But you see that's the whole problem with the political process. The media has a preconceived stereotype of who should be President. If you don't meet that stereotype- they write you off, disregard you, ignore you. Trust me- that will not be happening to this Presidential candidate. I'm lots of things- but ignored is definitely not one of them! The national news media has no idea what's about to hit them. The fun has just begun.
I believe that my life has been the perfect preparation for the Presidency. I am 46 years old with 3 young children, and Root baby number 4 due on Wednesday. It's a wonderful and exciting time in my life. Yet it's also a scary time. You see I'm just like any other American- worried about the future. Worried about bills. Worried about my big mortgage. Worried about paying for the home-school education of my 4 children. Worried about how I'm going to pay 4 college educations over the next 25 years. Worried about how I'm going to pay all the taxes- property taxes, sales taxes, income taxes, business taxes, payroll taxes for my employees. The worries are endless. And of course the biggest worry of all- what if a big government "soak-the-rich" liberal tax-raiser gets into office and raises my taxes?
I don't know where I'm getting the money to pay all the bills and taxes listed above- let alone even higher taxes. It's enough to keep me from sleeping at night. Four kids adds up to a lot of joy- and also a lot of bills and a lot of worries!
But what all this means is that I'm the first candidate to run for President who has all the same worries of a typical American voter and taxpayer. I am a small businessman. I run a company with 35
employees. Every week I have a large payroll to make. I am personally responsible for the payroll taxes of 35 people. I am responsible for the health insurance for 35 people. And of course, my biggest responsibility of all is to my wife and 4 children. It's a lot of responsibility.
I am proud to be a small businessman. I guess that makes me unqualified to be President- according to the national media and the political pundits. They laugh at small businesspersons. We're meaningless to them. We can't afford to hire lobbyists. We can't afford to contribute tens of thousands in political contributions to each and every politician. We don't control corrupt union pension funds. We don't employees thousands of people to go door-to-door to get out the vote. So to politicians and the national media we are meaningless, insignificant, and invisible.
Yet politicians, pundits, and the liberal media are missing the big picture. Today the epicenter of the 21st century American economy is SMALL BUSINESS. We now create the majority of the jobs. We pay billions in taxes. We are single-handedly responsible for making the U.S. economy grow. In just the last year, small business created 1.9 million net new jobs. There are today 26.8 million small businesses fueling the American economy. Just one category, female-owned small businesses, numbers 6.5 million businesses producing $940.8 billion in revenues. There are 1.1 million Asian-owned small businesses. There are 1.2 million African American-owned small businesses. There are 1.6 million Hispanic-owned small businesses. Small business now employs 51% of this nation's private, non-farm workforce. The days of big corporations and big unions dominating the American economy are over. But the national media hasn't figured that out yet. They are living in a time warp. Because big corporations are the ones with the lobbyists- they get all the attention from the media (and the D.C. politicians).
It's a new world out there- a world dominated by small business. Small business owners are the heroes of the business world. They are the "fly boys"- they take the big risks with their own money, on their own ideas, they are the CEO's of their own little worlds. Each small business has someone like me running the show. A guy or gal with 2 or 3 (or even gasp! 4) kids, big mortgages, big bills to pay, college educations to fund, nonstop taxes to pay. We need a President who understands small business and the unique problems, bills and taxes that each small business owner faces. Name someone running for President in the 2 major parties who understands these issues and problems? Who has any connection whatsoever to small business?
Our current President was born into wealth, power, and privilege. He had all the connections from his day of birth to lead a comfortable, effortless life. Eventually he became owner/General Partner of the Texas Rangers. That's the closest he got to small business- owning a major league baseball team with a $50 million dollar payroll.
How about those who want to be President 2008? On the GOP side, Mitt Romney was born into wealth and privilege- his father was Governor of Michigan and CEO of American Motors. He is George W. Bush all over again- a man born into big business from the moment of birth. Mitt Romney has never known a worry about money or bills in his life. John McCain is the son and grandson of powerful Admirals who ran the United States Navy. He is a Prince born to Kings. Rudy Guliani was a powerful prosecutor and mayor. The closest he ever came to business was putting businessmen in jail to build his name recognition. Only a few years after leaving office, Rudy is today worth close to $100 million dollars. Just another out- of-touch man of wealth and privilege- without a clue about small business. Only Mike Huckabee has common-man roots. But he also never ran a small business in his life, never created a job, never risked his own money to start a business. As a pastor, Huckabee never worried about taxes (churches don't pay them- no property taxes, no taxes on contributions). Huckabee went straight from pastor to career politician (who loves big government and the Nanny State).
On the Democrat side we have a really interesting group- wall to wall LAWYERS. Hillary Clinton is a lawyer who has spent her entire life holding government jobs and collecting government checks. And as far as understanding the common man, she was paid a reported $8 million advance for her biography. When Bill and Hillary left the White House they were broke. Today they are worth over $50 million. Government service has been very, very good to the Clintons. So much for "sacrifice for the good of the people."
Hillary has never risked her own money on a business, never created a job, never run any business of any kind. Ditto for my Columbia College '83 classmate Barack Obama. He went straight from law school, to public service, to a $2 million dollar book advance. Never created a job, never risked a dime, never ran a business of any kind. And then there's John Edwards- the man famous for $400 haircuts. Edwards is a lawyer who earned his $50 million fortune by suing people. He too never created a business or a job- worse, he destroyed businesses and jobs by suing them.
