From: isds11990012@memstvx1.memst.edu
Newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology
Subject: National Sales Tax, the AMA/FDA connection, and more...
Date: 14 Dec 92 13:26:33 -0600
Organization: Memphis State University

In article <raz.724301163@syzygy>, raz@socs.uts.edu.au (The Inimitable Raz) writes:
> isds11990012@memstvx1.memst.edu writes:
>>In article <10350@blue.cis.pitt.edu.UUCP>,
>> aabst5@vms.cis.pitt.edu writes:
> 
>>> Think about the eleven top Scientologists, including Hubbard's wife who have
>>> gone to prison in the early 80s for infiltrating, burglarizing and wiretapping
>>> more than 100 private and government agencies in attempts to block
>>> investigations.
>>>
> 
>>    So what?  They went to jail for overstepping their bounds and breaking
>>the law in an attempt to protect their religion.  
> 
> So ... think about why proponents of this organisation would break the
> law of the government of the land (remember, of the people, by the people,
> for the people?) to hide their crimes? (crime: Violation of local 
> laws.) This IS a valid consideration. Society, yours and mine, 
> substantiallt limit the survival capability of persons known to consort
> with criminals, regardless of the 'morality' of the crimes in question.
> Whilst to an insider these penalties are not sufficient to discourage
> Scn involvement, an outsider who currently lives in the contraints
> imposed by his/her society may consider this a little worrying.
> 
> 
> 
>>    The real question that needs to be asked here is "Why was the government
>>of the United States harrassing a religious group?"
> 
> Perhaps for reasons similar to Scn's use of harrasment. Scn is perceived
> as a threat. (Could be for 'real' reasons ie: violation of laws which
> exist to protect society, or for 'corrupt' reasons ie: Scn is scaring
> someone in power. Either way, the people's government feels threatened
> by Scn.)
>

   Exactly.  Sad but true.
 
>>     Because of the IRS and it's suppressive policy, the Church of Scientology
>>has founded the Citizens for an Aleternative Tax System.  This group has
>>made major headway in starting a grassroots movement to abolish the IRS and
>>replace it with a much more fair and equitable method of collecting tax:
>>A national sales tax.
> 
> Chuckle. Giggle. Uproarius (sp?) laughter. You don't seriously 
> believe that this would be fair and equitable? You ought to closely
> examine how effective a sales tax system isn't before pushing this
> line! (I'm not not kidding.)
>

   Okay consider this.  Eliminating national income tax and capital gains
taxes in the US would increase incentive to produce.  The money could
be regained by imposing a 16% sales tax on retail level consumption.
Certain items like food and housing would be exempted from the tax, so that
it wouldn't be abusive to low income people.  There would be NO TAX
PENALTY for producing and saving.

   Consider what this means to middle income America.  If your family
makes 100,000 per year, in the US you pay about 30,000 in income tax.
If there was a sales tax instead, you'd only pay 16,000 if you spent
all your money.  So you see, you'd pay LESS taxes and the government
would collect the same amount of revenue.  Also, everytime you spent
money, you'd know who was paying the tax.  When you have an income tax,
your money is taken before you even see it.

   Also more than fifty Billion would be saved just in eliminating
the cost of administrating the IRS.  Most states are already set up
to collect sales tax.  Business would benefit becuase there would be
no need to keep up with the endless and confusing constantly changing
IRS regulation.  No more April 15th!!!

   A sales tax is better because it taxes consumption instead of revenue.
Criminals might escape income tax with unreported revenue, but they
won't be able to escape a sales tax when they buy their new house or
car.  The money that would be collected just from people who currently
dodge income tax would be a substantial INCREASE in government revenue
that could fund many of Mr. Clinton's social programs WITHOUT increasing
the budget deficit.

  Eliminating corporate income taxes means that taxes won't have to be 
entered into the costs of goods produced by US companys.  It makes
US goods favorable in foreign markets.  Also foreigners who buy in the
US end up contributing to the national budget.

  Any money that is spent is taxed.  Any money that is saved provides
capital for investment.  A sales tax reduces the tax on labor to zero
and the tax on investment to zero and the tax on growth to zero.
It would make the US the most attractive nation in the world to work
or invest in.  Foreign capital would pour into the country.

  The only people who would lose out are those who view income tax as
a way to redistribute wealth.
 
>>     The FDA alleged that the E-meter was being used to diagnose or treat
>>illness.  However, the arrest warrant issued for the raid clearly states
>>that the property to be entered was a Church.  The FDA clearly recognized
>>that Scientology was a religion before they even began the raid.  Also
> 
> Another non-sequiter. The FDA clearly recognised that Scn's activities
> were being performed in a building labelled "church". This is NOT the
> same as recognising the practises within as religion!
>

   Okay, but other agencys in the US government and the courts HAD
recognized Scientology as a religion.
 
>>Scientology books and literature seized by the FDA clearly state that
>>Scientology is a religion, and that auditing is a religious practice.
> 
> OK John, you've opened yourself to attack AGAIN! Cite a reference. I
> don't ever recall seeing a claim ANYWHERE that auditing is a religious
> practice. 
>

  The FDA seized many copies of the book "Scientology 8-8008".  This
book describes the religious nature of Scientology and the inside
cover contains the reference you request.
 
> 
>>     Think about this.  Why is a religion being persecuted by corrupt
>>officials who abuse their positions of power?  Why is this happening in the
>>United States of America?  Why is this happening in the land of the free
>>and the home of the brave?
> 
> Clearly you are driving at something. Spit it out.
>

   Okay.  Scientology is a religion.  Its been recognized as a religion
since way before the FDA incident.  There are many references in Scientology
books that clearly indicate that auditing is a religious practice.

   The FDA is a federal agency designed to protect Americans from
fraudulent health claims and dangerous medical practices.  The AMA
is a medical trade union.  Leading board members of the FDA are also
members of the AMA, and as a result this agency has strayed from its
original purpose and now only exists to protect the financial interests
of the doctors of the AMA.  The AMA has used its FDA contacts to
persecute anything that it views to be a threat to its financial interests.
In the past this has included Scientology or Dianetcs.  Not to long ago
the FDA and AMA promoted attacks on the practice of chiropractic.
Currently the AMA is using the FDA to attack the field of nutrition.
Drug companys give large grants directly to individuals in the FDA to
research their drugs and approve them for sale.  Unfourtunately, its
very much like bribing a public official.

This is true,
John Holifield

 

Newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology