Unemployment is drastically underreported!

On July 8, 2011the U.S. Government stated that unemployment had grown to 9.2%.

The real unemployment is much higher. As noted on the government web site, this is the U-2 labor utilization statistic.

The U-2 labor unemployment measure does not include people working part time who want full-time employment and people who have become discouraged and have given up looking for employment.

All of the unemployed are included in the U-6 measure which was at 16.2% on July 8, 2011. The real unemployment is therefore 80% higher than what is reported.

Call to Action – PBC 2012 maximum tax rate to be set on July 11th.

The newly formed Palm Beach County Tea Party has become a coalition partner with Palm Beach County Taxpayer Action Board. Now it’s time to act. Read the details about the budget and background here, and then go to the Tips and Talking Points for details on emails and speaking up at Commission meeting.

Time: 9:30 on July 11th with public comment to begin around 10am.

Place: 301 N. Olive, West Palm Beach Fl – County Commission Chambers

It’s time to act!

(note: the entire budget details can be found on the county site here.)

Turning Point

What was the turning point that motivated me to become an active Tea Party participant?

My initial introduction into the political realm was in my early teens when I would drive with my dad to his office in Brooklyn, listening to Paul Harvey on the radio. Fast forward to Bush-Cheney 2004. I was working as a City employee, a rare Conservative and anxious to have a Republican victory, for oh so many reasons. I made one phone call to the Republican Party of Palm Beach and never looked back. My deep involvement with the Bush-Cheney campaign introduced me to a new world and I was hooked. In the summer of 2007, I was introduced to Congressman Allen West and became his North County Volunteer Coordinator, adding another dimension to my new world. My experiences with the 2004 and 2008 Presidential campaigns, as well as my involvement in the 2008 & 2010 Congressional campaigns, managing the West Palm Beach GOP Action Headquarters, and my job with the Palm Beach Republican Club, further built upon my conservative foundation and strengthened my views. I attended one of the first Tea Party meetings in Palm Beach Gardens, volunteered for the first April 15th Tax Rally and knew I wanted to be as active as I could be with this like minded group of individuals.

Perhaps my “turning point” was more a culmination of the fondest memories of the glorious victory in 2004 & 2010; the hard work, the blood, sweat and tears and the ultimate adrenaline rush waiting for the results. It was more than the victory (though that was exhilarating), it was the cause, the working relationships, the friendships formed, the thrill of the unpredictable and calculated madness of political campaigns – the entire life experience. The Tea Party has provided me the avenue to develop and utilize my ambitions and personal expertise to help insure every American has the opportunity to experience the benefits of free enterprise, smaller government and fiscal responsibility.

Thank you new members

The Palm Beach County Tea Party brought in the 4^th of July by making new friends and sharing our wonderful patriotism with like-minded Americans.  Singing our National Anthem together was not only inspirational but reflected the new wave of determination to return to the morals and principals of our founding fathers.

Our founding fathers were not only patriots, they were intellectually brilliant.  They did not use their gifts lightly.  They used them under divine guidance.  Your gifts are also meant to be shared. So please join us and be a part of something divine that has purpose and focus.

To all that joined today my sincere appreciation and commitment to help you in anyway possible be an active, educated, motivated member of the Palm Beach County Tea Party

It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world. 
I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them. Thomas Jefferson

Independence Day – First Meetup of the Palm Beach County Tea Party

Video from the event

The new Palm Beach County Tea Party hosted its first event on Independence Day. It was a meet-up in the Food Court at the Gardens Mall in Palm Beach Gardens. One reporter at the Meet-up estimated that we had 150 people in attendance.

The sight of that many people wearing red, white, and blue and carrying small flags was very touching. And, when we broke out and sung the Star Spangled Banner (not once but twice), there were many teary eyes! We also took a moment to Pledge our allegience to our country on this very special day.