These are the Presidential frontrunners who the national media considers "qualified." No wonder our country is in such trouble. These are the people who have run our country into the ground- career politicians, career bureaucrats, career lawyers who destroy jobs through lawsuits, spoiled brats born into wealth. Not a one of them has ever created a job in their lives. Not one of them has a clue how to start a small business, run a small business, or pay the bills and taxes that come with such a responsibility. In a country and economy now dominated by small business, isn't it time for a change?
I am so proud of this great country. Anything is possible in America. I am not just a small businessman. I'm the son of a small businessman. My grandfather was a Russian immigrant at the turn of the century. He died penniless in the "poor ward" of a Brooklyn hospital- leaving 7 children and no income for my grandmother. My dad David Root shined shoes as a young boy to survive. He went onto become a butcher. Eventually he owned his own butcher store. It wasn't much- but it was his. He was the owner and boss. He had achieved his version of the American Dream. That blue-collar butcher with his little meat store put both his children through Ivy League college. My sister and I both graduated from Columbia University.
Today David Root's son is running for President of the United States. I love America. But we need to change our definition of who is "qualified" to be President of the United States. I believe the time is past due for a small businessperson in the White House. I'm certain that the liberal national media thinks a small businessman with 35 employees is unqualified to run the government of the United States of America. But I have news for them- I have no intention of running the government. I aim only to CUT GOVERNMENT.
For that job, a small businessman is perfect. I understand how to run a business on fewer dollars, on fewer employees. I understand how to cut bureaucracy and empower employees to take personal responsibility. I understand how to pay bills when funds are short. I understand how to "make do" without automatic annual increases in funding. I understand how damaging and deadly the combination of bureaucracy and high-taxation are to the creation of jobs and businesses.
The day that I take office, I plan to therefore start the process of handing power back to the people- where it belongs. I believe that government's job is not to run the country- it's to get out of the way of the individual. I believe that government belongs to the people, not the politicians. I believe that your money is your property- not the property of government, bureaucrats, IRS tax collectors, or politicians. I intend to downsize government. I intend to limit its power, size and scope. I intend to cut spending dramatically. I intend to lower your taxes dramatically. I intend to increase the rights and freedoms of the individual. It's time for a change in the way we think about government. It's time for a big change in how we define "qualified" for the job of President. I think a small businessman is just the person for the job.
Wayne Allyn Root is a Libertarian Presidential candidate. For more about Wayne and his bold stands on important political issues, go to: www.ROOT4America.com
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( 3 / 1114 )I was a guest on a popular nationally syndicated conservative talk radio show a few days ago. The show has a massive audience of millions of listeners. I've been a guest on this show multiple times. I'm a fan of the host- who is a brilliant guy. I've always considered us on the same side, fighting the same battle versus big government liberals. But now that I've switched from Republican defender to Libertarian Presidential candidate, my reception was very different- and very cold. The host made it very clear that he was not happy about my defection from the GOP. He presented the same old arguments that I've heard again and again from most every Republican defender and apologist. They are all bogus arguments because they stem from one flawed decision- to sellout in order to win. The goal of the GOP (and their apologists) is no longer to fight for smaller government and more rights for the individual. Today's GOP craves power- and they are willing to do anything and say anything to acquire it. The result is that the GOP has become the very thing they despise- Hillary. We all know that Hillary (and Obama and Edwards and all of the leading Democrats ad nausea) desperately need big government- that's how they bribe the masses into voting Democratic. Make government bigger; hire more people; giveaway more goodies, entitlements and earmarks; make the people dependent on big government. That's the Democratic playbook. Make the people hopeless, helpless, aimless and clueless. Pretty soon they have to vote for bigger government- they depend on it to survive.
Isn't that the good fight we're fighting as conservatives and Republicans and Libertarians? Well at least some of us are still fighting the good fight. GOP apologists are simply backing a sinking ship on a cruise to nowhere. GOP apologists are willing to sacrifice everything they believe in to secure victory. But at what price? If Republicans need to bribe the electorate to get elected, what's the difference between the two parties? Both parties now stand for bigger government, bigger spending, more Big Brother controlling the lives of ordinary Americans- the very things Republicans are supposed to be fighting against. The argument that this famous radio host made is that anything or anyone (no matter who is the GOP nominee) is better than Hillary. The host ranted and raved for an hour about what a terrible choice I've made to leave the GOP and run for President as a Libertarian. He railed about how hopeless my cause is and how pathetic my party is. He called my chances of winning zero because no third party has ever achieved success before. But as Shakespeare might have said, "me thinks he doth protest too much."
Let's examine this line of reasoning. First, I think it's obvious that GOP defenders and apologists like this famous conservative talk host are clearly getting worried that my candidacy could take millions of votes away from the Republican Party. Logic dictates that if my third party candidacy was such a joke, this influential radio talker would not have bothered to invite me on his show. Secondly, if I wasn't perceived as a credible threat to the GOP, this host would never have bothered to attack and denigrate me with such nasty vitriol for 60 minutes. "They only smear you when they're frightened," my father once taught me about politics and politicians. I think the fact that the Libertarian Party won 20% of the 2007 local elections nationwide (in races where we fielded a candidate) scares the heck out of GOP apologists. The GOP has sold out- and some of us (that haven't drunk the Kool Aid) are now offering a better choice. I'm a lifelong businessman and entrepreneur. In a capitalist system, if someone is not offering a good product, an entrepreneur can make a fortune by creating a new choice. The same concept works in politics. The GOP product has deteriorated. The Libertarian Party is offering a fresh, new, exciting choice. GOP apologists are frightened. They are starting to realize that a revolution is brewing. Their base is no longer drinking the Kool Aid. The apologists are waking from their deep sleep- they see the bright light at the end of the tunnel- and for the first time, they are starting to realize a train is headed straight for them.
