Editor’s Note: The freedom to define and enjoy our financial futures in the way we see fit is just one of many gifts our founding fathers have provided for us. And as we celebrate our nation’s 236th birthday, I can’t think of a better day to introduce to you my colleague Brad Hoppmann. He’ll show you a simple action you can take right now to help preserve and even reclaim the value of the money you’ve spent your lifetime saving, investing and working for. Enjoy, and have a safe, happy and healthy Fourth of July holiday! — Tom |
You’re among the first to see this …
“Let’s Crack the Whip on
Washington’s Financial Insanity!”
Join the Campaign for
Common Sense in Government … Taking a Stand
for America’s Values and Your Future
Dear Friend and Fellow Citizen, Taxpayer, Saver and Investor,
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After living the good life we’ve earned — and after enjoying decades of unbridled prosperity — we Americans find ourselves at a crossroads.
I’m talking about the global financial crisis … a massive downturn that reaches nearly every human on the planet … a turning point that will most definitely transform our country’s future, the world’s future, for years to come.
And if you ask our leaders and representatives in Washington, there’s only one solution to our crisis that’s not “politically impossible.”
The solution they’re selling: More spending, more bailouts and more entitlements.
Well, guess what … we’ve been here before.
Every one of those statements was just as true in 1959 as it is in 2012. Then, as now, America was at a crossroads. Then, in the aftermath of World War II and the Great Depression, American citizens were being sold on the solution of greater government spending. It was the “only” solution.
But citizens — 12 million of them, in fact — joined together to demand another solution. And the new solution that came about back in 1959 because they demanded it was pivotal to American history … that’s because it was one that helped pave the way for decades of prosperity that followed.
In short, American voters discovered the very solution we’re going to use again today.
But before I tell you precisely what I mean, something should be absolutely clear …
This Unusual Letter Is About Getting Common Sense Results
This is your invitation to join a coalition of responsible American citizens. A group that will stand together behind a single, simple and responsible goal: To give our representatives in government a choice …
Either they produce a balanced budget by the year 2020,
or they find a new job.
A real balanced budget too … not some phony statistical manipulation. They need to reduce spending to sustainable levels and restore the “Sound Dollar” policies that have preserved American prosperity for over 200 years.
It’s that simple.
Where political parties sell convoluted “solutions,” we have a single, common-sense goal. And where protest groups have aimless rage, we have a responsive organization dedicated to clear and attainable goals — backed by a legacy of civil action reaching back over five decades.
We are a responsible and reasonable group of Americans. We are educated, empowered and dedicated toward a common goal — a goal that we will achieve. Again.
That’s because we understand one simple fact:
As American voters, it’s our right and responsibility
to determine our future.
It’s a solemn duty … a forgotten legacy of our forefathers, that Dr. Martin Weiss’ own father ensured he’d remember … that I’m sharing with everyone now.
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That’s all there is to it.
With this simple rallying cry, one skinny stockbroker mustered an army of 12 million responsible American voices — from ex-presidents to business leaders and even financial legends like Bernard Baruch. Standing together with lawyers, doctors and regular American citizens, they were a force to be reckoned with.
So before I tell you about our organization, I’d like to tell you about our roots. About how this solution has “worked” before, even when Washington thought it was impossible.
I’d like to tell you about the incredible legacy we’re working to live up to, and the responsible American citizens who shaped their own future for the better.
I’d like to tell you about the Committee for a Sound Dollar that united citizens across the country in telling Congress that it was time for their days of overspending to come to an immediate end …
The ‘Customer’s Man’ Who Started it All
It all started with J. Irving Weiss … who was by no means a politician.
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He was a customer’s man … a stockbroker. And he was good at his job.
Starting his career with a $500 loan from his mother, he quickly built a $100,000 stake for himself. Over the next few years, he’d work with clients like Joe Kennedy — patriarch of the Kennedy dynasty — to help guide their investments … making fortunes and powerful connections all the way.
By the way, he did all of this during the Great Depression.
He was guided by his discipline, his hard work and his will to stand up for the truth — even if that meant standing alone. And on these virtues, he built his fortune and his business … while so many others crumbled around him.
But that’s only the beginning of his story. Because J. Irving Weiss was also becoming a prominent name in financial publishing. He was building a reputation for showing others how to thrive and even prosper through one of the hardest times in American history.
Sure, J. Irving had a benevolent streak. But he also had a bit of a temper when it came to some things. He had lines that you just didn’t cross.
And in January of 1959, the U.S. Congress crossed one of those lines …
The Beginning of a 50-Year War for America’s Value
You see, the president at the time — Dwight D. Eisenhower — knew where the future was headed.
In his own words …
“We must avoid extremes … of waste and inflation which could reduce job opportunities, price us out of world markets and shrink the value of savings. To keep our economy sound and expanding, I shall … present to the Congress a balanced budget.”
