[Money-matters] Money Matters

Sat Jul 7 15:34:12 UTC 2012

Hi Money Matters Fans- This is worth reading and joining, Marc

This Unusual Letter Is About Getting Common-Sense Results .

Brad Hoppmann | July 4, 2012 

Description: Monty Agarwal

Editor's Note: As we celebrate our great nation's birthday and all the
freedoms we hold dear, my colleague Brad Hoppmann has some timely thoughts
to share with you today. He'll show you a simple move you can make right now
to help honor, reclaim and preserve your financial freedom that I think you
can appreciate. 

And frankly, here on America's 236th birthday, I can't think of a better
time to share this with you. Enjoy, and have a safe, happy and healthy
Fourth of July holiday! - Monty

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,

Description:
http://finance.moneyandmarkets.com/media/images/editor-photos/misc/brad-hopp
mann.jpg

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. 

Description: http://finance.moneyandmarkets.com/reports/SDC/img/SDC-logo.gif

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.

Description: http://finance.moneyandmarkets.com/reports/SDC/img/irv-ber.gif

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.

Description: http://finance.moneyandmarkets.com/reports/SDC/img/irv-2.jpg

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 .

Advertisement

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 .

Description:
http://finance.moneyandmarkets.com/reports/SDC/img/eisenhower.jpg

"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. 

Description: http://finance.moneyandmarkets.com/reports/SDC/img/SDC-ad.jpg

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.

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.

Description: http://finance.moneyandmarkets.com/reports/SDC/img/SDC-logo.gif

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 .

 <http://www.sounddollarcampaign.com/petition> 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.

Description: http://finance.moneyandmarkets.com/reports/SDC/img/SDC-FB.gif

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!

Description:
http://finance.moneyandmarkets.com/reports/SDC/img/irv-quote.gif

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 -
<http://www.sounddollarcampaign.com/petition> click here to make your voice
heard today!

Sincerely,

Description:
http://finance.moneyandmarkets.com/media/images/mam/img/sig/brad_hoppmann.gi
f
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. 

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{ 2 comments. read them below or
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Thomas Davis Wednesday, July 4, 2012 at 6:41 pm 

About the Sound Dollar Campaign:
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.

I find one thing incomplete with this strategy as with all programs of this
type..you are not addressing probably the biggest obstacle to the prospect
of a balanced federal budget.
BASELINE BUDGETING. Without a requirement to abolish baseline budgeting in
regards to the way federal accounting is practiced makes any efforts/demands
to arrive at a balanced budget ineffectual. Add this to your demands and
I'll be happy to support.

<http://www.uncommonwisdomdaily.com/this-unusual-letter-is-about-getting-com
mon-sense-results-14542?replytocom=12139#respond> Reply

tomt Thursday, July 5, 2012 at 3:04 am 

I have respect for Irving, and Martin, and the team at UW. You seem to
understand the nature of these events and are willing to expose underlying
issues, and maintain unbiased ratings of financial institutions.
This campaign seems a bit flawed however;
Reducing deficit spending by 11.3% yearly never reaches a 0 deficit.
Eliminating overspending is just a start, not an end goal. Downsizing gov.
need to be brutal, and swift.
Your solution does not address the debt burden, and the impact of rising
rates on this gov.
There is almost nothing left of the values the population at large had in
1959.
You have probably indicated that the debt burden and /or the deficit has
gone beyond our ability to pay it,
yet today you are preaching hope and 1 ACTION. It is beyond our abilities to
pay it off.
You can't help but have an inkling of how pervasive this influence on our
government has become, and the scope of cleansing needed to rid the system
of its disease, yet today you are preaching hope and ACTION.
Even the crowd you do gather with this will begin to wonder, and you will be
spending time pursuing information to keep them active signing petitions? I
have long since overdosed on supporting activists.
You are late in this, and not alone on this subject either. This would have
been a hit in 09. 

I do get all the reasons these things weren't mentioned, and the trying
something positive, but there are
too many holes in it.
Good luck.
tom

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mon-sense-results-14542?replytocom=12141#respond> Reply

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