The fact that I am a credible, confident, media-savvy, high-profile candidate who can appeal to angry, betrayed Republicans just like myself, scares the heck out of GOP apologists. But worst of all, the quality (or lack thereof) of GOP Presidential candidates scares Republican apologists from coast to coast. The newly annointed front-runners, Rudy Guliani and Mike Huckabee, are Exhibit A. One candidate (Huckabee) has a history of raising taxes, increasing spending, expanding big government, opposing school vouchers, and brings a strict and extreme religious social conservatism to the table that will frighten off every last Libertarian, moderate and independent voter still left under the GOP tent.
The other candidate (Guliani) has such reckless disregard for taxpayers, that he actually charged taxpayers for $200,000 of police protection for his GIRLFRIEND- while he was married, with his wife living in the Mayor's mansion. At best, that defines arrogance at the expense of taxpayers. It certainly shows a reckless lack of judgment. At worst, it borders on taxpayer fraud. Here we have a prosecutor who literally invented the "perp walk," specifically designed to humiliate Wall Street executives and garner front page headlines, thereby making a name for himself as a tough, fearless crime-fighter. Yet at the same time he thought nothing of billing taxpayers $200,000 so he could cheat on his wife and protect his girlfriend. From who? The media? This is today's GOP. They will do anything and say anything (and bribe everyone with earmarks) to stay in power- and that includes promising to cut government, cut spending, and cut bureaucracy- while in reality they are expanding government, increasing spending and super-sizing bureaucracy. But by trying so desperately to attain and retain power, Republicans have become exactly what they are fighting (Democrats).
But let's tackle the GOP apologists' biggest argument against my candidacy- that Libertarians can't possibly win. They believe (or so they say) that I'm fighting a hopeless battle. Really? I often speak of myself as a S.O.B. (Son of a Butcher). Well my dad wasn't just any butcher- he was a Jewish Republican-conservative butcher from Brownsville, Brooklyn. He was also one of the original founders of the New York State Conservative Party. My dad David Root responded to the first advertisement in a New York newspaper in 1962 to start a new party to defeat the liberal, arrogant, out-of-touch, big government GOP represented by Jacob Javits and Nelson Rockefeller. My dad and mom attended that first meeting of the founders of the Conservative Party- led by J. Daniel Mahoney (a future New York Supreme Court justice). It was a meeting of peasants and rebels looking to start a revolution and take down the King and his court (the powerful New York State GOP). I don't think that you could find longer odds than my parents and their friends faced back then. This was the ultimate long-shot third party. They had no money, no name recognition, no high-profile candidates, and of course, no shot-in-hell of victory. They were laughed at, taunted, and perhaps worst of all- ignored by prominent Republicans and the New York media. If my radio host friend were around back then, he would have said that my father and his ragtag bunch of third party rebels were involved in a hopeless cause. But he would have been wrong then. Just as he is wrong now.
After a few years of torture, humiliation and nonstop defeat, in 1971 my father and his friends elected James L. Buckley the first EVER Conservative Party United States Senator. They become the first third party to send a U.S. Senator to Washington in NY State history. The GOP wasn't laughing anymore. They accomplished this miracle victory in ultra-liberal New York State, in the ultra-liberal 1960's and '70's. My parents and their Conservative Party went on to help elect other "hopeless underdogs" like Senator Al D'Amato (who defeated the legendary and supposedly unbeatable Jacob Javits in a GOP primary) and Ronald Reagan (who was derided as a B-movie actor co-starring with a chimpanzee). Conservative Party candidates twice received a remarkable one million votes in statewide elections. They also helped to elect countless Republican-conservative State Assemblymen, Senators, Mayors, Councilmen, Congressman, Judges- the list was long. Each of these politicians owed their victories to this ragtag long-shot third party. A thankful President Ronald Reagan once said, "The Conservative Party has established itself as a pre-eminent force in New York State politics and an important part of our political history."
I'm very proud of what my parents David and Stella Root helped accomplish. My father, the butcher with a high school degree, has his DNA forever on New York State political history. But he raised his children to do better, to become educated, and to literally change the world. That blue-collar butcher from Brooklyn sent his both his children to Ivy League Universities (and my sister to Columbia Law School as well). He was a remarkable man. David and Stella Root were remarkable parents. They taught me well that in this great country NOTHING is impossible. My grandfather came to America through Ellis Island at the turn of a century. He was uneducated and died in the poor ward of a Brooklyn Hospital. His son worked his whole life as a butcher, wearing a white apron with blood stains. And now this butcher's son is running for President of the United States. God bless America. Anyone who doubts a long-shot in this great country needs a history lesson.
