The IRS must be replaced The IRS is not producing the revenues needed to grow our economy. The fact that more poor and lower income Americans pay little or no taxes and the rich and big business have tax loopholes, plus the growing number of Americans who don't even file any income taxes, compiled with many tax cheaters - it's little wonder why federal revenues are declining when they should be increasing. We also have a growing underground economy in America as more and more Americans and illegals are dealing with cash only and not paying any income taxes. This underground economy is at least $500 billion a year. We must have a national consumption tax (aka national volume added or national sales tax) as of Jan. 1, 2011. We can make it 10 percent on everything. Five percent of this national consumption tax goes to the federal government and five percent goes to the states to pay for the unfunded mandates the federal government passes. Also, as of 2011, the IRS should cut IRS taxes in half and make them much more simple. In a year or two, if the national consumer tax increases federal and state revenues, we can double it to 20 percent and nearly eliminate the IRS. A national value added sales tax will let America receive revenues from goods sold in America by slave labor countries and eliminate the cash-only underground economy. Whereas I suggest that the states receive 50 percent of the revenue received by a national sales tax (aka value added tax) the states could collect and monitor this tax. With the exception of two or three states with no sales tax, they could implement and enforce this consumption tax with a few new employees. We must financially help the states because a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Health care bill is not funded President Obama said, "This health care legislation will be the greatest legislation since Roosevelt passed the Social Security Act" However, unlike Social Securit

America is Now a Socialistic Country

By John D. Rigazio

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2010 John D. Rigazio
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4520-6587-8

Contents

PREFACE.......................................................................................................................2INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................................3"BY THE END OF 2010, OUR FEDERAL DEBT PROBLEM" WILL BECOME A CRISIS...........................................................5"MY FATHER, JBR: A GREAT AMERICAN"............................................................................................9I WAS BLESSED TO HAVE SUCH PARENTAL GUIDANCE..................................................................................11EXPLAINING SOCIALISM..........................................................................................................13AFGHANISTAN?..................................................................................................................15FIVE INCOME GROUPS............................................................................................................18SIR JAMES GOLDSMITH WAS AHEAD OF HIS TIME.....................................................................................20CHINA DOESN'T DESERVE MOST FAVORED NATION STATUS..............................................................................23CHINA'S MOST FAVORED NATION STATUS MUST END NOW...............................................................................25WE MUST BARGAIN FOR FAIR TRADE WITH CHINA FROM A POSITION OF STRENGTH.........................................................27HEALTH CARE BILL IS NOT FUNDED................................................................................................29AMERICA'S SEMI-SOCIALISTIC HEALTH CARE SYSTEM IS THE BEST "IN THE WORLD ... HOWEVER, WE CAN'T AFFORD IT.".....................30WELFARE A STANDARD OF LIVING..................................................................................................33OPEN LETTER TO THE CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR........................................................................................37RISK IS NEEDED IN THE FREE ENTERPRISE SYSTEM..................................................................................40"A 'DEAR JOHN' LETTER TO MY FRIEND JOHN NOLAN, EDITOR OF" THE ROCHESTER TIMES.................................................42GDP A FALSE ECONOMIC INDICATOR................................................................................................45THE IRS MUST BE REPLACED......................................................................................................47MAKES SENSE TO ME.............................................................................................................48OUR REPUBLIC IS LONG GONE; OUR DEMOCRACY IS DEAD—WE JUST HAVEN'T HAVE THE FUNERAL YET...................................50DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS HAVE FAILED.........................................................................................54ONLY AMERICA PRACTICES FREE TRADE.............................................................................................56THE HOUSING CRISIS............................................................................................................58AMERICA'S SPUTTERING ECONOMIC ENGINE..........................................................................................60SOCIAL SECURITY PAYS ITS OWN WAY..............................................................................................63THEY DON'T HAVE A CLUE HOW TO GET OUR JOBS BACK...............................................................................65IT WAS STILL ABOUT JOBS IN 2001...............................................................................................68THE TRUTH ABOUT VISAS.........................................................................................................70HOW THE WTO TRANSFERS WEALTH..................................................................................................71THE EARTH IS NOT FLAT; SMOOT HARTLEY TARIFFS DID NOT CAUSE THE FIRST DEPRESSION...............................................73THE INFLATIONARY '70s.........................................................................................................76HE PLANS ON DYING BROKE.......................................................................................................78CAPITALISM IS NOT A FORM OF GOVERNMENT........................................................................................80ABOUT SUPPLY AND DEMAND.......................................................................................................83GLAD SOMEONE KNOWS WHAT'S GOING ON............................................................................................85ECONOMY GOING BUST............................................................................................................87DEFICITS MUST BE PAID FOR.....................................................................................................88AMERICA IS CAUGHT IN A 'FREE TRADE' TRAP......................................................................................89WAKE UP AMERICANS: OUR ECONOMY IS DYING.......................................................................................91HOW LONG CAN OBAMA HOLD BACK ISRAEL?..........................................................................................93LET ISRAEL TAKE OUT IRANIAN NUCLEAR FACTIONS..................................................................................95MAIN STREET USA REVIVING DOWNTOWN A SUCCESSFUL COST PLUS 10 PERCENT COULD HAVE................................................97NATIONWIDE SIGNIFICANCE.......................................................................................................99MANUFACTURING IS THE KEY TO JOB GROWTH IN AMERICA.............................................................................101THEY HAD GREAT FIRST QUARTER EARNINGS.........................................................................................103WE AMERICANS NEED A LOBBYIST..................................................................................................105IF I WAS THE CEO OF GOLDMAN SACHS.............................................................................................107WAL-MART IS A MONOPOLY........................................................................................................109WAL-MART BOSSES URGE THEIR EXECUTIVES TO NOT VOTE FOR DEMOCRATS...............................................................111AMERICA MUST GO ON THE OFFENSE AGAINST TERRORISTS.............................................................................113"GREECE, SPAIN, PORTUGAL, THE U.S.?"..........................................................................................115THE TEA PARTY NEEDS TO OFFER CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM...........................................................................116THE COFFEE PARTY..............................................................................................................117WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE.........................................................................................................118W.O.P. MEANS WITHOUT PAPERS...................................................................................................121

