March is National Women’s Month. I want to recognize the women at the Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) who are powerhouses and have made TPA wh...

March is National Women’s Month. I want to recognize the women at the Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) who are powerhouses and have made TPA what it is today. Courtney Mattison is TPA’s Vice President of Operations. Without Courtney, TPA doesn’t function… plain and simple. Abigail Graham is TPA’s Press Secretary. Abigail works tirelessly to increase TPA’s visibility in the media. Lindsey Stroud is the Director of the Consumer Center. Lindsey’s passion and dedication to consumer issues is unparalleled by anybody in or out of Washington, D.C. Kim “Skip” Murray is one of the unsung heroes of TPA. She works with Lindsey on tobacco harm reduction (THR) issues and tells her story about THR on a personal level. A big thank you to all the women of TPA!

Profile in Courage – Jimmy Carter

For most of recent history, politicians and statesmen have mainly been lawyers, well-to-do businessmen, or the offspring of other politicians. Few national leaders start off as… peanut farmers. And, not many former Presidents willingly disappeared from the limelight to perform a public service like Jimmy Carter did for Habitat for Humanity. Yet, James (Jimmy) Earl Carter Jr. was not like most politicians seeking higher office. The 39th President wasn’t afraid to speak out against segregation even when it wasn’t the politically expedient thing to do in Jim Crow Georgia. And, once becoming chief executive, President Carter worked tirelessly to end costly and outdated regulations and help lay the groundwork for the country’s economic renaissance. Then and now, he didn’t receive much credit for his much-needed reforms and was (often unfairly) blamed for national malaise. For keeping America’s best interests at heart while tending to a jaded, cynical nation, Jimmy Carter is certainly a Profile
in Courage.

Carter’s modest and rooted image was no campaign-era invention. The former president was born in the rural town of Plains, Georgia, which was then home to about 600 people, and raised nearby. His early friendships with black farmhands gave Carter a close-up look at the evils of segregation and the limited opportunities offered to the less-fortunate. Carter also got a good feel for farming life and grew and sold peanuts as a teenager. While Carter temporarily left the yeoman life to pursue his dream of attending the Naval Academy and joining the Navy, he returned to farming and agribusiness once his father passed away in 1953. Droughts and financial difficulties made it difficult to transition from the Navy to farming, but Carter found his legs and successfully expanded his family’s peanut business. As his farming success grew, the young entrepreneur turned his sights toward civic engagement. According to the Carter Presidential library, “He quickly became a leader of the community, serving
on county boards supervising education, the hospital authority, and the library. In 1962 he won election to the Georgia Senate. He lost his first gubernatorial campaign in 1966, but won the next election, becoming Georgia’s 76th governor on January 12, 1971. He was the Democratic National Committee campaign chairman for the 1974 congressional and gubernatorial elections.” As Carter entered the national political scene in the mid-1970s, America was going through an exceedingly tough time. Then-President Nixon resigned after revelations that he had tried covering up the politically motivated break-in at the Watergate Hotel. His successor Gerald Ford then pardoned Nixon and earned the ire of Americans for failing to get soaring inflation under control. Carter set his sights on the presidency, promising beleaguered Americans a return to normal, honest government and a stable economy. While in office, Carter focused on reforms that would bring down costs for his struggling countrymen. The
President set his sights on overregulated and cartelized industries where a handpicked few players had far too much discretion thanks to bureaucratic missteps. In the aviation industry, fares and route access were controlled by the federal Civil Aeronautics Board. Low-cost competition was essentially outlawed, and the “friendly skies” were anything but friendly for the working class. The rail industry also had a difficult time embracing rate flexibility due to an onerous federal regime, which also greatly complicated contracting for rail shippers and rail carriers. Trucking was similarly stymied by federal rules, which significantly added to the costs of transporting goods across the country. President Carter saw free market competition as a better way to approach economic issues and keep prices under control. He signed a slew of bills from 1977-1981 that deregulated pricing across industry and allowed companies to compete with one another on the same services and contract freely without
regulatory scrutiny.