I learned at Columbia University that history repeats itself again and again. My dad helped found the Conservative Party in the 1960's because he felt that the GOP had lost its way. He felt they had forgotten, or were ignoring the principles and ideals of Barry Goldwater. All these decades later, I feel the exact same way. I want to re-introduce this country to the common-sense, rugged individualism, personal responsibility, fiscal conservatism, limited government, anti-tax, pro-constitution principles of Barry Goldwater. More importantly, Goldwater was socially tolerant. He must be rolling over in his grave at the Big Brother mentality and religious-right extremism of today's GOP. I believe social issues like abortion, gay rights, stem cell research, right to die (Terri Schiavo), medicinal marijuana and online gaming are quite simply States' Rights issues (just as it was intended by the Constitution). Plain and simple, they are none of the federal government's business. Like Goldwater, I want government out of the way, and out of my life. Government has no right in my bedroom, in my home, telling me what to do on my computer, what to watch on television, how to spend my own money, ordering my children to get vaccines. NONE OF IT IS ANY OF THEIR DAMN BUSINESS. Last I checked, this is why we fought the American Revolution. That revolution is yet another example for the GOP apologists of a hopeless long-shot with million-to-one odds beating a supposedly unbeatable opponent.
If Barry Goldwater were alive today, and witnessed today's big government, Big Brother Republican philosophy, he'd switch to the Libertarian Party too. The odds may be long, but this S.O.B. (Son of a Butcher) is a chip off his old dad's block. The battle has just begun. No wonder the GOP apologists and power players are getting frightened.
No wonder they are trying to destroy my credibility. No wonder they are desperately trying to make my Libertarian Presidential candidacy seem hopeless. The peasants and rebels and sons of butchers with the pitchforks and muskets are knocking at the door of the castle. The revolution has begun. ROOT for Liberty. ROOT for Freedom. ROOT for America.
Wayne Allyn Root is a Libertarian Presidential candidate. For more about Wayne and his bold stands on important political issues, go to: www.ROOT4America.com
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( 3 / 3800 )It's time to get scared- very scared. Big government has run wild- and is trampling the rights of the American people (and parents). If the following story doesn't scare you- you deserve Big Brother as your master. And it's only going to get worse. The morality police are turning our country into a Nanny State. These government bureaucrats (most of whom couldn't get hired in the private sector) actually believe they know better than you or me about how to live our lives, educate and raise our children, and let's not forget the biggest one of all- how to indoctrinate our children (a nice way of saying BRAINWASH our children). Big Brother wants to control what women do with their own bodies; determine what Americans can do in the privacy of our own bedrooms; tell all of us what we are allowed to do on our own computers (Internet freedom); how and when we die (the Terri Schiavo government intrusion); they want to re-create Prohibition (by banning online gaming and poker); arrest us for using medicinal marijuana with a doctor's prescription (even in a state like California where it has been legalized by the voters); tell us what we can put into our own bodies (ban smoking, Trans Fats and Foie Gras- even in privately owned restaurants); banish guns from our own private homes (in violation of the constitution); and force us to immunize our school-age children- by threatening to banish them from the classroom. The list of restrictions on our liberties goes on and on.
This weekend I heard about the most ominous government intrusion yet- in Prince George County, Maryland, where school officials playing Big Brother have ordered parents to vaccinate their school-aged children, or the parents will be IMPRISONED. Yes I said imprisoned. Let's pause for a second, take a deep breath, and reflect on the quagmire called the public school system. First of all, our public schools are failing miserably compared to any other industrialized country in the world. Children are dropping out of high school in record numbers; and even those that pass high school are often promoted only due to grade inflation. Drugs and violence are rampant within public schools. Cases of teachers molesting and sexually assaulting under-age children seem to be in the headlines on a daily basis. Our children are far behind in math and science versus high school graduates from other countries. Public teacher unions demand raises and increased spending as a reward for horrible performance- and refuse any form of accountability or pay based on merit. And worst of all, powerful teachers unions hold our children hostage by refusing to allow competition. They will not allow a level playing field- by refusing to allow vouchers or parental choice (so that parents in even the worst schools in the country are denied the opportunity to choose private school, religious school, or home-schooling).
It's amazing- it makes you want to either laugh or cry at how ridiculous (and sad) it all is. No matter how bad our public schools get, there are three things that teachers and teachers unions demand- higher pay, more (wasted) funding, and no parental access to competition. The worse our schools get, the more funding they demand. The more schools fail, the more obstinate unions get about denying access to competition. "Things are so bad we can't possibly allow competition" they whine in mock horror. Name another industry in America with this kind of loser's mentality? The worst record in American business history has to be the auto industry- and even they have accountability (top executives get fired all the time) and allow competition (Japanese automakers have been chipping away at our market share for decades). Can you imagine if we gave auto workers automatic jobs for life with unaffordable pensions and health benefits? Oh right- we did. That's why our auto industry is almost bankrupt and few of us buy American-made cars anymore. But we didn't shield them from competition, give rewards for bad performance, or try to force the poorest among us to buy only American or else. Wouldn't that be un-American? That's exactly what we've been doing for over a century with our American public school system.