Chapter One

BY THE END OF 2010, OUR FEDERAL DEBT PROBLEM WILL BECOME A CRISIS

Published 2/27/10

We have this year, 2010, to restore confidence to the foreign countries, worldwide investors and our fellow Americans who are holding our federal bonds and treasury notes. The way things look now, the question about America's soon-to-be $14.3 trillion debt is that it doesn't look good for investors. In fact, most think it isn't if America's financial debt problem will reach a crisis stage it is when.

I predict that unless America can show the world we are taking corrective steps to balance our budget and start paying down our debt, all our lenders will sell our treasury bonds and notes and not hold the American dollar. If we have nothing to back up our dollar and we keep printing more, we will see runaway inflation in America.

This lengthy article is going to offer some suggestions which will help us curb spending, and most importantly, grow revenues.

Cutting spending when the need for social spending is growing rapidly and indiscriminately raising taxes on America's lower and middle income Americans is counter-productive. As we all realize, putting Americans back to work is the way to grow revenues (this is not going to happen in 2010 unless we get fair world trade agreements that are enforced.)

Also, we must provide poor and lower income Americans with the incentive to join the workforce. To do this, we must increase the minimum wage by $3 an hour. There has to be a greater difference between what a person gets for working and what they receive for not working.

We must stop the Senate and House health care reform bills. While we provide health care for 45 to 50 million non-insured citizens and illegal immigrants, we are mandating all health care costs be paid for by big and small business. This is going to add to unemployment in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013. When we are trying to create jobs in America, this is highly counter-productive to job growth.

I don't think the politicians in Washington (Republicans and Democrats) have the intestinal fortitude (guts) to initiate the tax increases which will be needed to balance our budget and allow us to start paying down our debt.

As the Republicans have done since 1980, we have not advocated a large federal tax hike since Bush Senior said "Read my lips" (no tax increases). He did increase taxes and, of course, became a one-term president. So to get elected to Washington, you must listen to the public, tell them what they want to hear, and in the next sentence tell them you are not going to raise taxes.

This is what Karl Rove told two-term President George W.: "Don't raise taxes ... deficits don't matter."

To the American people (this includes disgruntled conservative Republicans who are trying to make a political statement with their "Tea Party" tax revolts) I say: Where were you when George W. put America in debt to the tune of $6 trillion? Yes, Tea Party people, deficits do matter and we have to pay that debt plus interest. There is no free lunch and there is no free money.

The old Republican war cry of "Cut spending and cut taxes" is not the answer. However, will Americans vote for someone who says "We are going to raise your taxes"? I don't think so. (Remember Presidential candidate George McGovern, who honestly said he would have to raise taxes? He didn't win one state.)

To balance our federal budget we will need tax increases; however, these tax increases will hurt the economy if they increase the need for social spending.

The globalization of the American economy and the American financial system itself is in the best interests of the world economy first and the American economy second. The legislation needed in 2010 to restore confidence to our lenders that we will balance our budget and start paying down our debt will require us to put America first and the world economy second.

Have we got enough of our national sovereignty left to control our own economic destiny? Briefly, here is what needs to be done.

JOB GROWTH

We all know we need to put Americans back to work if we are going to balance our federal budget. Until we get out of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and insist on fair trade agreements we will not get job growth in our economy.