The PBC Tea Party would like to thank all of who came out to show their patriotism and love of their country. We also want to thank those who helped to spread the word about this event and even brought friends and friends of friends!

We hope that you were able to get signed up on our website so that you will continue to get our email announcements. We are a new organization and just beginning to create our member list — and we hope to have you join us!

If you registered at the Meet-up, you should have received an email by now that gives you further instructions on how to get set up on our email list and website. Please contact us if you do not get this problem or have problems with this next step.

One last note: Joyce Kaufman wanted to be with us but called before the meet-up with a bad case of laryngitis. She was not able to attend but sent everyone her best wishes for a blessed Independence Day. We missed you, Joyce!

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Pictures by Delia, Dawn and Fred
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Not Increasing the Debt Does Not Cause Default

The claim that failing to increase the U.S. debt will CAUSE the U.S. to default on its debt is untrue.

To understand, consider a profligate spender whose expenses have exceeded income for many years while the debt increased until it was so high the bank would no longer lend more money. Big Spender does not have to default on the mortgage and car payment and suffer foreclosure and repossession if his income is greater than the mortgage and car payments. There is another option. Big spender can stop going to fancy expensive restaurants, stop buying fancy expensive clothes, stop taking fancy expensive vacations and cruises, buy hot dogs instead of expensive filet mignon at the grocery store and otherwise eliminate non-essential expenses. Big Spender can also seek debt counseling to help formulate a budget that sets priorities and avoids default.

If the national debt is not increased, the U.S. can also adjust priorities and avoid default, and there are many people who would be happy to give advice on what expenditures to cut from the budget. Since the income into the U.S. Treasury exceeds the funds needed to service the debt, debt default is not necessary. There are many U.S. expenses that can be deferred or eliminated. The failed Energy Department (created to make us energy independent) can be eliminated. Education, which has traditionally been the responsibility of local governments, can be removed from the Federal budget. Massive foreign aid programs going to dictators that abuse their citizens can be eliminated. There are organizations like Planned Parenthood and Public Broadcasting that can exist without federal funding. There are many pork-barrel programs in the government that can be eliminated. The Congressional Budget Office detailed many programs that have duplicate appropriations in many different government departments. And if all that is not sufficient, federal employees can be given a few days off without pay each month until the debt is under control.

If the President insists on defaulting on the debt, it is his responsibility and the onus is on him, not on the Congress that refused to raise the debt.

The Real Facts About Taxes

Obama’s deficit commission will inevitably recommend a package of “benefit cut” and “tax” increases.  The problem with this recommendation is that IT NEVER WORKS!  WHY?  History shows us that the tax increases get permanently adopted into law but the spending cuts are almost never fully adopted, and even if they are they are swept away when Congress passes their new budget in subsequent years! 

In 1982, Congressional democrats promised Ronald Reagan $3 in spending cuts for every dollar of tax increases. They lied!  Reagan never saw the reductions in spending let alone a 3 to 1 reduction! 

In 1990, President George H. W. Bush agreed to violate his campaign pledge—no new taxes.  However, with a Democratic controlled congress the budget increased substantially by $290 billion in 1992 from $221B in 1990 (sounds pretty small compared to what we have now, eh?)

Clinton was then greeted with a Republican controlled Congress with a budget projected at $200B deficit indefinitely.  Now it gets interesting and this is the point of this article that I write.  Newt Gingrich and the Republican controlled Congress in 1994 really did some innovative stuff.  They cut tax rates to improve incentives for economic growth (yes, it has worked many, many times in past history—Obama—and the democratic controlled Senate—listen up).. YOU DON’T INCREASE TAXES TO A) GET OUT OF A RECESSION OR B) TO PRODUCE HIGHER GROSS TAX REVENUES!  IT SIMPLY DOES NOT AND HAS NEVER WORKED—IN FACT JUST THE OPPOSITE OCCURS—TAX RECEIPTS ARE REDUCED!