We've been giving jobs for life to teachers who have failing grades; suspending kids for bringing aspirin or nail clippers to school (yet somehow those same kids have no problem sneaking drugs and guns into schools); banning dodge ball because someone's feelings might be hurt; banning kids from school for the crime of touching or hugging others (thereby violating a no-touch policy); and throwing more money (hundreds of millions) down the rat hole of failing public schools- with even worse results for every extra dollar spent. That's what happens when you award a public school monopoly. That's what happens when you allow unions to bribe liberal politicians (with massive union campaign contributions, and union employees masquerading as campaign workers). That's what happens when you give power to people that couldn't get a job in the private sector. Now we've gone a step further: we have empowered these power-hungry bureaucrats with the right to imprison parents who don't force their children to do as they say. No wonder so many of the kids who manage to graduate public schools are prepared only for a life as an order-taker at McDonalds. How can you ever become an executive, business owner, boss, or leader of any kind, if all you've ever experienced in school is 13 years of baby-sitting and obeying orders without question, reason or debate (now imposed with the threat of prison for your parents).
My 3 children (with a 4th baby Root due on December 5th) are home-schooled. They are bright, creative, passionate, motivated to learn, and full of life and love. They have not been exposed to government-run brainwashing 8 hours a day. They value our constitution. They actually admire our Founding Fathers. They believe in the power of capitalism. They respect their parents. They don't do drugs. They aren't drugged with ADD drugs like Ritalin (that happen to enrich the bank accounts of public schools with federal government funding for each "disabled" child). They've never been in trouble in their lives. They love their country. They are able to pray to God without worrying about who that might offend. And they will only get the vaccines that their mom and dad (in consultation with our private physician- not doctors chosen by the government) have studied and deem necessary, proven, safe and effective.
No one from the government has to tell (or order) me, or my wife how to raise or educate our children. That's the job of caring, involved, passionate, loving parents. No one has to provide meals for my children- they are fed healthy meals by their loving mother every day of the year. That's the job of good parents. Isn't it interesting that my kids are motivated, ambitious, bright, score at the top of their class in nationwide exams, and how about this one- love learning, love to read, and look forward to school each day. How many public school parents can say that?
We have a problem in this country- too little personal (and parental) responsibility, and far too much government intervention. Schools will never improve because we spend more money. They will only improve when we give more rights, freedom, responsibility and choice to parents. Smart, motivated kids, who stay out of trouble, are not created by teachers, or administrators, or unions. It doesn't take a village (or a union) to raise a good kid. It just takes good parents. The answers to our crisis in public schools isn't bigger government, stronger unions, higher paid teachers, more mandatory vaccines, or prison sentences for parents. It's old fashioned parental involvement, parental choice, and most importantly, more competition. If public schools are failing, the answer isn't forcing parents to send their children top failing schools. The answer is giving parents the freedom to find a better alternative. More freedom and choice is the answer to all the problems that ail society. Imprisoning parents (or their children in dangerous and failing government run baby-sitting camps) is not the answer. Isn't freedom and personal choice why we fought a revolution in 1776? Isn't freedom, liberty and choice what this nation is based on? Isn't allowing competition what capitalism is based on? My proposal is simple and inexpensive: Let's give power back to the people and the parents. ROOT for Liberty. ROOT for Freedom. ROOT for America.
Wayne Allyn Root is a Libertarian Presidential candidate. For more about Wayne and his bold stands on important political issues, go to: www.ROOT4America.com
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( 3 / 1745 )By Wayne Allyn Root, Candidate for the Libertarian Party Presidential Nomination
Published reports say that religious leaders and anti-pornography groups are joining forces to demand that "pornography" be banned from military bases around the world. What an outrage! Don't we have enough to worry about in this world- our men and women in the military are dying at the hands of a vicious enemy in a war that many Americans don't support; our housing markets are crumbling; the stock market is crashing; gas prices are threatening to cripple our economy; many experts fear a depression as bad as the 1930's is fast approaching; Iran's threatening to join the nuclear club and wipe Israel off the world map; Putin and Russia appear headed to a new Cold War with America; we face a terrorist threat every day; and religious zealots are worried about whether our soldiers are allowed to read Playboy or not? You've got to be kidding me?
First of all, who defines "pornography"? This is a slippery slope we are headed for. One man's porn is another's entertainment. To be blunt, it's none of your damn business what any American chooses to enjoy or watch in the privacy of his or her bedroom. This is one of the big reasons why I left the GOP. I was a lifetime Republican supporter, voter, contributor (and former candidate). I was invited to the White House by President Bush. I attended parties at the White House. Yet I made a decision a year ago to morph from lifelong Republican to dedicated Libertarian. The decision was made because of the intolerance exhibited by religious extremists who have high-jacked the GOP.
This controversial issue reminds me of an old story about the Holocaust. It goes something like this: "First they came for the Jews...and I did not speak out. Then they came for the Communists...and I did not speak out. Then they came for the Catholics...and I did not speak out. Then they came for me...and there was no one left to speak out." Now extremist right-wing religious leaders and left-wing extremist feminists are joining forces to try to ban Playboy (and material like it) from our U.S. military bases. Who are these religious right-wingers and leftist feminists to tell me what I can watch or read? Who gave them authority to determine what materials are "allowed" on military bases? What gives them the right to define morality for G.I.'s? Who made them the arbiters of right and wrong? Who gave them the right to override the constitution and ban freedom of speech? Playboy plain and simple represents FREE SPEECH. It is none of anyone's business to tell our fighting boys (and girls) on military bases what to read or watch. It's called freedom. It's called choice. In case you've forgotten, it's at the heart of the American way of life. If a soldier is willing to risk his or her life on behalf of this country; if they are willing to die to protect my freedom and rights; then I think we owe it to them to protect THEIR rights; their freedom; their choice; their right to do and watch and read whatever they want in the privacy of their bedroom (or barracks or tent).