INCREASE THE MINIMUM WAGE BY $3 PER HOUR

This would increase the taxes paid to state and federal government. It would help the growth of the economy because 100 percent of the $3 per hour increase will go straight into consumer spending, which is two-thirds of our economy. It will save the states hundreds of thousands of dollars that is now needed to subsidize American workers who are not being paid a living wage.

This $3 per hour increase in the minimum wage would provide an incentive for Americans on welfare to join the workforce.

We cannot let the National Chamber of Commerce fight every proposed hike in the minimum wage as if it were going to cause runaway inflation or ignite labor unions to demand higher wages and benefits. Believe me, union workers are more worried about job security than wage and benefit increases. Although along with the $3 per hour increase in the minimum wage we can institute a federal wage freeze on all union workers' pay. It is way past time we let non-union workers' pay increase to a living wage.

In my opinion, the National Chamber of Commerce is a tool of big business to get cheap labor which needs to be subsidized by the taxpayers.

A $3 per hour increase in the minimum wage would increase tax revenues, decrease safety net spending, and spur consumer spending. It is a win, win, win situation.

HEALTH CARE REFORM

The current health care bill in the Senate and House will be a job killer. Let's face facts — 45 to 50 million Americans do not have health care insurance, but they do have health care. For our federal government to mandate big and small businesses to provide health insurance not only for their employees, but for the other 45 to 50 million Americans who are receiving health care but not paying for it, is ridiculous.

Both health care reform bills are socialistic boondoggles incognito. They put the cost of health care on the backs of businesses who are the very ones we look to to create job growth.

Health care, like Social Security, must be paid for directly out of all citizens' paychecks. We must adopt the Canadian health care system and adopt a single payer provider.

THE IRS MUST BE REPLACED

The IRS is not producing the revenues needed to grow our economy. The fact that more poor and lower income Americans pay little or no taxes and the rich and big business have tax loopholes, plus the growing number of Americans who don't even file any income taxes, compiled with many tax cheaters — it's little wonder why federal revenues are declining when they should be increasing.

We also have a growing underground economy in America as more and more Americans and illegals are dealing with cash only and not paying any income taxes. This underground economy is at least $500 billion a year.

We must have a national consumption tax (aka national volume added or national sales tax) as of Jan. 1, 2011. We can make it 10 percent on everything. Five percent of this national consumption tax goes to the federal government and five percent goes to the states to pay for the unfunded mandates the federal government passes.

Also, as of 2011 the IRS should cut their taxes in half and make them much more simple.

In a year or two, if the national consumer tax increases federal and state revenues, we can double it to 20 percent and nearly eliminate the IRS.

A national value added sales tax will let America receive revenues from goods sold in America by slave labor countries and eliminate the cash-only underground economy.

AMERICA NEEDS A JOB GROWTH COMMISSION

America needs a "Job Growth Commission" to ensure American workers a fair share in an unfair global marketplace, where only America practices free world trade.

Chapter Two

MY FATHER, JBR: A GREAT AMERICAN

Published 1/3/08

I never went to college and I am computer illiterate. So what is it in my education that gives me the right to offer constructive criticism to our federal government on the many grave problems facing our country?

Over and above my constitutional right of freedom of speech, I hereby give you my educational background.

The first part of my education was strong parental guidance; secondly, I was drafted and spent two years (November 1952 to November 1954) in the U.S. Army Infantry, which was an education in itself. I was a businessman for 50 years in the wholesale/retail food business, dealing with the biggest business in the U.S. I watch all the TV news and financial channels, and I read one or more newspapers every day.

Perhaps my greatest education on what it means to be an American came from a great American (my father), John Batista Rigazio, who passed away in 1949. I was 17 and had just graduated from Spaulding High.

My father was the only person in his family who came over from Italy as a teenager. He was 58 when he died. He worked in the brickyards and later opened three retail fruit and produce businesses, plus one wholesale produce route. He himself spoke three languages fluently; however, he would not allow my mother to teach us Italian.

In his mind, we were Americans of Italian descent, not Italians living in America. He ingrained many American values in me which are too many to list. However, the one I could never forget was America was the land of opportunity, not the land of guarantee.

So in 1964, I was a 33-year-old businessman and family man and never wrote a letter to the editor; never questioned my federal government's decisions. However, that all changed when Lyndon Baines Johnson (LBJ) gave his inaugural speech. He said, in essence, America was a nation of unprecedented wealth. He listed many of our great assets.

He then said amongst all this wealth we in America still had citizens living in poverty, citizens not being able to afford a college education, some not having adequate health care, and last but not least, our older citizens were in need of federal programs to take care of them.

What LBJ said in his 1964 inaugural speech was he was guaranteeing all Americans everything because they were Americans.