Weiss couldn’t agree more.
After all, he made a fortune on the follies of big spenders and debt-laden companies. Financial moderation was the only sustainable way of life, as far as he was concerned.
So when President Eisenhower proposed a balanced budget in 1959, and Congress resoundingly refused that budget — saying that it “comes close to being a fraud on the American people” — well, they crossed a very serious line … profoundly upsetting J. Irving Weiss.
He wasted no time in responding.
Millions of Responsible Voices — One Clear Goal
Weiss called on his friends and associates, ex-clients and business partners for help. The original 17 founders came together and called themselves the “Sound Dollar Committee.” They quickly devised a strategy and started working together.
Their methods turned out to be brilliantly simple, and remarkably effective …
They started with a single full-page ad, a great use of Weiss’ marketing expertise to spread news of the budget battle.
The ad urged voters to realize their power … to step up for the value they created, and guarantee a future of opportunity for their children.
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The ad included a cut-out form letter, so a supporter could simply clip out the “coupon” and send it to his or her representative. That way, even the busiest Americans could still participate in a matter of moments.
They only placed one ad — in the Tuesday issue of The Wall Street Journal — before they got the call …
It came from an editor at the Chicago Times. He wanted to run the ad twice in his own letters … and he wanted to do it at his own personal expense.
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Within weeks, the ad was everywhere — Reader’s Digest, Chicago Times, etc. — and the cause was spreading like wildfire. Voters everywhere were finding their voices and making themselves heard in Washington.
Letters … postcards … coupons … some 12 million pieces of mail in total flooded the halls of Congress simultaneously. Each and every one with the same, simple message:
Balance the budget, OR ELSE!
Together, They Changed the Definition of ‘Possible’ in Washington Almost Overnight
All at once, Congress changed its tune.
What they once called a “fraud” upon the American people immediately became a matter of “patriotism.” What had once been “politically impossible” became their single solitary responsibility.
Six months into the first “Sound Dollar” effort, the orders were followed and the budget balanced.
It had a massive impact — catalyzing a new base of voters, reining in representatives and warding off the threat of “financial insanity” in Washington for years. But it was still one of the last balanced budgets for half a century.
And in that time, the threat of “financial insanity” has become a living, breathing reality …
Remember the Sound Dollar
So don’t buy into the hype.
Instead remember the story above — remember the legacy of the Sound Dollar Committee, and the responsible souls who held Washington accountable when it really mattered. Remember how the average citizen can step up to change his government and the course of the future.
You might be starting to realize it now … the reason why this is so much more than a legacy for us.
This is a solution. This is the solution. It’s a philosophy and a way of life — forgotten in the haste and impatience of today’s hectic world — that can bring us back to center. It’s our best remaining hope for restoring balance and sustainability.
This is reason … it’s sanity and simple common sense. In other words, it’s exactly what America needs.
So We’re Making the ‘Sound Dollar’ More Than Just a Memory
That’s right. We’re bringing it back …
America needs it now, more than ever. With our overactive news media and our detached political parties, we need a voice of reason. So, I’m starting The Campaign for a Sound Dollar, in the spirit of J. Irving Weiss’ original Sound Dollar Committee.
We won’t ask you to occupy anything.
No cardboard signs or party lines either — we’re just looking for responsible citizens who want to make their voices heard. Joining us is as simple as clicking a button and signing the Sound Dollar Petition for a balanced budget.
Make it Happen in a Matter of Minutes at No Expense …
Click here to sign the petition now and join the cause, and you’ll have access to a massive amount of resources.
First, you’ll get a way to make your voice heard immediately. A way you can start taking instant, responsible political action in a fraction of the time it would normally take.
Signing the petition is just the first step. You’ll receive regular updates from the Sound Dollar Campaign, informing you about the latest financial “sleight of hand” the government keeps playing on us … and you’ll learn what YOU can do about it!
Second, you’ll get the support of a massive, cross-media effort to launch the Campaign.
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Where the original committee had only the U.S. mail and print media, we also have e-mail … Facebook … Twitter … and a laundry list of available media. We’ll be applying large-scale media resources across them all.
And finally, you’ll get the chance to help directly shape the future of the Campaign, and maybe even the country.
It’s a whole world of political expression right there at your fingertips; and it becomes your own personal campaign the moment you sign up. Put your local government on notice … start guiding your representatives at the state level … it’s all up to you.
With America at the Crossroads, the ‘Sound Dollar’ Will Ride Again!
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And so once again — like in 1959 — America stands at the crossroads.
The decisions we make today — or the decisions we allow our representatives to make for us — will echo on in America’s future for the next century. Though we may be forgotten, our influence and impact will live on for generations.
So will you take a stand for what’s right? Or will indecision and inaction be your choice?
