my response to John

I have in fact read all of your post and I actually agree with you on several points, but that is for another day or discussion. I would however, agree with you that a flat tax, be it 23% or something else is probably the fairest way to tax but he problemwith that, besides the fact that it has been tabled so much, is that we can...not begin any type of tax reform until we are rid of the debt. The debt is what is going to kill us. The debt is an immediate clear and present danger to the United States.

I do not think that the donation of my 1% of my salary is going to make a difference, However, Rep Daniel Webster (R-Fl) has decided to accept my challenge and is going to donate (according to Elizabeth in his office) 1% of his salary. In addition,he is going to compel his staff to do the same. As I said in one or two letters if each elected member of the legislative branch of government made a sacrifice and compelled their staff to do the same, it would be a great symbol top the American people thatthey are serious about what is happening to the United States.

We are looking for someone, eventually, in all 435 districts to challenge their Congressman, and his staff, to do the same-show some commitment to the American people.

I, we, are not under the impression that this is going to be the only thing that gets us, as a people, out of this mess. It has to a combination of sacrifices. Why are the oil companies having record profits and we give them $4 billion for research? Why are the cotton farmers getting $2 Billion in subsidies. The cotton farmers subsidy made sense when we had family farms producing out cotton but now there are multi-national corporations doing this. As with the oil companies, they can survive like I do-onmy income. I am sure there are many more but I have not gotten far enough into this to make many more intelligent comparisons.

I do not think that folks that join this cause must necessarily select 1% of their income. I work for Walt Disney World and therefore my income is small in comparison to some friends. I choose 1% because we have no children and we are a 2 income household,$400 or so is not going to kill us. Others, we hope, may just select to donate $500 over the year. The point is to send it to your congressman each week and ask, cajole, shame or demand that they and their staff do the same.

So enough of my diatribe. Shame sometimes works wonders, especially if it begins to become clear that the American people are doing more than the people we elect to represent us. At this point-I truly feel I could select a House of Representatives andSenate from the folks I have worked with and do work with that could do a better job than is being done now and-we wouldn’t act like 3 year olds!!!

One more thing-why don’t you join us? Choose an amount that you can afford and challenge your congressman to do the same. Make the check out to the US treasury and notate that it go the principal of the debt. That would just be another district with pressurebeing exerted upon its Congressman.