What
Reagan believed about the future and freedom
is
also found in the
Fairtax.org
tax plan (various quotes)
"This country needs a
new administration, with a renewed
dedication to the dream of America--an
administration that will give that dream new
life and make America great again!
"Restoring and revitalizing that dream
will take bold action."
"Well I've said it
before and I'll say it again -- America's
best days are yet to come. Our proudest
moments are yet to be. Our most glorious
achievements are just ahead.
America remains what Emerson called her 150
years ago, "the country of tomorrow."
What a wonderful description and how
true. And yet tomorrow might never have
happened had we lacked the courage in the
1980's to chart a course of strength and
honor". - Rush Limbaugh said,
"The Fairtax has no chance in Hell".
Limbaugh is not a very good student of
Reagan.
"If we look to the answer as to why for so
many years we achieved so much, prospered as
no other people on Earth, it was because
here in this land we unleashed the energy
and individual genius of man to a greater
extent than has ever been done before."
"On the eve of our struggle for
independence a man who might have been one
of the greatest among the Founding Fathers,
Dr. Joseph Warren, president of the
Massachusetts Congress, said to his fellow
Americans, "Our country is in danger, but
not to be despaired of….On you depend the
fortunes of America. You are to decide the
important questions upon which rests the
happiness and the liberty of millions yet
unborn. Act worthy of yourselves."
"It is no coincidence that our present
troubles parallel and are proportionate to
the intervention and intrusion in our lives
that result from unnecessary and excessive
growth of government. It is time for us to
realize that we're too great a nation to
limit ourselves to small dreams. We're
not, as some would have us believe, doomed
to an inevitable decline. I do not believe
in a fate that will fall on us no matter
what we do. I do believe in a fate that will
fall on us if we do nothing. So, with all
the creative energy at our command, let
us begin an era of national renewal. Let us
renew our determination, our courage, and
our strength. And let us renew our faith and
our hope."
"We
have every right to dream heroic dreams.
Those who say that we're in a time when
there are not heroes, they just don't know
where to look. You can see heroes every day
going in and out of factory gates. Others, a
handful in number, produce enough food to
feed all of us and then the world beyond.
You meet heroes across a counter, and
they're on both sides of that counter. There
are entrepreneurs with faith in themselves
and faith in an idea who create new jobs,
new wealth and opportunity. They're
individuals and families whose taxes support
the government and whose voluntary gifts
support church, charity, culture, art, and
education. Their patriotism is quiet, but
deep. Their values sustain our national
life."
"In the
days ahead I will propose removing the
roadblocks that have slowed our economy and
reduced productivity. Steps will be taken
aimed at restoring the balance between the
various levels of government.
Progress may be slow, measured in inches and
feet, not miles, but we will progress. It is
time to reawaken this industrial giant,
to get government back within its
means, and to lighten our punitive tax
burden. And these will be our first
priorities, and on these principles there
will be no compromise.'
"I've not
taken your time this evening merely to ask
you to trust me. Instead, I ask you to trust
yourselves. That's what America is all
about. Our struggle for nationhood, our
unrelenting fight for freedom, our very
existence -- these have all rested on the
assurance that you must be free to shape
your life as you are best able to, that
no one can stop you from reaching higher or
take from you the creativity that has made
America the envy of mankind."
"Well, I believe we, the Americans of
today, are ready to act worthy of ourselves,
ready to do what must be done to ensure
happiness and liberty for ourselves, our
children, and our children's children. And
as we renew ourselves here in our own land,
we will be seen as having greater strength
throughout the world. We will again be the
exemplar of freedom and a beacon of hope for
those who do not now have freedom."
"As for the enemies of freedom, those
who are potential adversaries, they will be
reminded that peace is the highest
aspiration of the American people. We
will negotiate for it, sacrifice for it; we
will not surrender for it, now or ever."
"I'm told that tens of thousands of prayer
meetings are being held on this day, and for
that I'm deeply grateful. We are a nation
under God, and I believe God intended for
us to be free. It would be fitting and
good, I think, if on each Inaugural Day in
future years it should be declared a day of
prayer."
"At the same time, the
federal government has cynically told us
that high taxes on business will in some way
“solve” the problem and allow the average
taxpayer to pay less. Well, business is
not a taxpayer it is a tax collector.
Business has to pass its tax burden on to
the customer as part of the cost of doing
business. You and I pay the taxes."
"There can be no
security anywhere in the free world if there
is not fiscal and economic stability within
the United States."
"In short, a punitive
tax system must be replaced by one that
restores incentive for the worker and for
industry; a system that rewards
initiative and effort and encourages thrift."
"We must make the
people a commitment, the kind of commitment
that says if you work or save more tomorrow
than you did today, then your reward will be
higher. More of every added dollar that
you earn will be yours to keep."
"It is time to put
Americans back to work; to make our cities
and towns resound with the confident voices
of men and women of all races, nationalities
and faiths bringing home to their
families a decent paycheck they can cash for
money."
"They want to rig
the tax code to take back their tax cut as
quickly as possible, and that way they'll be
able to spend more and more."
"Now, I said the choice
before us is a tax cut or a tax increase.
The Speaker boasts that this tax cut of 15
percent gives a bigger break to the worker
than our bill. And if you're only
planning on living for 2 years, it does.
[Laughter] But then bracket creep takes
over, and the taxes start going up again."
(Note: Reagan's tax plan did not last past
the next presidency which was his own former
Vice President!)
"What we need is for
people to look ahead 3 years and be able to
plan on the knowledge of a sure thing."
"In the meantime, we'll
continue to study ways to simplify the tax
code and make it more fair for all
Americans. This is a goal that every
American who's ever struggled with a tax
form can understand."
"Tax policy, regulatory
practices, and government programs all need
constant reevaluation in terms of our
competitiveness. Every American has a role
and a stake in international trade."
"To me our country is a
living, breathing presence, unimpressed by
what others say is impossible, proud of its
own success, generous, yes and naïve,
sometimes wrong, never mean and always
impatient to provide a better life for its
people in a framework of a basic fairness
and freedom."
"Now, so
there will be no misunderstanding, it's not
my intention to do away with government.
It is rather to make it work -- work with
us, not over us; to stand by our side,
not ride on our back. Government can
and must provide opportunity, not smother
it; foster productivity, not stifle
it."
"The difference
between the path toward greater freedom or
bigger government is the difference between
success and failure; between opportunity and
coercion; between faith in a glorious future
and fear of mediocrity and despair; between
respecting people as adults, each with a
spark of greatness, and treating them as
helpless children to be forever dependent;
between a drab, materialistic world where
Big Brother rules by promises to special
interest groups, and a world of adventure
where everyday people set their sights on
impossible dreams, distant stars, and the
Kingdom of God. We have the true message of
hope for America."
"So, we cut the people's tax rates, and
the people produced more than ever before.
The economy bloomed like a plant that had
been cut back and could now grow quicker and
stronger. Our economic program brought about
the longest peacetime expansion in our
history: real family income up, the poverty
rate down, entrepreneurship booming, and an
explosion in research and new technology.
We're exporting more than ever because
American industry became more competitive
and at the same time, we summoned the
national will to knock down protectionist
walls abroad instead of erecting them at
home."
Hidden
Taxes:
How Much do You Really Pay?
Federal income taxes
represent only 42 percent of the total tax
burden of U.S. taxpayers. The remainder is
hidden, distorting taxpayers’ awareness of
their real tax burden and of the true cost
of government. Only fundamental tax reform
with an emphasis on visibility can ensure a
fair tax code that allows taxpayers to
evaluate whether they are getting their
money’s worth from government. -
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