Stand up for the Sound Dollar. Stand up for simple financial sanity. Stand up for the same balanced budget that works for every citizen, every business and every state in the country. Stand up for the value you’ve helped create, and the future that you know is possible.
Stand up for the Sound Dollar today, and you won’t be standing alone. Join us in telling Washington it’s time to usher in a new era of financial responsibility and integrity to our great nation — click here to make your voice heard today!
Sincerely,
Brad Hoppmann,
Campaign Director
The Sound Dollar Campaign
About the Sound Dollar Campaign:
The Campaign for a Sound Dollar is a grassroots, non-partisan movement calling for the restoration of financial sanity in Washington. Our demands are simple — we are calling for Congress to secure a balanced federal budget by 2020, and keep it balanced into the future, by reducing deficit spending 11.3% each fiscal year through 2020.
We believe a debt-averse Congress — held accountable by debt-averse Americans — will bring back a Sound Dollar … and renewed prosperity for America.
{ 4 comments }
Talk about a waste of time.The problem isn’t as simple as just changing the representatives.The problem is much bigger.It is the citizens of the country.They want something for nothing.America is in the hands of voters how know nothing and vote their greed and envy.If they wanted an honest govt,they would vote for representatives that didn’t make false promises.They would vote for Ron Paul.The total % of the country that supports Ron Paul is probably less than 3%.That tells you how many Americans are with you on this proposal.There are only 2 solutions.1)Magically make voters educated and honest and/or 2)vastly shrink the size of govt,so citizens can’t screw up the country,through their ignorant,greedy voting.What’s the chances of either happening.Zero.So I say to you,”Dream On!”.Got GOLD?
We have done it before and we are committed to doing it again, please re-read the above article fully…The idea of our campaign, and the reason we spend our personal time getting this message out, is because we passionately believe, based on the fact we have been able to achieve this in the past many years ago (Sound Dollar Committee), that there is still time(although very little.) We hope that, if we can get a united voice on balancing the U.S. Budget, we may be able to save this great nation from its hazardous spending and poor fiscal discipline. This is a call to defend your ability to safegaurd your family, community and country… We will do our best to direct these voices to influence Congress to create a balanced budget amendment. If you haven’t already added your name to this important cause, I hope you’ll take a moment to do so now. And if you have, you have my sincerest thanks and my promise that, together, Washington will continue hearing from us until our country’s fiscal health and sanity is restored.
Having been involved in several group “fights” against ridiculous govt agencies over the past dozen years I’ve learned a few things:
1. A faxed or mailed letter or “coupon” is much harder to ignore than an email. I would go so far as to bet that one fourth the amount of mailed form letters or coupons would be more effective than emails.
2. The typical response from whatever level of govt is that there isn’t much they can do. If you speak to them in person and start pointing out what they can do, they will finish your sentence for you so they won’t seem clueless. Yet, they just proved they were lying about nothing much they can do. Clearly demonstrating they don’t repersent you until forced to.
3. Unless forced into another path, govt always does what is best for govt, which is like any business to grow and expand. However, it is not like any other business. Govt is a parasite, every dollar it garners for itself is ripped out of the hands of the real job producing economy so they can funnel it to their friends or cronies. Thereby turning fair capitalism into unfair socialism.
4. This will always be the situation unless one of two things happen:
a. A temporary repreve brought on by the action of large numbers of citizens (such as Sound Dollar Committee)
b. A permanent change brought on by the action of a large number of individuals who see to it decent people are nominated and running from ALL parties for all offices big and small (to the point there is little room for the corrupt self serving) who WILL follow the constitution and measure every potential law by whether it will increase or decrease freedom of the individual citizen and what he can do with his property (more taxes = less freedom). In this method it doesn’t matter who the people are fooled into voting for, someone good will get in who represent the people. This is how our system was meant to be operated in the first place and not a bunch of do nothings who feel they have done more than meet their civic duty by voting for the lesser of two evils.
5. One must be careful that such organiztions such as Taxpayers Unions and Sound Dollar Committees and other such originally well meaning groups don’t become self serving unto their directors. Most all of these types of organizations would be antiquated if their members and/or like minded individuals such as those in agreement with Tea Party would join together to accomplish item “b” above. And the benefits multiplied.
Copyright 2012 vmaile@yahoo.com Reprintable with emailed permission.
My question: Why organize for a temporary solution when it is clear a permanent one is needed and is possible?
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It looks like you are working hard to change something. I am from world second biggest democracy-India. All politicians know what they are doing and know their consequences as well. However for the next election’s win they propose some useless, unproductive benefits for the un-educated and impulsive mass voters. Did you ever see an attractive scheme for highly educated or enthusiastic entrepreneurs? They will not because NOT they are against the intellectuals, because their votes are in very small numbers.
Not sure what can change the world. I am not a bit disappointed to know that things are more or less same in America.