Commentary
Pennsylvania needs to re-visit Prop 12!
I thoroughly enjoyed Mr. John R. Thompson ‘Commentary’ printed on Monday January 3, 2005. It got me to re-read my book “Taxpayer on Strike” which was co-authored by me,
on February 1979. That’s 26 years ago! . There are a few copies of this book left. You can go up on www.feartheirs.com go to the store. It is History!
Mr. Thompson is calling for an overhaul of state government starting with its arcane structure. He correctly points out that Pennsylvania has 253 legislators for only a shade over 12 million populations. These 253 ‘legislators’ have a staff of 8.9 each. He computes that the taxpayers could save about $1 million for every ‘legislator’ that is eliminated. California has 119 legislators for 35 million inhabitants, that’s three times the amount of Pennsylvania. So…if you cut Pennsylvania, down to 84 legislators,
the taxpayers could save $169 MILLION each and every year. Wow! What a start!
On June 6, 1978, the voters of the State of California by a 2-to-1 margin voted to adopt as part of their State constitution, the Jarvis-Gann Amendment also known as “Proposition 13”. Under the provision of Proposition 13, there was a limit placed on the amount of taxes which could be assed and collected against real estate of one (1) percent of the original market value.
Pennsylvania joined the ranks of the Tax Revolt on June 15, 1978 with the introduction on Proposition 12 (H.B. 2767) to the public. Within a short period of time over 200,000 signatures were collect on the petition from all across the State. This Bill was very similar to the bill passed in California. It had eight sections. Its primary purpose was to place a limit on taxation from all School, city, county, State Township, Boro, etc. EXAMPLE: Let’s assume your original purchase price was $150,000; the maximum amount of tax would be $1,500. this would help resident who did not want to move to remain in their homes until they did move.
The General Assembly of Pennsylvania Printer’s No 3729
House bill No. 2767 …Session of 1978 was introduced (By Request) BY MESSRS, MCCLATCHY, LASHINGER, MRS. KERNICK, MR PYLES, MRS GILLETTE, MESSRS, NOVAK, CESSAR, TRELLO, GOEBEL, GREENLEAF, POLITE, PANCOAST, MEBUS, ZELLER, LYNCH, YOHN, McGinnis, GARZIA, TENAGLIO, MRS. TAYLOR, MESSRS. E.H.SMITH, O’KEEFE, STAPLETON, S.E. HAYES, FRIEND, BROWN, HALVERSON, SPITZ, KLINGAMAN. D.S. HAYES, R. R. FISCHER, LEHR, POTT, AMRSTRONG, D. M. FISHER, WEIDNER, J.L.WRIGHT, WILSON, GALLEN, MILLER, MOEHLMANN, MRS. HONAMAN, MESSRS. STAIRS, NOYE, W. D. HUTCHINSON AND PETERSON, SEPTEMBER 13, 1978
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON RULES, SEPTEMBER 13, 1978 ______________
I printed all the names who endorsed this bill but held it up in committee so they would get the proper
credit for there inaction! I believe this bill is still in committee.
Unlike California, Pennsylvania does NOT have Initiative and Referendum procedures. It seems the politicians do not trust the voters.
I am glad Mr. Thompson wrote his informational commentary. I agree with him…it is time to demand a change…either limit the taxes or limit their term to this is
their last one.Robert B. Graham Sr.
p.s. You may read my Blog on www.feartheirs.com of call me 215-355-5660…..rbgraham@comcast.net
Happy New Year!
2005 brings an end to the convictions by the I.R.S. when tax ‘honesty’ Americans stop calling jurors
“ignorant public” and look into a mirror and see who is really ignorant.
I just read the Johnny Liberty, www.icresource.com , account of the Keith Anderson Trial in the State of Washington where 6 more Americans were found Guilty by a jury.
Mr. Liberty states, this trial has implications for all of us in the tax honesty and freedom movements, especially the leaders who have risked so much to educate the public. I believe the ‘leaders’ have only tried to educate the public as just how wonderful and brilliant they are
...and they are never to be criticized.
He further states, “They were convicted on
all counts. He further states, Still innocent people are going to prison for doing what the law allows them to. Still the U.S. government prosecutes political crimes and gets convictions from
ignorant jurist”.
