Broun discusses Fair Tax, Iraqi war and illegal aliens

Tenth District Congressman Paul Broun (second from right) addressed those present at a meeting of the Concerned Citizens of Lincoln County (CCLC) held Thursday, February 21, in the fellowship hall at Lincolnton United Methodist Church. Pictured with the congressman are: (lr) Brett McGuire, Nelson Brooks, and Lee Anderson.

Foreign intelligence, the war in Iraq, the Fair Tax, and illegal aliens were among the topics discussed by Congressman Paul Broun at a meeting of the Concerned Citizens of Lincoln County (CCLC) held Thursday, February 21, in the fellowship hall at Lincolnton United Methodist Church.

At the outset of the meeting, Al Bean, CCLC president, recognized Lee Anderson and Brett McGuire. Both men are campaigning for the State House seat currently held by Barry Fleming.

Bean then introduced the guest speaker, who was elected last year to fulfill the unexpired term of the late Charlie Norwood.

Congressman Brown began his presentation by informing the audience that they are less secure than they were last Saturday (February 16), when the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) expired.

The law was enacted in the wake of 9/11 to allow the federal government to monitor the telephone calls of known terrorists around the world.

According to Dr. Broun, "The bill to renew the law passed overwhelmingly in the Senate, but the leadership in the House wouldn't let us vote on the bill."

He explained that following 9/ll, the country was in a state of emergency, and the telephone companies cooperated with the federal government, permitting it to tap into calls made by known terrorists.

"The House leaders had no problem with monitoring calls; they wouldn't allow us to vote because the Senate Bill would give the telecommunications companies immunity from law suits filed by the ACLU and the Council for American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). They were more interested in protecting the trial lawyers than Americans. That is totally unacceptable."

Next, the congressman tackled the topic of the war in Iraq. "We need to know our enemy," he said. "We are fighting a small group of Islamic fascists, who do not belong to any state and who want to destroy our freedom and establish their law all over the world.

"Right now, those folks, who are very well-funded, particularly by Iran, are fighting us where our troops are. If we cut and run from Iraq, they will be fighting us in Atlanta, New York, Chicago, Augusta, and maybe even Lincolnton.

"There's nobody who wants to bring our troops home as badly as I do, but we need to find a way to bring them home in victory and honor."

Dr. Broun indicated that he is seeing changes in Iraq. "To solve these problems, larger numbers of peaceloving Muslims around the world will have to get engaged in this and stop it. Currently, a new strategy is in effect that calls for Kurds, Sunni, and Shia Muslims to work with our armed forces to bring an end to the war and stop the insurgents. Things are getting better."

In other comments, the congressman told the audience that he is a strict Constitutionalist. "There are 18 duties of the federal government out- lined in the Constitution; we are obviously doing more than this. However, our main goal is to protect our country with a strong military and strong homeland security."

He then expressed his appreciation to all of the members of the armed forces, past and present, for their service to the nation. "If you are retired and were promised veteran's benefits, I will do everything I can in Congress to ensure that you get them. If we can't fulfill our promises to retirees, how are we going to recruit new soldiers or keep those who want to make the military a career?"

Concerning the Economic Stimulus Package that was passed recently, the congressman said he voted against it. "I don't think that sending out a rebate check is going to do enough to stimulate the economy. We've got to shift our focus to creating jobs. A real stimulus plan has to be geared toward small businesses as they serve as the economic engine of our country. What we need to do is stimulate the growth of small businesses by getting the regulatory burden off of businesses and industries."

According to Broun, this can be accomplished by enacting the Economic Growth Act of 2008, which he is helping to introduce. "The act will serve to lower the corporate tax rate from 35 to 25 percent and the capital gains tax to 15 percent across the board. I would like to eliminate the capital gains tax altogether. But if we have one, we should index it to inflation."

The congressman indicated that he is an "ardent capitalist." "My philosophy is simple: the marketplace, unencumbered by government regulations, is the best way to control the quality, quantity, and the cost of all goods and services whether it is healthcare, gasoline, or a plane ticket."

In other remarks, Congressman Broun addressed the "Fair Tax Act of 2007," which he co-sponsored. "I am a strong supporter of the tax because it is fair," he said.

Adopting the Fair Tax would mean an immediate repeal of all corporate and individual income taxes, payroll taxes, self-employment taxes, capital gains taxes, and gift taxes. In their stead, Congress would enact a consumption tax that would be collected at the point of sale for goods or services. Since there will be no need to police compliance, the IRS can be eliminated.

"Getting rid of the embedded costs contained in the federal income tax code (payroll taxes, corporate income taxes, etc.), which are currently passed on to the consumer, will lower the cost of everything and stimulate the economy," stated Congressman Broun. "The Fair Tax will also allow citizens to control how much money they send to Washington."

He went on to say that the bill does not account for revenues from the "underground economy." "The bill will reach those engaged in illicit activities by taxing any purchase subsequently made in the legitimate economy, which will probably serve to increase tax revenues."

Likewise, as part of the Fair Tax legislation, every household will receive a "prebate check" every month. "This will prevent the tax from hurting poor people and those on limited incomes."

Broun pointed out that instead of the prebate check, he would prefer that food, healthcare, and other necessities be exempt from the national sales tax, which would keep the sales tax from being regressive or hurting the poor and those on limited incomes.