After the taxes were cut—a strong economy followed in the second half of the 90’s decade.  The second step—cut spending growth so that revenues eventually exceed spending (wow—what a novel thought—like we do this every day, every week, every year in our personal budgets).

During the Gingrich years, the Republican-controlled Congress cut the capital gains tax rate by 40% (Obama and the progressives fought the continuation of the Bush tax cuts which were scheduled for expiration in January of 2011—if you recall, Obama and the progressives first proposed an increase from 15% to 20%–a 33% increase of the capital gains tax—they finally succumbed to public pressure and the Republicans digging in.  Gingrich and the Republican congress further reduced other tax burdens on capital investment—i.e. created an environment for the private sector to invest!  What a novel idea again!

Congress also CUT federal discretionary spending by 5.4%.  By the year 2000, discretionary spending was about where it had been in 1995!  As a percent of GDP, discretionary spending dropped 17.5% between 1995 and 1999 (due to Gingrich and the Republican controlled congress).  As a result, although annual federal deficits of $200B had lasted for over 15 years, by 1998 the government was running surpluses.  In 2000, the surplus peaked at $236B (Another lie—Clinton of course took credit for all of this but in fact it was Gingrich and the Republican controlled congress that cut spending AND cut taxes and created incentives for businesses to invest—and guess what—they did and more tax revenues were produced to in fact turn the federal deficit around to a surplus.  So boys and girls in congress—it isn’t hard to do this again—but folks—you are doing exactly the opposite—you are spending like drunken sailors and now you are proposing to increase taxes—it simply is the exact opposite to what you should be doing and what has worked in the past countless times!

There are other things congress should also be doing now that have worked in the past.  Cut the federal corporate tax rate to 15% from 35%.  Did you know US corporations are nearly the highest taxed entities in the world?  Now how is that going to create aggressive investments and create jobs?—duh—it won’t! 

In addition, they should adopt a 15% flat tax for individuals and corporations.  Keep capital gains and dividend taxes at 15% while abolishing the death tax and the Alternative Minimum Tax.

Then terminate all unspent stimulus funding which still totals $400B and end TARP.  For everything besides Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, return spending to 2007 levels, which would save $670B a year!  Another $100B could be saved by slashing corporate welfare—including Obama’s handouts to green energy businesses.  Lastly, of course, repeal ObamaCare, which alone would save a minimum of $2-3 trillion (most likely much more) over 20 years as CBO scoring ALWAYS comes in at 1/5 to 1/10 of what federal programs actually come in at.  Congress should similarly reform its remaining 184 means-tested welfare programs including Medicaid.  Next, it should phase in personal savings, investment and insurance accounts to finance all benefits currently financed by the payroll tax eventually replacing that tax entirely.  Shifting all those benefits to the private sector would reduce federal spending by over 20%! 

Ladies and gentlemen, this can be done—the formula will work—but we need to find the people to put in Congress to make it happen—and the ones there now—will only exacerbate the problems because they are doing exactly the opposite to what they should be doing to fix our debt/spending problem.  We need leaders—so get involved—find out who they are—and get out and support and vote them in—we have a self correcting system, but it won’t self correct unless we all get off our duffs and get involved.  We have a rejuvenated Tea Party organization in South Florida—spread the word—tell your friends—attend meetings—send face book and webpage links to everyone—and don’t let rejection get you down—we have met the enemy—and it is us!   Obama is in office today because folks were fooled—and did not sufficiently vet out his background and experiences.  If you think the first term was bad—just imagine what damage he could do in a second term when term limits will preclude his ability to run again—now that is scary!

Mark Wohlschlegel

Meet-up at Gardens Mall

The new Palm Beach County Tea Party will hold its first Meet-up from 10 to 11 am on Monday, July 4th, Independence Day!  The location is the food court, second floor, at The Gardens Mall at 3101 PGA Blvd, Palm Beach Gardens, FL.  The purpose of the Meet-up is to meet local Tea Party members and other like-minded people.

