[lucysmom]

K-Street lawyers. If you have ever been to D.C. you have seen the multiple square miles of towering office buildings full of attorneys and lobbyists. Here's how it works: Some F. CAT invents a new hot water heater. He goes to his congresscrook and explains that the device will save energy AND, he will give the congresscrook SOMETHING (cash, a deal, a favor, another congresscrook's okay on something else, a block of votes, a pile of gold). The congresscrook introduces a bill that will allow everyone who buys the new water heater a tax credit. WOW!! Do you think that will help sales?

The FairTax was the brainchild of three very wealthy businessmen who got tired of tax planning so they thought and talked and figured the best plan was one that exempted all their business activity and profits from taxation.

They each throw some money in the pot ($1.5 million) to hire economists to do studies proving that exempting the source of their wealth from taxation would be good for the common folk too.

They tried out their ideas on focus groups, discovering the best words to use when selling their plan - and the "FairTax" was born.

They hired K-Street lobbyists (those bribing and bribable guys working for the "F. CAT" businessmen for tax favors against the interests of the common folk) to pitch their plan to Washington politicians. (not that the FairTaxers are looking for tax favors by exempting their wealth and profits from taxation - you understand)

Then they planted seed, watered and fertilized, nurturing - until they grew a gen-u-wine grass roots movement.

[pigdog]

Uhhhh - does this post have anything specifically to do with the points of the FairTax and the many economic studies that show it to be superior to the income tax ... or are you just blowing off to keep your fingers limber???

One is hard-pressed to find anything of substance there.