Restore Regular Order, Stop the BAT Tax, Pass Tax Cuts, Use the CRA

Tom Zawistowski

February 15, 2017

I sent the letter below to all the Republican Members of the Ohio Congressional Delegation. If you agree with the letter, I ask that you send them a copy as well, or write your own letter, to show your support for the views that I have expressed.

To: Rep. Steve Chabot, Rep. Warren Davidson, Rep. Bob Gibbs, Rep. Bill Johnson, Rep. Jim Jordan, Rep. David Joyce, Rep. Bob Latta, Rep. Jim Renacci, Rep. Steven Stivers, Rep. Pat Tiberi, Rep. Brad Wenstrup

CC: House Speaker Paul Ryan

Subject: Restore Regular Order, Stop the BAT Tax, Pass Tax Cuts, Use the CRA

Dear Congressmen:

I am writing to express the concerns and frustrations of the Trump voters in Ohio who also elected each of you to a new two years term in Congress last November. I am hearing from Ohio Congressmen that you are all “frustrated” by what you call the “Three P’s – Pence, Priebus and Paul” who are, in some opinions, manipulating the agenda of President Trump and keeping you from Representing the wishes of the people in your Districts as you were elected to do.

I am writing to assure each of you that we support your efforts to make sure that the Trump Agenda, which we in Ohio overwhelmingly voted to implement, is indeed implemented in full and as quickly as possible. I am also writing to make clear our concerns and to provide some guidance as to how we would like you to address those concerns.

First and foremost, we are deeply concerned about House Speaker Ryan refusing to implement “Regular Order” after having promised to do so when he was first elected Speaker a year ago and AGAIN when he was re-elected, substantially on that promise, this past November. In doing so, he is denying us, your constituents, the Representation we are guaranteed under the US Constitution by not allowing any of you to participate in crafting the bills that will be headed to President Trump’s desk. It is my understanding, at least in the House Ways and Means Committee, that neither Renacci nor Tiberi or any of the 23 Republican Representatives have been “allowed” to propose Amendments or even to debate Speaker Ryan’s “Better Way” tax reform plan. That is simply unacceptable.

More precisely, we are concerned that Speaker Ryan and the House Leadership is pressuring members of the committee, and ultimately all of you, to pass the “Border Adjustment Tax (BAT)” which President Trump has clearly said he does not want and which we, the voters of Ohio, do not want! We want personal and corporate taxes cut to spur the economy. We do NOT want a third tax, a “value added tax”, implemented that will basically negate the cuts in personal taxes by raising the price of product we consumers purchase from US retailers. That will NOT stimulate the economy and that is NOT a tax cut. That is a typical political shell game where you take less money out of one of our pockets just to take more money out of the other to feed your inability to reduce out-of-control government spending! You must ALL vote NO on the tax plan if it includes a BAT tax! We do not want Speak Ryan’s tax cuts, we want President Trump’s proposed Tax Cuts.

Furthermore, we want each of you to take decisive action if Speaker Ryan cannot understand the message from President Trump that when you make promises to the American People, we expect you keep them. If you do not have “Regular Order” then what are you even doing wasting your time and our money being in DC at all??? The voters of Ohio will support another “motion to vacate the chair” if Speaker Ryan does not implement “Regular Order” immediately. We call for our Ohio delegation to join together in making and supporting that motion if the Speaker does not keep his promise to you and to us.

Finally, on the issue of the Congressional Review Act, we are concerned that Congress has no plan to realize the full potential of this resource to improve our lives and most importantly our economy. While we are supportive and thankful for the actions that Congress has taken already to overturn destructive actions by the Obama Administration, such as the repeal of the onerous “Stream Protection Rule”, we want much more from this resource.

In our view, the CRA gives Congress a once in history opportunity for a “do over” for much of what has been done by the Federal Government since it was passed in 1996. As you know well, regardless of intentions, much of what government puts into rules and regulations do not have the outcome that were intended. Unfortunately, these “mistakes” are rarely fixed because the burden of doing so through the regular process of government is difficult and time consuming. The American people then bare the burden of these “mistakes” for decades. However, the Congressional Review Act provides a streamlined opportunity to literally fix hundreds, and even thousands, of these “mistakes” since 1996 quickly and efficiently.

What we are suggesting, is that Congress create a Standing Committee, say the Congressional Rules and Regulation Review Committee, that will hire qualified retired agency workers from the major branches of government who know the history, to systematically review which rules and regulation since 1996 had or did not have a report submitted about them to Congress before they were implemented by a Government agency. The Committee would provide a weekly list of rules and regulations that it has discovered that were implemented since 1996 to Congress and that are subject to repeal by the CRA. Congress would then review the rules and regulation, and the OUTCOMES from those rules and regulations, to determine if they should be cancelled. Finally leadership would set aside time each week to vote on how ever many rules and regulations it wishes to repeal that week, so that this process would be systemic and on-going until it is completed. Creating a system is the only way to make sure this important opportunity is realized.

Let me be clear, what we propose is that Congress review ALL rules and regulations that are subject to CRA regardless of which President’s Administration implemented them. We are not so biased as to believe that all well intended rules and regulations implemented by Republican Administrations ended up working for the public good nor that rules and regulations implemented by Democratic Administration are all bad for the public good. That is the point. Never before in history has ANY Government had the opportunity to go back in time and “fix” it’s “mistakes” without a revolution! You, each of YOU, have that once in a lifetime opportunity!

We believe that to not take advantage of this historic opportunity, to its fullest extent, would be the height of irresponsibility and a total disservice to the American people and your constituents here in Ohio. We ask that you take immediate action to implement this plan or something similar. It is clear to us that this action could do more than almost any other action you could take during this Congress to improve the lives of the American people, our economic environment, and to restore long lost individual liberty and freedoms.

I thank you for your attention to the issues in this letter. I hope that it has provided each of you with support and direction. I will be sharing this letter with the media and with Trump voters across the state of Ohio who may wish to add their support for the statements made herein. Finally I ask that you learn from Trump and learn how to fight for us – your constituents. Do not give up your right, and your duty, to represent us, under any circumstances! You elected Paul Ryan based on his promises to restore “Regular Order” to our Government. Hold him to his promise!

Sincerely,

Tom Zawistowski
President
We the People Convention

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