My father, John Batista Rigazio (JBR), told me America was the land of opportunity, not the land of guarantee.

From 1964 (the year I lost my marbles) I have been following our country's building on the 1964/68 socialistic foundation laid out by LBJ and his Great Society programs.

There is no way in a letter to the editor I could give readers my views of America's 1964 march to socialism. I will say, however, that we have more people dependent upon government to maintain their living standards. This is a direct result of trying to change America from the land of opportunity to the land of guarantee.

I suppose in retrospect if America could socialize on a balanced budget it would be OK. However, as President Reagan said, "A government big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take everything you've got."

Note: LBJ, from 1964-68, passed 450 socialistic bills, laying down the foundation for socialistic growth in America. I feel about 150 bills were probably needed and many existing laws needed to be enforced.

He meant well; however, my father (JBR) knew you cannot change America from the land of opportunity to the land of guarantee.

Chapter Three

I WAS BLESSED TO HAVE SUCH PARENTAL GUIDANCE

Published in The Rochester Courier, 1950

When the Golden Rule Foundation was casting about for candidates for "The Mother of the Year," they overlooked one very imminent possibility in the person of Lena Rigazio, mother of three and a woman to whom the American ideal of democracy is a never-ending source of wonder and delight.

BORN IN ITALY

Born in the lovely old medieval town of Cigliano in Northern Italy, Mrs. Rigazio came to the United States as a girl of six years and settled with her family in Haverhill, Mass. She attended the Haverhill schools, and when she had completed her formal education was employed as a sample stitcher in one of the great shoe manufacturing plants there.

During her years in Haverhill she met John Rigazio, who was just starting a fruit business in Rochester, and they were married on Sept. 18, 1926. They took an apartment owned by the late Lena Morrison on Summer Street and Mrs. Rigazio remembers that Mrs. Morrison gave her an acquaintance party in which all the neighbors took part. Among the guests were Mrs. Dorothy Lyons, wife of the present Mayor C. Wesley Lyons, and her sister, Mrs. Marion Ross, and she has always been grateful for their friendliness and aid in making acquaintances.

BUILT LARGE BUSINESS

Both Mr. and Mrs. Rigazio became naturalized American citizens as soon as possible after settling in Rochester and together they built a wholesale and retail fruit business that today covers a wide area in southeastern New Hampshire. John, a cheerful, honest man, made friends readily and held them. Mrs. Rigazio did the bookkeeping for the business and between times raised three fine children. The two sons, Raymond and John, both graduated from Spaulding High School and the daughter, June, is a junior at Holy Rosary High.

Raymond, or "Butch" as he is known, was a football ace at Spaulding and on the death of his father last year took over the management of the business with the assistance of his mother. John is associated with them in the enterprise.

The thing that most of Mrs. Rigazio's friends will remember about her probably will be her eyes and her smile. Her lovely brown eyes reflect the kindliness of a great soul and her smile has made her the friend of hundreds of people. A deeply religious woman, she has always found comfort in her church, and the peace she has found there has been reflected so many times in the cheerfulness with which she greets everyone.

LOVES AMERICA

Mrs. Rigazio has known many sorrows, but the deep goodness that is inherent in her disposition has made her known and loved by all with whom she has made friends. And through all the years since she first came to these shores, she has never ceased to wonder at the opportunities which are available to any person who is willing to work hard, honor their God and their fellow men.

Chapter Four

EXPLAINING SOCIALISM

Published 5/12/10

My friend and classmate wrote a May 10th Community Commentary in Foster's telling us how he feared socialism.

Yes, Mr. Lovejoy, we (you and I) have much to fear from the socialistic government that we now have. While we Americans didn't vote for socialism, that is what's being forced upon us because of our federal government's fiscal irresponsibility.

Socialism is the cancer which has America's free enterprise system in intensive care. Will the system which made America the land of opportunity survive?

You see, George, we didn't get socialized overnight and we will not get de-socialized overnight. I have been watching the growth of socialism in America for 50 years now. I won't go back any further than that. I will let that nut (or should I call him a fruitcake?) Glenn Beck call the growth of socialism a designed progressive conspiracy.

Here is how socialism grew in America. Since 1960, more and more Americans needed more and more taxpayers' money to make their living. Today, the growing number of poor and lower income (working poor) need other taxpayers' money to supply them with the very basic necessities of life.

So by taxing the middle income and higher income Americans more, many middle income Americans go into the working poor group and many higher income Americans drop down into the middle income group.

Excessive taxation is adding to socialism as our federal government has made welfare a standard of living, and the growing number of illegals who have to be subsidized by the taxpayers also pours oil on the burning fires of socialism in America.

Plus the two growth industries in America — health care and education — are in themselves socialistic, as more and more Americans cannot afford either.

(Continues...)

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