1.  President's ReMARKs
            Independence Day is coming up, and it is common to think about the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.  As important to our country was what happened on that date 87 years later.
 
            On July 4, 1863, one army was beginning its retreat, while another had achieved its objective.  Both movements were significant victories for the Union, and two Republican Presidents--one future, another current--were a part of them.  Ulysses S. Grant (some said the U.S. stood for "Unconditional Surrender"), the 18th President, accepted Vicksburg's surrender on July 4, 1863, opening the Mississippi River.  President Lincoln appointed Grant a Major General the same day.
 
            And of course Lincoln, the 16th President, dedicated the cemetery at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, some months after the Confederate retreat on July 4, 1863.  At the time not everyone liked the speech, but history records it as one of the best given, as well known as the Declaration.
 
            "We here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain--that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom--and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."
 
            Throughout this election year, we will go back and forth between whose policies are better and who knows what's best for the country.  Come January 1, 2009, we will have had 365 days to talk about ourselves and the other guys.  2008 is not just an election year; it's also a leap year, giving us an extra day.  So let's say July 4, not February 29, is the 366th day, and use it to think about what it means to be an American, and work so that our politics follow those thoughts.
 
Mark R. Hanson is the President of the Arlington Republican Club.

 

2.  Legislative Alert:  Obama's Tax Plan Will Cost You Plenty
            If Obama should win the White House in November, he not only has plans to tax the rich.  He has plans to tax us all. If you look deep inside his tax plan, you'd see we're facing one of the most ominous redistributions of wealth in our country's history. Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay called Obama a "Marxist."  DeLay is right. Obama's tax plan seems to be right out of the Communist Manifesto.
 
            First off, Obama has proudly and defiantly claimed the Bush tax cuts "toast." Not only will the "rich" pay more, every tax bracket will be increased so that every working man and woman will be hit with a tax increase. The highest marginal rate will go from 35% to 39.6%.  Yes, those evil rich people who produce jobs will get theirs under Obama's plan. Obama fails to mention that those rich people might just lay off people or close down their companies all together if faced with such a big tax increase.
 
            If Obama gets elected, don't plan on dying, but if you must, make sure it's before 2009.  His plan reinstates the Death Tax, which is on the books to expire in 2010, to its full and proud 45% of whatever you intended to bequeath to anyone.
 
            Now it's time to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs. Obama's plan increases the tax on dividends and capital gains from 15% to 25%. All those "unscrupulous rich people" with stocks and bonds will finally pay their fair share.  Obama deliberately ignores the obvious fact that union members at GM, the teacher, the librarian, the electrician, the executive, the hairdresser...  in fact, most of working America, regardless of party affiliation, are invested in some way in our capital markets.  When you retire, and want to start taking money out of your 401(k), Obama will be there with his hand in your pocket.
 
            And last, but far from least, Obama wants to end the earnings cap on FICA taxes.  For now, FICA taxes are paid on income of up to $102,000.  Like Medicare, Obama wants FICA taxes paid on all income.
 
            McCain has stated that he wants to make the Bush tax cuts permanent.  If you're having doubts about supporting the Republican nominee, think again.  If Obama and the Democrats win, and he has a filibuster-proof Senate, the economy will suffer and every working man and woman will be paying more for everything.  If you think the pain is at the gas pump (Thanks to the Democrats refusal to let us drill for oil and produce gas in our own country), wait until Obama's tax plan gets hold of your wallet!
 
Anne Coker is 4th Vice President of the Arlington Republican Club and owns a company that sells pre-employment testing.

 

3.  A Conservative's Reading List
            For all intents and purposes the Democrats ended their nominating process this past month.  We now have an answer to the big question (Who is the presidential race between?  McCain and Obama) and at least some of resolution to a host of others (Who exactly is a Democrat superdelegate?  Don't care any more!).  But for all that we can compartmentalize or brush away, there is plenty enough to keep those of us interested in politics busy for the next four months.  Remember:  the end of the Obama-Clinton feud was just the end of Phase I.
 
            The following is a reading list of online sources that address some of the new or recurring questions and, I think, prepare us for Phase II.
 
            Who will the running mates be?
                        If you are uninterested in the process that McCain and Obama will use to select the nominee for the next vice president, this article will be a little tedious (http://www.nationaljournal.com/njmagazine/cs_20080621_9379.php).  It takes a while to get to the list of names, which is skimpy on the Republican side (Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, and businesswoman Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorina are the only four names mentioned) and copious for the Democrats (Marc Ambinder, the writer, might have saved space by mentioning the Democrats not being considered).
 
            What do Republicans have to do to win?
                        As activists, we already know the answer here:  get our friends to the polls!  For an outsider's perspective on the challenges we face, I recommend an article by George Packer, a writer for the New Yorker magazine (http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/05/26/080526fa_fact_packer?printable=true).  Packer has to be read with a grain of salt, as he takes the liberal perspective for granted, coming up with assertions that most conservatives would take serious issue with.  When he writes that "Goldwater was to Reagan as McGovern is to Obama," for example, he looks at the 2008 presidential race as though it has already happened.  This is the case at the end, too, where Packer links McCain with a Hemingway character who "struggles nobly even though he knows the effort is doomed to fail."  With a comment like that, it is no wonder who Packer assumes is going to win in November.
 
                        Still, Packer's article covers almost every political book released in the last few months (and, as of this writing, some that are yet to be released), and so the article is a good way to skim the current literature and see what books might make the summer reading list.
 
            What problems do the Democrats have?
                        Aside from the obvious one-that their direction for our country is the wrong one-Charlie Cook shows that the Democrat base is not solid.  According to poll data he has conducted and described (http://www.nationaljournal.com/njmagazine/cr_20080621_4714.php), Baby Boomers, who remember Carter and by-and-large voted for Reagan, are not coming over to Obama. 
 
Keegan Drake is the 3rd Vice President of the Arlington Republican Club.

 

4.  Coming Events
 
Fun for the Family! Prizes for Winning Team! Get Out of the Heat and Support Your Arlington Republican Club!
 
When:  2:00-4:00 PM, Sunday, July 20, 2008
            Tournament starts at 2:15 sharp!
Where:  Fun Fest, 1801 E. Lamar Blvd., Arlington 76006 (817-276-9898)
 
Cost:    Adults--$25.00 per person
            Children under 16--$16.00 per person.
            Cost includes 2 hours of unlimited bowling and shoe rental
 
If you plan on attending, contact Anne Coker at 817-276-8292 or email hrtest@aol.com by July 16, 2008 so we can form teams.  You may request team members.
 
 
July 4, Independence Day
July 20, ARC Bowl-a-Thon, Fun Fest, 1801 E. Lamar Blvd., Arlington 76006
July 24, July ARC Meeting
August 28, August ARC Meeting