AMERICA MISSION

Recently my sister in law shared with me an editorial written by former journalist of 49 years Charley Reese’s from the Orlando Sentinel. This may or may not have been his last column before retirement; none the less, ‘545 vs 300,000,000 People‘ was published on Feb. 3, 1984. Mr. Reese passed away in May of 2013.

I thought it was apropos to share here as anti-Trump pundits and politicians are clutching pearls over the Presidents proposal to abolish the income tax. The plan suggests a return to a tariff-centric economic policy that he believes will increase American wealth. Citing this period between 1870 and 1913 as a historical example of American prosperity under a tariff-focused system. The plan involves replacing income tax with tariffs, creating a new agency called the External Revenue Service to manage tariffs and foreign revenue.

• Trump’s Proposal: The proposal aims to abolish the federal income tax, which raises about $2 trillion in revenue, and replace it with a tariff-based system.
• Tariff-Centric Economic Policy: Trump believes this approach will increase American wealth, citing the success of a similar system from 1870-1913, and has proposed creating a new agency to manage tariffs and foreign revenue. White House Fact Sheet on Tariffs: Canada, Mexico, China

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As you can read by Mr. Reese’s article, We the People are not responsible for their fiscal mismanagement through the years but we are responsible for who we vote into office. We desperately needed a new administration that will fix the financial disaster our country has fallen into. Voting in President Donald Trump and the trifecta is a clear sign that a majority of We The People are are done with the status quo and have picked the team that will Make America Financially Great Again.
The pearl-clutchers can always donate to the Federal Government if they feel they need to give them more money.

. . .545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you
that what they did is not their fault.
They cooperate in this common con regardless of party. . .
There are no insoluble government problems.

Charlie Reese

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US Debt Clock now features a DOGE Clock to calculate savings produced by the Department of Government Efficiency:

Who Owns the US Debt? Click HERE.

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545 vs. 300,000,000 People

-By Charlie Reese, Feb 03,1984

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.

Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?
Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?

• You and I don’t propose a federal budget. The President does.
• You and I don’t have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.
• You and I don’t write the tax code, Congress does.
• You and I don’t set fiscal policy, Congress does.
• You and I don’t control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.

One hundred senators, 435 [433 as of Jan, 2025] congressmen, one President, and nine Supreme Court justices equates to 545 human beings out of the 300 million that are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country. [340,110,988 humans as of July, 2024]

I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.  

I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a President to do one cotton-picking thing. I don’t care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator’s responsibility to determine how he votes.

Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.

What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits. (The President can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.)

The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. The Speaker of the House is the leader of the majority party. He and fellow House members, not the President, can approve any budget they want.) If the President vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to. [editor’s note KJ: The U.S. Congress hasn’t passed a budget on time in 27 years. Instead, they’ve been relying on continuing resolutions (CRs) to temporarily fund the government.]

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million cannot replace 545 people who stand convicted — by present facts — of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can’t think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.  

• If the tax code is unfair, it’s because they want it unfair.
• If the budget is in the red, it’s because they want it in the red.
• If the Army & Marines are in Iraq and Afghanistan it’s because they want them in Iraq and Afghanistan ..
• If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it’s because they want it that way.

There are no insoluble government problems.

Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power.

Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like “the economy,” “inflation,” or “politics” that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.

Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.

• They, and they alone, have the power.
• They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses.
• Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees…
  We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!

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Are You Taxed Enough?

Not one of these taxes below existed 100 years ago, and our nation was the most prosperous in the world. We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.

Our Taxes

[editor’s note KJ: updated for 2025].

• Accounts Receivable Tax
• Alcohol tax 
• Building Permit Tax
• Capital gains tax
• Carbon tax
• CDL license Tax
• Cigarette Tax
• Corporate Income Tax
• Development Impact Tax
• Dividend tax
• Dog License Tax
• Excess profits tax 
• Excise Taxes
• Federal Income Tax
• Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
• FICA tax  .
• Financial transaction tax
• Fishing License Tax
• Food License Tax
• Fuel Excise
• Fuel Permit Tax
• Gasoline Tax
• Gift tax
• Gross Receipts Tax
• Hotel/Lodging Tax
• Hunting License Tax
• Income Tax (also known as Pay-As-You-Earn tax)
• Inflation tax (value lost by inflation)
• Inheritance Tax
• Inventory Tax
• IRS Interest Charges IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
• Liquor Tax
• Luxury Taxes
• Marriage License Tax
• Medicare Tax
• Personal Property Tax
• Real Estate Tax
• Recreational Vehicle Tax
• Road Usage Tax
• Sales Tax
• School Tax
• Service Charge Tax
• Social Security Tax
• Soda tax 
• Stamp Duty 
• State Income Tax
• State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
• Telephone Federal Excise Tax
• Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax
• Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes
• Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
• Telephone Recurring and Nonrecurring Charges Tax
• Telephone State and Local Tax
• Telephone Usage Charge Tax
• Transfer tax
• Tuition (it is actually a form of tax)
• Utility Taxes
• Vehicle License Registration Tax
• Vehicle Sales Tax
• Watercraft Registration Tax
• Well Permit Tax
• Windfall profits tax
• Withholding tax 
• Workers Compensation Tax

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The Ode TO Taxes

Tax his land,
Tax his bed,
Tax the table,
At which he’s fed.

Tax his tractor,
Tax his mule,
Teach him taxes
Are the rule.

Tax his work,
Tax his pay,
He works for
peanuts anyway!

Tax his cow,
Tax his goat,
Tax his pants,
Tax his coat.

Tax his ties,
Tax his shirt,
Tax his work,
Tax his dirt.

Tax his tobacco,
Tax his drink,
Tax him if he
Tries to think.

Tax his cigars,
Tax his beers,
If he cries
Tax his tears.

Tax his car,
Tax his gas,
Find other ways
To tax his ass.

Tax all he has
Then let him know
That you won’t be done
Till he has no dough.

When he screams and hollers;
Then tax him some more,
Tax him till
He’s good and sore.

Then tax his coffin,
Tax his grave,
Tax the sod in
Which he’s laid…

Put these words
Upon his tomb,
‘Taxes drove me
to my doom…’

When he’s gone,
Do not relax,
Its time to apply
The inheritance tax.

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We sincerely hope you join ME and the many who’ve
decided that America is their mission too.

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