One Million Strong, Rocking DC!

“Individual commitment to a group effort – that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.” – Vince Lombardi

Leadership guru Ken Blanchard said, “The key to successful leadership is influence, not authority.” That’s an interesting concept when thinking about how best to advance the FairTax®.

Certainly, Congress has the upper hand on We the People when it comes to sheer authority. And for what authority they may lack, Members have perfected the art of using the IRS as a tidy little enforcement mechanism.

So that brings us back to influence. How can We the People really influence the Members of Congress who stand between the income tax and passage of the FairTax® Plan?

To answer that question, one must first ask, who actually has influence on Members of Congress?

Late last year Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research conducted a poll and asked that question. Sadly, constituents ranked themselves at the bottom of the barrel (11 percent) feeling they had little to no influence on the very people they elected to represent them. Who came in first? Why K-street lobbyists of course, by a whopping 65 percent. And who came in second on the influence peddling quotient? Campaign contributors at 52 percent.

This makes sense because the only thing that Members of Congress fear is that the electorate may throw them out. Lobbyists and campaign contributors provide the money to help the Members overwhelm their opponents and be reelected.

However, since often only 40,000 people vote in Congressional primary elections, money is not enough. They love the money but they fear associations with paid members residing in their district. The most effective groups and lobbyists are the ones that have the advantage of pointing to paid members who are passionate about an issue and who will favor the candidate that supports their issue.

That’s why Americans For Fair Taxation® has recently launched a new paid membership drive with a goal of signing up one million paid FairTax members.

Imagine the voice that one million paid FairTax members will have in Congress! You are already putting the pressure on Members; with one million paid FairTaxers you will really turn up the heat. Now that’s exciting!

To make it as easy as possible for one million patriots to join the FairTax movement, we have created multiple membership plans to fit everyone’s budget – from a $5 student to a $500 Patron – and everything in between. And if you really want to magnify your impact, consider sponsoring a membership for friends and family, but first share the good news of the FairTax with them to ensure they want to become a member.

To become a FairTax member, simply go to FairTax.org and click on the gold “Become a Member” button in the upper left corner. Complete the form and take pride in helping the FairTax campaign do what no other tax reform movement has done in the history of tax reform advocacy.

Alan Watts said, “The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it and join the dance.” Paid membership is a major change for the FairTax campaign. It is a change that will reap incredible benefits as soon as we reach the critical mass needed to get all Members’ attention. I invite you to take the plunge and join the dance.

Together we will PASS THE FAIRTAX!

EDITORS NOTE: The featured photo is of protesters rallying against government tax and spending policies at the U.S. Capitol on September 12, 2009, in Washington, D.C. by Rena Schild/Shutterstock.