklin Financial in
Forsyth also attended.
He said he too thinks it's
a good idea, but wonders
why supporters haven't
gotten it through
Congress when they've
been working on it for 10
years.
Supporters say the Fair
Tax would ensure that
illegal aliens and drug
dealers, most of whom
operate in a black mar
ket and pay no income
taxes, would have to pay
the Fair Tax. And it
would get the IRS out of
people's personal lives.
The Fair Tax has deep
roots in Georgia, having
the support of just about
every Republican mem
ber of the state's
Congressional delega
tion. Atlanta radio talk
show host Neal Boortz
has written two best-sell
ing books explaining and
defending the Fair Tax,
both co-authored by
Atlanta-area
Congressman John
Linder. Linder has intro
duced the proposal in
Congress.
Yet, Oxendine on
Thursday agreed that
Congress will never pass
the Fair Tax. He said
Congress too much
enjoys the current sys
tem where it has the
power to carve out tax
breaks for special inter
ests and lobbyists.
Instead, Oxendine said
it's up to the states to
change the Constitution
to implement the Fair
Tax. Two-thirds of the
states must repeal the
16th amendment, effec
tively abolishing the
income tax, and replac
ing it with the Fair Tax.
"It has to start here,"
he said.
The Fair Tax would
also include a monthly
prebate for poorer fami
lies to offset the sales
taxes paid by those
below the poverty level.
Most of the poor do not
pay income taxes.
Fair Tax supporters,
who have formed a
grassroots network
across the U.S., cite the
following benefits of the
proposal:
• Create jobs.
Advocates say income,
corporate and a myriad
of other taxes put hidden
costs into everything
Americans buy. By
removing those taxes,
they say, the cost of
everything will go down
to offset the 23 percent
sales tax.
• Get your whole pay-
check. No more with
holding income, social
security and Medicare
and Medicaid taxes.
• Allows families to
save more and faster for
home ownership, educa
tion and savings.
• Pay your entire
house payment in pre
tax dollars.
• Free up wasted time
on inscrutable IRS
forms.
• Raise the same
amount of money for the
government.
About 25 local resi
dents sat in on
Thursday’s town hall
meeting.
The question arose how
can supporters ever get
the politicians to imple
ment it. Oxendine said
it's simple.
"You know what scares
us (politicians) more
than anything else?" he
asked. "Mad voters."
For instance, he said
Congressman Jim
Marshall has promised
to vote against the
health care plan in
Congress because his
constituents oppose it,
and said people need to
exert similar pressure
for the Fair Tax.
Oxendine is one of six
Republicans seeking the
nomination for governor
in the July 2010 pri
mary.
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any. 1 st Franklin Financial Corporation, Georgia Residential
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