When you allow anyone (or any one group) to determine what is right, what is moral, what is allowed- you've driven down a slippery slope. Today it may be Playboy or online gaming that is deemed immoral and banned. Tomorrow it may be liberal atheists in power, and Christian activists may be outraged to find religious programming like TBN and 700 Club banned. In a society that values freedom of speech and expression, government should not ever be in a position to ban anything.
Last I checked, banning free speech (and yes, that includes pornography) is exactly what the Taliban does. Isn't that precisely why we're fighting a war against Islamic extremism- so that everyone everywhere can have the freedom of personal choice? Aren't we supposed to be different than the repressive Taliban? What if the personal choice of Iraqi's happens to be porn or Playboy? Do we ban it in the name of morality? If so, what makes us different than the repressive Taliban?
When we liberated Iraq, do you know the first thing that appeared in the streets? Pornography! It was banned under Saddam. Yet it was everywhere within days of liberation. Sorry my religious and feminist friends- that's the price of freedom and democracy. When intolerance rules, people feel suppressed. When freedom rules, all the things that were banned become instantly popular. Free people choose sexual freedom. It's a fact of life. We wanted to bring democracy to the Iraqi people. We did- and they choose pornography. Now we have to live with that choice. The choice of many of our men (and women) in uniform fighting the good fight for freedom is Playboy. Can you imagine that? The freedom fighters actually dare to want freedom for themselves? That choice is protected by the Constitution. And it happens to be a private choice that is none of anyone else's damn business.
What is it that religious extremists and leftist feminists fear about Playboy? That it will be damaging to the psyche of our men in uniform? Can you even imagine what these G.I.'s see on a daily basis? Does anyone actually believe that after experiencing the horrors of war, that reading Playboy is dangerous or offensive to a soldier's well being? The reality is that giving our soldiers the freedom to read what they want (Playboy or otherwise) might serve to remind them of what they are fighting for- the idea that in our great country we have the freedom of personal choice. And as a bonus, seeing pictures of beautiful, sexy American women might raise their spirits in the bargain. Trust me- our All-American boys aren't fighting for Pat Robertson or James Dobson. They are much more likely to be fighting for Pamela Anderson and Carmen Electra. And if seeing a sexy picture of a beautiful woman makes our boys happy at night- well then I'm going to fight for that right until my last breathe.
Someone needs to say it out loud and perhaps it's time for a legitimate Presidential candidate to be honest for once. Many (if not most) All-American men actually like beautiful naked woman! We love America precisely because we have the freedom to read Playboy and admire the centerfolds. Some of us think it's one of the great things about freedom and democracy. We love America because no one throws us in prison for looking at naked women in magazines. Isn't that a good thing? Isn't that what freedom is all about?
Very plainly, this is why millions of Americans are turning off to today's GOP. Intolerance has turned the GOP from a majority to a minority party. Intolerance quashes freedom. Either we believe in freedom or we don't. Either we support free speech (and free expression) or we don't. Either we believe in "different strokes for different folks" or we don't. Either we're fighting for freedom and democracy in Iraq, or we're not. We can't support freedom for Iraqis, while we take away those same freedoms from our GI's. We can't ban Playboy, or any other freedom of expression, from the men and women who are risking their lives overseas- all the while telling the world that ensuring those freedoms is exactly why we're fighting (and dying in) this war. How absurd. How hypocritical. How un-American.
I don't care if you agree or disagree with my personal views about homosexuality, pornography, abortion, stem cell research, gambling, and a dozen other moral issues. Quite frankly, these are personal and private issues between each one of us, our conscience and God. However, what I do care about and what I'm willing to fight and die for is your freedom to have and express those views- WHATEVER THEY MIGHT BE! Whether I agree or disagree does not matter. I've never smoked a cigarette in my life- but I'd fight to the death for your right to do so. I'm not a drinker. I haven't drank so much as a beer in 25 years- but I'd fight for your right to do so. I'm not a nightlife afficianado. I'm home every night with my wife and kids. But I'd fight for your right to party every night. That's the strength of freedom and democracy. What is important is that I'd fight to the death to protect what you believe- whether I agree with it or not. And of course I expect you to do the same on my behalf.
By the same token, I'd fight for your right to watch TBN or Pat Robertson on television. I'd fight for your right to read the Bible, the Torah or the Koran. I'd fight for your right to pray. I'm a spiritual man myself. My children pray before every meal and kneel down before God at bedtime. I start every day with prayer. I've written about the power and importance of prayer in each of the 6 books that I've authored. The difference is- all of these acts need to be protected in the name of freedom- but never forced upon others. I will protect your choices and your beliefs- but I will never allow you to force others to choose what you choose, to believe what you believe. That's the point of freedom. You are free to read Playboy, or read the Bible- but not to shove your beliefs down my throat.