In almost every trial of a tax person as Mr. Liberty states, No Law or code was ever cited to justify this prosecution and witch-hunt. Every time the law was mentioned, it was quashed and sustained by objection.
Mr. Liberty suggests there are many important lessons to be learned from this trial.
I agree. Remember it took a jury of ordinary U.S. citizens to convict these men and women. It wasn’t the U.S. government who ultimately pulled the trigger on seven innocent people. I did not read in his account of the trial where anyone brought up an objection to the judges sustaining of the objection.
I believe that the people on trial better look into a mirror...they are the ignorant and arrogant and will be found guilty every time. They refuse to learn from documented History! Just watch the results of the upcoming trials of Art Farnsworth, Joe Bannister, Larken Rose, and then Bob Schulz. Only Farnsworth has read April 15th – The Fear Factor, and I doubt if he understands what was written!
I was blessed to be the sergeant at arms in a mock trial in Detroit, before my trial! The account of this experience is in my book.
I personally witnessed 12 Americans who were
all family members of someone involved in the tax movement in 1982. I flew to Detroit for this ‘mock trial’, where one of the Detroit group was the prosecutor and another the judge and a person going on trial in a month was from a different state.
The first ‘paper ballot’ vote was 11 to 1 for not guilty. After the one negative vote was asked why she voted as she did…the next vote was 7 guilty and 5 not guilty…..the next vote about one hour later after much discussion was 12 to 0 for guilty.
These were family members of a 'tax rebel'.
Many of the things discussed were...if I had to pay why didn’t he? Another was he should have gone to an accountant or an attorney if he did not understand. It’s not up to the government to tell him what he owes in taxes. The biggie was...who is going to support all the government projects for the poor and the military...no body asked him if he supported the military.
Certainly the government would not put this person on trial if the grand jury did not find this person guilty. Certainly the judge would throw this indictment out if it were not true. He must have broken the law...somewhere.
One of the most startling thing I learned from this exercise was...when the mock trial was over and they were being questioned by the actors...no one said any of their above statements. They told different stories and they went right home. They were not sure whether they were proud of what just happened.
If every one facing a jury trial would realize that these jurors know nothing about the law and they believe the government would not lie to them. Then and only then will you know that you MUST convince them that what you did was right. That you did not break the law!
Two of my co-conspirators
refuse to take the stand because they were not clean, but I did not know this until the trial had started. I was on the witness stand for over 10 hours, my testimony is in my book…April 15th – the Fear Factor. Many years after the trial some of my jurors told me that…the fact that all did not testify as I had, almost proved that the government was not totally lying. www.feartheirs.com
We can win! I did get a “
NOT guilty” verdict and
22 ‘hung jury verdicts.
I did make the Judge apologize to the Jury. I realized that my jury wanted to find me ‘not guilty’ and that because of the two government plants had raised all of the above questions and objection for the government in the jury room...i did not teach them that the government was not being honest with them.
I was the ignorant one, not them, but today Ego and arrogance is too prevalent in the ‘tax honesty’ movement...look into a mirror because if you don’t... You are going to go jail. If you are on trial and want to talk about this situation PLEASE e-mail me at rbgraham@comcast.net.
Every tax honesty trial your always hear….the jury was ignorant….the jury was stupid. My fellow American
it’s not them it’s us. Go for a “hung jury”…you might get lucky and be found ‘Not guilty’, but if you don’t talk to the jury and if you don’t remember...you have to prove the government lied.
The jury has to understand that...no one wanted to believe that a Catholic priest would molest little boys either, but they did! Now we all believe.
I totally agree with Johnny Liberty when he says, “Even if a mistake was made, even if you didn’t like the defendants or agree with their politics, unless criminal intent was proven beyond a reasonable doubt, and the prosecution did NOT prove their case,
the jury had a DUTY to return a verdict of NOT GUILTY! And NO ONE BUT THE DEFENDANT will get the opportunity to tell this to the jury. Every time the Judge tries to shut you up…you must ask him...don’t you want me to get a fair trial? You must get him to lose his cool!
I cut the price of my book in half…it’s now $12.95, order from the web www.feartheirs.com
