The Patriot Post Brief 4-29-2013

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The Patriot Post Brief 4-29-2013
From The Federalist Patriot
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Remembering a Great Patriot

April 29, 2013

The Foundation

"I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis the business of little minds to shrink; but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death." --Thomas Paine

Inspiration

"Sunday, April 28, mark[ed] the 255th anniversary of President James Monroe's birth in 1758. ... How have we let this great patriot become a forgotten man? Monroe's military service alone made him a hero. When he was 18 and newly matriculated at William and Mary College, and the Second Continental Congress proclaimed the Declaration of Independence, he suspended his education to enlist in the Virginia infantry. ... Monroe and his fellow Virginia sharpshooters repelled a British advance, marking the first time in the War for Independence that Americans had whooped the British, forcing the redcoats to turn tail and run for their lives. Monroe played a key role in Washington's famous 1776 Christmas night sortie across the Delaware River. The teenaged Monroe was the co-leader, with one of Washington's cousins, of an advance party of 50 that had crossed the river ahead of the rest of Washington's troops, and then captured the two strategically placed cannons that defended the Hessian military camp outside of Trenton. Though seriously wounded by a musket shot, Monroe stood his ground, repelling repeated Hessian attempts to recapture the big guns, thereby saving many American lives (including, possibly, Washington's), and thereby making that indispensable, resounding victory possible. ... The amazing life story of James Monroe, the fifth president of the United States, would not be complete without mentioning that he passed from this world on the Fourth of July, 1831 -- five years to the day after his fellow presidents Adams and Jefferson. What a fitting conclusion to the life of a principled patriot who gave his whole adult life to serving his country and upholding our most noble ideals." --professor Dr. Mark W. Hendrickson1

Government

"If [the Marketplace Fairness Act] bill becomes law, fairness goes up in smoke. Online merchants would become revenue collectors for every sales-tax jurisdiction in America -- an estimated 9,600 of them, each with its quirks and quiddities. No longer would Internet retailers based in Massachusetts be liable only for sales taxes owed to Massachusetts. They would have to calculate and remit taxes owed to Tennessee and California and Wyoming and New Jersey, charging different levies for different customers, and somehow keeping up with the ever-shifting kaleidoscope of sales-tax rates, definitions, exemptions, and deadlines. Yet the owner of the brick-and-mortar shop around the corner would go on as before, charging only a single tax rate and remitting taxes to only a single state. ... There's a crucial reason why merchants can only be required to collect taxes for states in which they are physically present: Anything else would be taxation without representation. States must not be allowed to reach beyond their borders, imposing tax obligations on retailers who had no vote or voice in creating those obligations, no political recourse, no opportunity to be heard. Against such unfairness, Americans once fought a revolution. A craving for revenue is no reason to forget that." --columnist Jeff Jacoby2

Read Mark Alexander's column, "The e-Tax Scam3."

Reader Comments

"Regarding the Marketplace Fairness Act4, the powers-that-be obviously don't think about those of us who have to drive 50+ miles to get any selection at all. Please, contact your Senator and Representative to oppose this bill." --farmgirl in Minnesota

"Besides an arrogant, greedy display of power and a disregard for our rights, the Marketplace Fairness Act4 is just another step on the road to this nation's demise. My wife and I are elderly with health problems. Using the Internet is a necessary convenience for us. We're not trying to dodge any taxes, but using a resource that makes our lives easier." --EC in Kentucky

"It is not often that I disagree with Mark Alexander, but I must on the Marketplace Fairness Act4. Since Internet businesses started, I have wondered why they have not been responsible for charging sales tax like other businesses. I've always felt it has provided them with an unfair advantage compared to their 'brick and mortar' competitors. This has shown favoritism to one business model over another and has driven sales away from brick and mortar businesses. A truly conservative viewpoint would wish for a level playing field. We may agree that taxes are too high and should be reduced. But that is a different issue than creating a level playing field for businesses to compete." --Kurt in Plano, Texas

"The Marketplace Fairness Act4 actually makes a difficult situation worse. Instead of leveling the playing field, small players will now have a tremendous burden to deal with nearly 10,000 taxing districts -- a brick 'n' mortar only has to deal with one. Another way to realize just how dangerous this is, is to realize who is pushing for this -- the big corporate players for Internet sales, namely the likes of Amazon and Walmart. This is a crony capitalist move to squelch competition. Also, as an online merchant, I have no problem with collecting sales tax as I currently do for purchases from inside my state. But I do object to this regulatory monstrosity. This will shut many of us smaller places down." --Phil in Tatum, NM

Essential Liberty

"It's a pretty sad state of affairs when we have to rely on the Russians for intelligence about terrorists in our own backyards. Who'll try to help us next time, the North Koreans? There will be a next time. Everyone knows Boston was not a one-off. Other terror cells we don't know anything about yet are living among us and they're radicalized and trained to hurt us -- and they will. America has millions of soft targets. ... It was humiliating to watch a proud city be shut down and terrorized for more 24 hours, its people cowering and 'sheltering in place' because of two punks with pistols and a couple of homemade pipe bombs. Paul Revere and his fellow patriots would have been ashamed to see so many Americans afraid to even go outdoors. It's doubtful, but maybe some of the die-hard liberals of Boston -- and the rest of the country -- learned a lesson from what played out so dramatically on their streets and our TVs. Two weeks ago everyone on TV was talking or crying about the need for tougher gun control because of what happened at Newtown. Now, after Boston, everyone is talking about how we all need a gun at home to protect ourselves." --columnist Michael Reagan5

Re: The Left

"New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg says that in light of the Boston Marathon bombing, our interpretation of the Constitution will 'have to change.' ... More frightening than his statement is the nagging fact that the public has not risen up in opposition to his declaration. ... Long ago much of the country changed its interpretation of the Constitution. To many now, it simply means what they want it to mean, not what it actually says. Limits have been ignored, federalism evaded, wealth seized and redistributed, property confiscated, private affairs invaded and businesses subjugated. ... Bloomberg's explanation is that he merely wants to protect Americans from a 'very dangerous world' where 'we know there are people who want to take away our freedoms.' Freedoms, Mr. Mayor, such as the choice of soft drink size, the voluntary and peaceful intake of salt and trans fats, or the right to own firearms? Maybe there are enemies out there who want to take away our freedoms. But clearly, and sadly, we have political leaders who want to do the same thing. Seems like terrorists win either way." --Investor's Business Daily6