Carter lost his re-election bid in 1980. He was magnanimous in defeat and went on to have a pivotal post-presidency that touched millions of lives. He and his wife Rosalynn have built thousands of houses in developing countries and low-income areas as part of Habitat for Humanity, and his work continues to inspire countless volunteers. Carter also founded the Carter Center, which has monitored elections around the world and consistently championed the right to vote. As the larger-than-life figure enters the twilight of his life, TPA recognizes his contributions toward building a better world and making America the country it is today.

Just Say No to New Biden’s Secretary of Labor Nominee

Earlier this week, TPA urged the United States Senate to reject President Biden’s Secretary of Labor nominee, Julie Su. At a time when Americans have been struggling with an unstable economy, many are looking for a second job to meet their financial needs. Julie Su’s track record for stifling the gig economy would hurt millions of Americans trying to make a living or supplement their incomes.If the last few years have taught us anything, it’s that the gig economy is essential to many American workers and families. Americans have looked for second jobs — as independent contractors or freelancers — to keep up with record inflation to provide for their loved ones. From rideshare drivers to after-school tutors, the flexibility afforded to gig workers is also an essential option for so many. This is why Julie Su is the wrong choice to head the Department of Labor. When serving as Secretary of the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency, Su was a proponent of California Assembly Bill 5,
which required independent contractors to reclassify as employees. This bill deprives gig workers of needed flexibility and serves as a deterrent to hiring them. With a national version of this bill, businesses would be put in an economic bind when considering contract workers. They’d likely have to let their existing contract workers go as well. These flawed attempts to upend our economy in this way should be disqualifying for a Cabinet-level position.

BLOGS:

Monday: TPA on SCOTUS Hearing on Cancelling Student Debt ([link removed])

Tuesday: Profile in Courage: President Jimmy Carter ([link removed])

Wednesday: TPA Urges Senate to Reject President Biden’s Labor Nominee ([link removed])

Thursday: Misguided Effort to Protect Kids Ignores State Data ([link removed])

Friday: UFOs and Hot Air Hinder Helium Reforms ([link removed])

MEDIA:

February 24, 2023: The Daily Mail ([link removed]) quoted TPA in their article, “$113 BILLION on a war with no end in sight: DailyMail.com breaks down Biden's enormous military package for Ukraine on the first anniversary of Putin's invasion, the Republican audits, and what the taxpayers think.”

February 27, 2023: WBFF Fox45 (Baltimore, Md.) interviewed me about a new state agency and the new Service Year Program in Maryland.

February 27, 2023: Hawaii News Now mentioned TPA in their article, “Hawaii lawmakers push flavor bans and higher taxes to fight teen vaping. ([link removed]) ”

February 27, 2023: WBFF Fox45 ([link removed]) (Baltimore, Md.) quoted TPA in their article, “Governor’s Bill pushes to increase minimum wage to $15 this year.”

February 27, 2023: The Center Square ([link removed]) ran TPA’s op-ed, “Youth vaping rates not impacted by pandemic responses despite misinformation campaign.”

February 28, 2023: I appeared on ‘Just the News, No Noise’ ([link removed]) on Real America’s Voice to talk about student loan forgiveness.

March 28, 2023: Patrick Hedger joined ‘America's Voice Live’ on Real America’s Voice to discuss student loan forgiveness.

February 28, 2023: Just the News ([link removed]) quoted TPA in their article, “Tax expert says that the Biden student loan forgiveness plan was just a bribe to get votes.”

February 28, 2023: Patrick Hedger joined ‘American Agenda’ ([link removed]) on Newsmax to talk about student loan forgiveness.

March 2, 2023: WBFF Fox45 (Baltimore, Md.) interviewed me about the minimum wage increase in Maryland.

March 2, 2023: I appeared on WBOB 600 AM (Jacksonville, Fla.) to talk about Social Security and ESG.

March 2, 2023: Issues & Insights ([link removed]) ran TPA’s op-ed, “Postal Service’s Blank Check Must Be Returned To Sender.”



Have a great weekend!

Best,
David Williams
President
Taxpayers Protection Alliance
1101 14th Street, NW
Suite 1120
Washington, D.C. xxxxxx
www.protectingtaxpayers.org ([link removed])

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