The federal compensation tax will probably be set at about 23 percent.

The bill was introduced in the House by John Linder, a Republican congressman from Gwinnett County. "Congressman Linder has tried to make the bill 'revenue neutral' so that the amount of revenues generated by the retail sales tax and the current taxation system will be the same," said Broun. "He wants to stop the government from spending so much. He wants to make the government smaller."

Broun stated that if the government would limit itself to the 18 tasks specified in the Constitution, the federal Fair Tax rate would probably drop markedly.

In additional items of information, Dr. Broun explained why he voted for an amendment to the budget bill to fund the United States Justice Department that would prevent the Justice Department from prosecuting physicians and pharmacists in states that have legalized the medical use of marijuana.

"Twelve states have legalized the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes," said the congressman, who is also a physician. "It is prescribed mainly for people with metastatic cancer. If someone is dying of cancer, let's give him everything he needs.

"But, it wasn't about the marijuana; it was about states' rights," Dr. Broun continued. "I believe that each state should determine how medicine is practiced within its borders. After the vote, it was said that I voted to legalize marijuana. That was simply not true. I do not believe it should be legal for the general public to purchase marijuana."

The congressman likewise explained why he voted against the "SAFE Act," which passed overwhelmingly and makes it against federal law to upload or download child pornography.

"These activities will be policed by 'computer service providers,' including local libraries, parents, grandparents, and cafes and other places that offer Wi-Fis," said Broun. "In essence, the bill requires these computer service providers to capture and retain images that might be perceived as child pornography for at least 90 days, which is against federal law, and report the activity to the Bureau of Missing Children. If they do not comply, they may be fined $300,000. As a result, mamas and daddies could potentially be prosecuted for taking pictures of their newborn baby and sending them to Grandma.

"This legislation is not needed - federal law already prohibits the uploading and downloading of child pornography," the congressman stated. "Moreover, the SAFE Act infringes on people's rights. Every person using a Wi-Fiwould have to give the computer service provider personal information. The act could potentially shut down all Wi-Fiservices around the country and make the public use of computer services a thing of the past.

"I was one of two people in the House who voted against the bill. Why? The others were scared to death of the ads that might appear during the next election: 'Congressman Joe Schmo voted for child pornography.'"

Concerning illegal aliens, Dr. Broun said, "Illegal aliens are criminals. Basically, we have to cut off the economic spigot that brings them here. We have got to secure the borders and make English the official language.

"Illegal aliens are over-running our hospitals - they are breaking our healthcare system and costing you money," he continued. "They are also destroying our educational system - it's not fair to American children."

The congressman indicated that he is totally opposed to amnesty or public assistance for illegal aliens. "I will fight these with every bit of my being. Illegal aliens and the employers who hire them must be held accountable."

In additional remarks, Congressman Broun stated that there are four questions he asks when considering a bill:

(1) Is it right, according to the Bible?

(2) Is it Constitutional, according to the original intent of the people who wrote it?

(3) Do we need it?

(4) Can we afford it?

"I serve Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, first, and you, second," said the congressman.

He went on to note: "If we don't push the country back to what the Founding Fathers intended in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, we will become a socialist state, suffering from economic collapse and moral meltdown.

"We have got to change the direction this country is heading in. The people in Washington are destroying it, trying to make government bigger and bigger and spend more and more of your money. We all have to do what it takes - together we can bring about positive change."

Also during the meeting, Congressman Broun made a few brief comments on various issues facing the state and nation. Among these issues were:

.. Healthcare: "The regulatory burden has markedly increased expenses," said the congressman. "CLIA (Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act) and HIPAA (Health Insurance Affordability and Accountability Act) have cost the healthcare industry billions, and yet, they have not paid for one aspirin to treat the headaches they have caused."

.. Administrative Law Judges: "The lack of judges to hear Social Security disability cases is a problem all over the country," according to Dr. Broun. "We have been working to secure additional disability judges to hear claims - seven more are now on their way to Georgia."

.. Abortion: The congressman indicated that he wants to introduce a bill that will deem human life as beginning at fertilization, which will give the fetus the right of personhood and the protection of the Constitution.

.. Water: "We need to deal with the water in the Savannah River," said Broun. "We are working to change management so we won't have a dry Lake Hartwell and a dry Clark's Hill Lake."

The congressman pointed out that there are several lakes in his district. "The problem is the corps (United States Army Corps of Engineers) is managing the water for the sturgeon in Savannah. The 'Endangered Species Act' mandates that the corps flush down so much water for the fish. But people are more important than sturgeon. We have to stop the environmentalist wackos from running our country."

In other items of information, Congressman Broun invited the residents of his district to let him know what is on their minds via his "Tele Town Hall."

The Tele Town Hall is a live, toll-free town hall meeting conducted over the phone, allowing the congressman to reach out to thousands of his constituents at one time.

"It's not a 'robo call,'" said Dr. Broun. "I am actually on the other end of the line. The system is designed so that your phone is in a 'listen-only' mode. If you accept the call and have a question or comment, simply press zero to get into the queue."

Broun tries to conduct the meetings twice a month.

Constituents may also reach the congressman or a member of his staff at his office in Augusta. The number is 1-706- 447-3857.

At the conclusion of his address, Dr. Broun received a round of applause from the audience.

Approximately 50 people attended the CCLC meeting.