Free speech and free will are in place to insure that you have a right to make private decisions that do not affect the rest of us. Reading Playboy is certainly one of those decisions. I'm willing to fight and die for Playboy. I'm also willing to fight and die for your right to read the Bible. They go hand in hand. What these right-wing religious and moral zealots (and left-wing feminists) fail to see is that freedom is not for any one side or cause. Freedom is for everyone and everything. It knows no limits. It has no bounds. That's what makes America great and worth fighting for. God Bless America. And God Bless our men and women in uniform fighting around the world so that everyone of us can have the right to read the Bible and/or Playboy.
Wayne Allyn Root is a Libertarian Presidential candidate. For more about Wayne and his bold stands on important political issues, go to: www.ROOT4America.com
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( 3 / 3357 )I was watching the NBC Evening News last night when up pops Billionaire Warren Buffett telling viewers how he is under-taxed and therefore "the rich" should be paying higher taxes. Buffett claimed that all his employees- including secretaries- pay higher tax rates than him. Of course the liberal media never bothered to question him on his assertion. They never bothered to point out how misleading his comments were. They never bothered to present a fair and balanced, non-biased counterpoint. It seems that only fiscal conservatives who support smaller government and lower taxes are ever "fact-checked" and face hostile questions in the interest of "fairness" by the left-wing news media. I should know. I've been there many times before. I served in the media as anchorman and host of five shows on CNBC (then known as Financial News Network). And since my days ended as a member of the media, I've been a guest on hundreds of television and radio shows in that same national media spotlight. It's so easy to spot the bias and hypocrisy- when liberals are interviewed by the media, they are treated with kid gloves. No hostile questions, no balancing of the story by reporting what others with a different point of view have to say. No objective for "fairness." Just allow Warren Buffett to slam the rich and demand higher taxes on success (otherwise known as "income redistribution"). Afterall a Billionaire couldn't be biased, could he? He couldn't have an ulterior agenda, could he? Certainly not if he's a LIBERAL Billionaire.
When conservatives are interviewed by the media, it's a completely different story. Conservative guests must be aggressively questioned and debated to create a "sense of balance." Suddenly a counter-point must be presented at all costs to avoid looking biased. But where's the need for balance and a counter-point of view when the liberal media agrees with their liberal guests? The answer is- there is none. Warren Buffett's interview on NBC was a great example of the disparity. Buffett's assertions went unchallenged by NBC, or the reporter for the segment Tom Brokaw (yes the old NBC anchor who recently retired).
First of all, Buffett is either dead wrong or being purposely misleading. It's a fact that facts lie all the time- anyone can twist facts to fit the point they are trying to make. Isn't it the media's job to point that out? Isn't it the media's job to present both sides of the argument? Buffett worded his claim in such a way that it appeared to viewers that he pays less taxes than his secretary. If I pay a 10% tax rate on $10,000,000 of income and you pay 20% tax rate on $30,000 of income, it is true that you're paying a higher rate. But that's completely misleading. My lower tax rate adds up to $1,000,000 in taxes paid. Your supposedly higher rate adds up to $6000 of taxes paid. Shouldn't someone at NBC News have bothered to point this out? Wouldn't you call that comparison of tax rates a bit misleading? Wouldn't you say that the rich guy that pays $1,000,000 to the government is paying his "fair share" compared to his employee paying $6000?
Shouldn't someone have pointed out that the employee paying $6000 per year in taxes will only pay about $240,000 (after working 40+ years) in his or her entire lifetime. That means that their rich boss pays 4 times more in taxes in one year than his or her employee will pay in a lifetime. Perhaps pointing that out might have made this story a bit more "fair and balanced." But Tom Brokaw never bothered to question Warren Buffett's contention. Not a peep. Not one objection. Not one word of protest to try to balance the story. Brokaw even went so far as to ask one of Buffett's longtime employees about taxes and if this disparity favoring the rich is fair. He asked the question right in front of Buffett- his boss. Wow that's pretty tough investigative journalism, huh? Gee, we're guaranteed to get an honest answer from Buffett's employee of 30 years, right in front of his ego-maniacal billionaire boss, aren't we? That will really balance the story, huh? Of course, Buffett's employee took the courageous route and responded with words something like this, "Aw sucks, I'd defer to Warren on anything about money or taxes. He's a pretty smart guy. If Warren says so, it must be true." Not too much bias there, huh? No obvious butt-kissing towards billionaire bosses allowed on the NBC Evening News, huh?
But wait. I'm only getting started. If you want to be objective and fair and present a balanced point of view, why not ask Warren Buffett exactly what kind of tax rates he's referring to? Afterall, it's a fact that rich people do pay higher tax rates than others on the lower end of the income scale. A secretary earning $50,000 or below probably pays tax rates of about 25% to 30%. Her boss that earns $150,000 a year (let alone a cool billion like Buffett) automatically (before legal tax deductions) pays a rate of close to 40%...plus higher sales taxes (because he quite naturally spends more)...plus higher property taxes (because he most certainly has a more expensive home)...plus higher state income taxes (on a higher income)...plus payroll taxes on all his employees. So what the heck is Buffett talking about? Is he ignorant or purposely being misleading? Buffett not only pays far more tax dollars than his employees, he also pays higher tax rates than his employees. Something doesn't add up here.
