Legacy of Freedom

It’s a hard thing to lay down one’s life for another; most of us would never do it. Yet, over the brief history of our American Union, from the Revolutionary War to the present, more than 1.3 million American soldiers have done exactly that.

We owe them far more than a day of remembrance: we owe them our very lives. We owe them the liberty we so take for granted.

This Memorial Day the average American will enjoy the extra day off work. Maybe he will drink some beers with friends and toss some burgers on the grill. Maybe he won’t give a second thought as to why he can do these things.

This national holiday was originally known as Decoration Day: a day of remembrance to honor the fallen of the Civil War. Since WWI, it has been broadened to include America’s heroes in any war. We should not lightly take the sacrifice they made on our behalf. (The immediate families of those fallen soldiers certainly didn’t.)

I encourage every individual who breathes American air to take time, at 3PM on Memorial Day, to observe the National Moment of Remembrance. Stop what you’re doing for a few minutes to consider the freedom you have and the price paid to give it to you. Consider what you would do to preserve it. Give thanks to God and to the American soldier, for being willing to die for you.

After the moment passes, consider carrying on the rest of your day in a manner worthy of their sacrifice. And when the day is done, carry on that way tomorrow, as well.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high!
—Lt. Col. John McCrae, “In Flanders Fields”

For our great future together, I remain
Most Solemnly Yours,

Scott Rupert

* Images provided courtesy of LensPassion.com

FaceBook and FairTax

Eduardo Saverin’s renunciation of citizenship over taxes would be of little concern, were we to replace income and capital gains taxes with “The FairTax,” a single-rate, federal retail sales tax.

Mr. Boehner is right to be incensed that one who has earned so much, from the resources available to him in the U.S., would take such extreme action to avoid having his money taken from him by a wasteful government. You see, I’m not particularly excited to have my hard earned cash confiscated by wasteful government either. But John, a new law to PUNISH one of our own (or one who was our own) for exercising his liberty? C’mon! Wouldn’t it be better for everyone to step back and ask why this happened? Because another law won’t prevent it from happening again.

Here’s an idea:  PASS H.R. 25! This is better known to your constituents (and God willing, it will be known to mine, as well) as The FairTax. It solves a multitude of problems for you and your friends across the aisle. It promotes economic growth by putting everyone’s hard earned money into their own pocket, where they can spend it as they wish. It promotes free markets by letting individuals pick the “winners” and “losers.” Let’s not forget: it allows those of us who pay into a Social Security program—we know we’ll never benefit from it—the opportunity to save and invest for our retirement. Best of all, it taxes the wealth of the rich, not merely their income, and that’s important to your Democrat counterparts. True, it doesn’t punish them for making money, but it soaks them when they spend it. The Dems will love that. That will “teach the wealthy to rub the noses of the poor in all their consumption.”

So John, whaddya say? Let’s MAKE Eddie pay his taxes the smart way, when he spends his money. You’ll feel better. Eddie will feel better. We’ll ALL feel better, and our economy will begin to grow immediately. Just think of all the money Washington will save by eliminating the Internal Revenue Service.

Oh, one more thing for the record: passing The FairTax is a mission of mine. Nobody in Congress understands better than I do the destructive power of the IRS.


Find out more about me at ScottRupert.com.