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Colin Hanna info@lfrusa.com

10:24 AM (12 hours ago)

to me

Dear Jack,

Thanks for responding to our call for action – and then for taking action – on the payroll tax “holiday” issue. As I am sure you know by now, the matter has been at least temporarily resolved, although not to the satisfaction of most of us. It is now being spun by the Democratic party and the left-leaning major media as a defeat for Republicans in general and for conservatives, the House freshmen and the tea party in particular. The deal agreed to today will extend the 2% reduction in withholding for Social Security for the first two months of 2012, by which time the Congress will again try to extend it for the rest of the year.

Easily overlooked are three items that conservatives achieved:

Inclusion of the Keystone XL pipeline provision that the President either approve its construction or officially declare that he believes that it is not in our national interest to do so, rather than defer the decision until after the 2012 elections;
Agreement by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to appoint a Senate Conference Committee to meet with the House Conference Committee after January 1 to work out the details of a full-year extension, and
Relief from a complex set of payroll reporting requirements that would have hit small businesses especially hard.

All of this ignores the biggest problem at the heart of entire controversy, however: this so-called payroll tax “holiday” is fundamentally fraudulent. Instead of a payroll tax “holiday,” it should have been referred to as the Social Security Defunding Act. The 2% reduction is taken entirely out of the revenue stream that funds Social Security. Because Social Security is not merely an entitlement, but also an underfunded entitlement, the reduction in funding that occurs next year absolutely must and therefore will be restored at some point in the future. Consequently, it is not a real tax cut at all; it is merely tax deferment. Many of those who objected to the “holiday” did so because they understood that it’s a fraud, and they should be commended for that, even though the media steadfastly refused to report this angle.

I really appreciate Let Freedom Ring supporters who, like you, who stand ready to communicate with their legislators whenever a objectionable action is about to occur, or a good one is in danger of failing. You are truly the backbone of America.

God bless you, and may you and yours enjoy a wonderful Christmas. As for a Happy New Year, sure, that’s our wish as well, but we also realize that we need to wish for something more substantial than mere happiness next year. Let’s wish for a great awakening among the grassroots of the need to restore this great nation to its founding principles: limited government, honest representation, free markets, a strong defense and support for traditional values such as the importance of families as the basic building block of society.

With warm regards and deep appreciation for you,

Colin