It took me awhile to figure it out- but it finally dawned on me. Buffett is a Billionaire (with a capital B). He probably takes no salary. He probably earns 100% of his income from capital gains investments (interest, dividends, sale of businesses, stocks and real estate investments). Capital gains are taxed at 15% versus income from your job that is taxed at 25% to 40%. So Buffett was comparing completely different tax rates. He was comparing apples to oranges. Yet Brokaw never bothered to point out this misleading trickery. Buffett's sleight of hand was never questioned or disclosed to viewers. The reason capital gains tax rates are lower is because that comes from money left over after you've already paid your taxes. To tax capital gains at all is DOUBLE TAXATION. That is why so many thriving countries all over the world offer capital gains tax rates of zero. To pay 15% capital gains tax rates is already paying 15 percentage points too high. To raise the rate higher is logic that only an ignorant fool...or an out-of-touch billionaire would advise. Or perhaps a deceptive liberal billionaire with an agenda.
The money I use to invest in homes, rental properties, stocks, bonds or to start businesses is the money that I have left after I've already paid my income taxes. Why should I be taxed again? Neither Buffett nor Brokaw bothered to mention that argument. Money I invest in those kind of capital gains deals is pure "risk money." I could lose it all (and I have on numerous occasions). Those kind of investments are what power the entire booming American economy. We want Americans of all income levels to invest in homes, stocks, bonds, small businesses. That's precisely how you create prosperity. And of course more wealth and prosperity creates more tax revenues. It's not higher rates that create more taxes- it is lower tax rates that creates more prosperity and therefore more tax revenues! How could you encourage more Americans to take huge risks with their savings by raising the taxes on these kinds of investments? I would never buy a stock or rental property...risking my life savings...if I was taxed at 50% or higher on my profits. But motivate me by offering me low capital gains taxes- now I'll risk everything I've got on the very investments that power the U.S. economy- stocks, bonds, real estate, small businesses.
That's the reason that Warren Buffett's argument is stupid, ignorant or just plain misleading. Billionaires are out of touch. He's already got his $50 Billion (give or take a billion or two). But young, newly-minted, self-made millionaires like me are still struggling and risking it all every day so we can build our fortune. So we can create our own version of the American Dream. We need our capital gains taxes low enough to encourage us to risk big and invest in America. And we deserve lower tax rates on those investments simply because we've already paid our high tax rates on our incomes. Capital gains is our reward- our only chance to build true wealth. Our only chance to invest in something that earns money while we sleep. Buffett has it all backwards- capital gains shouldn't be taxed at all. The tax rate should be zero.
Buffett is out of touch. He's fat and happy. Taxes are meaningless to billionaire liberal fat cats like him. It wouldn't affect him if rates were 79% or 99%. He wouldn't even notice. He's already got his $50 Billion salted away. Perhaps that's why he wants taxes raised- money is meaningless to him. Or perhaps he isn't the saint that the liberal media (and his publicists) portray him as. Perhaps he's not the wonderful, benevolent philanthropist he portrays. Perhaps his goal (like most rich liberals) is greed- by raising tax rates he keeps you and me out of his Billionaire Boys Club. He can keep us begging for scraps. Buffett's already got his $50 Billion. He knows we CANNOT possibly catch him unless tax rates are low enough to encourage risk and entrepreneurship. And of course the bonus in this equation is that low tax rates create a booming economy. That's our best shot at accumulating our own fortune- low taxes and a booming economy that creates unlimited opportunities for upward mobility and wealth. But raise tax rates and the window of opportunity shuts closed on millions of ambitious, courageous, entrepreneurial risk-takers.
High tax rates will prevent the rest of us from achieving our American Dream. If tax rates are high enough, it's virtually impossible to save enough to invest in real estate or stocks, or open a new business. The higher tax rates are, the lower your odds of ever attaining wealth. Prime example: France. High taxes mean fewer jobs, less investment, and far lower rates of entrepreneurship. Few Frenchmen invest in anything. They just want to work at a safe job (guaranteed for life), with a safe, steady weekly paycheck, with a 35 hour workweek and 6 weeks vacation. No wonder France's economy is in shambles. High tax rates are proven to eliminate upward mobility and destroy ambition.
Warren Buffett made his billions during periods of low tax rates and booming economy (no coincidence there). We all know that he's no dummy- he clearly understands that. Raise rates dramatically, ruin the economy, take away 50% or more of my profits, and it's assured that I'll never catch up to Buffett. By raising tax rates on investments, Buffett is killing the American dream. He's trying to turn America into France. France is a land where fairness and equality rule the day. No question about that. Everyone is equally poor and miserable. Except for a few billionaires who dominate French business. That's the kind of country (and economy) Buffett wants to create. One where he is the billionaire king- and the rest of us beg for scraps.
This "tax the rich" philosophy that Buffett espouses isn't to help the little guys of the world- it's to screw the little guys! High tax rates prevent the rest of us from ever becoming rich like Warren Buffett. He wants to be alone in the rarified air of his "Billionaire Boys Club." He wants to put up big obstacles to keep the rest of us out. High tax rates are the single biggest roadblock to success for smart, ambitious, young, self-made Americans. Poor people and immigrants can't move into the middle class because of high tax rates. The middle class cannot become millionaires because of high tax rates. And millionaires can't become billionaires because of high tax rates. High tax rates screw everyone- except those who already have their billions. Liberal Billionaires like Buffett aren't on your side. Warren Buffett is only interested in making sure he's always the king. And he wants to make the rest of us his servants and serfs, begging for scraps. Funny how Brokaw and the liberal media never bother to point that out.
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