We want to recognize you so please wear red, white, and/or blue and bring a flag no bigger than an 8 1/2 x 11″.

Also, please bring your friends!

Pam Wohlschlegel Speaks at Local Republican Club

Palm Beach Tea Party founder Pam Wohlschlegel got an early start on our outreach campaign to other groups of activists in the county by speaking at the June meeting of the Republican Club of the Palm Beaches at Bear Lakes Country Club. Many members of that club have been political activists for long before there was a tea party movement, and have supported tea party and 912 groups from the beginning.

In her remarks, Pam explained that the new group was formed to build a coalition of activists from related organizations dedicated to fiscal responsibility, constitutionaly limited government and free markets. She pointed out that she has been a Republican since her school days, but decided to work through a non-partisan group because of their success in attracting disaffected Democrats and Independents to the conservative cause. Hopefully, in the future we will all be working together to elect conservative candidates in 2012.

Keynote speaker at the meeting was former Ambassador Al Cardenas of the American Conservative Union. For more about the event, see “Al Cardenas Highlights June Lunch Meeting”.

Pam and other PBCTP leaders will be doing more of these outreach meetings in the weeks and months ahead. Let us know if you would like a speaker for your group.

Janet’s Story

After the Obama election my daughter came to my house crying, feeling that evil had gained. I told her to keep her faith. Month’s later friends of my husband came for a visit. Two lawyers and a mathematician who proudly proclaimed their contributions to the Obama election. I said nothing. A year later the same people said they would never vote again. At that moment in time I said that is it. I have had enough of depending on other people, parties, organizations, churches and whoever else proclaimed to be best for my country. I had no political experience but my personnel mission was to find out what I, Janet, could do to support my sense of fairness.

When Obama said not to listen to Fox news I figured it was a good start. I listened for a long time. I took Glenn Beck’s University classes. When Nancy Pelosi said the Tea Party was astro turf I went on the web and found one, called and went to a meeting. They were talking about some big event at the Borland center. I had no idea what they were talking about but I had a date, time and address so I went. They asked me to hand out index cards for questions, and I did. I saw Allen West going to the bathroom and stopped him. I told him if I do not shake his hand my daughter would be mad at me. That is about all I remember of that night.

When Pam asked for a volunteer for oversight I accepted. That night I walked out of the meeting with one word: Thomas.gov. From there on there have been many, many sites I have learned to search though. I sat at my computer for hours searching and learning.

When I heard about something important going on in Tallahassee I went. Thank God my husband went with me. His sense of direction and calming influence was invaluable. I knew a little about one thing and stood up and talked about it. Scared to death, by the way.

When the November elections came around my husband, who would have not voted, saw my commitment and voted with me. It was very satisfying knowing that Allen West got one more vote because of me.

When my husband heard Allen West was not off to a good start because of his chief of staff, I made it a quest to find out whom this Joyce Kaufman was. I found out and sent a letter to her thanking her for all her work. I remembered her from the Borland event.

When Pam asked everyone to get on Twitter and Facebook I did. I had no clue how they operated or why. I have no idea how my input affects anything. I just knew this was something I can do.

When they asked me to stand on a street corner I did. Not my long suit. Having had polio when I was a kid and now having the late effects of makes it very difficult.

I had absolutely no need for a smart phone or a new computer. I now have them both. Again, it is something I could do.

I share my early days of being an activist to underline what my objective was then, now and always: what can I, Janet, do to support my sense of fairness. My faith has always been my compass and Jesus has always been my guide. I do not know, and maybe will never know, if anything I did or will do will have the slightest impact. But I do know for certain I can always look into the eyes of my grandchildren and know I, Janet did all I could do. I can stand before my God and be grateful any for opportunity He has given me to help.

Telling my story is something else I can do.

(Comment from editor:  Janet is now a Founder and the Board Secretary for the Palm Beach County Tea Party.)

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