www.dadeinfo.com

The Fourth of July
July 2, 2010
This Sunday marks the 234th birthday of the United States of America, the greatest nation on earth. For me, it is a particularly special Fourth of July as it is the first in which I have been given the opportunity and honor of serving the 9th Congressional District of Georgia as United States Congressman.


With the birth of patriotism in the hearts and minds of most Americans this weekend, it is important to recognize those who have given our country their sacrifice of serving in the uniform of the United States.


With that said, I am deeply saddened to report that Georgia lost a hero this week. Lance Corporal William T. (Taylor) Richards, a native of Trenton, lost his life while defending our liberties – selflessly – in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan on June 26. I extend my deepest sympathies to his young wife, daughter and their families at this time, and I ask that all Georgians please keep them in your prayers during this time of sadness.


With the unfortunate news of great tragedy, comes news of a great homecoming. It is with open arms that Gainesville’s own “Charlie Company” was received during their homecoming parade last week. I am pleased to welcome all 90 members of the Georgia Army National Guard unit back home and I cannot thank the hometown heroes enough for all that they did during their 14 month deployment to Afghanistan.


The Fourth of July also represents a time when our God-given rights were first recognized and it was acknowledged that government was designed to defend the people, not manage them. Times are tough in this economy and many in the 9th District, and nationwide, are hurting. I worked hard to push back on the Democrat majority’s agenda this week as I will continue to do as your voice in Washington.


I look forward to working each week with your best interests in mind.


President Ronald Reagan once wrote;
“let the Fourth of July always be a reminder that here in this land, for the first time, it was decided that man is born with certain God-given rights; that government is only a convenience created and managed by the people, with no powers of its own except those voluntarily granted to it by the people. We sometimes forget that great truth, and we never should.”

With that I close by asking this of you; while you and your loved ones are spending precious time together, cooking out and watching the vibrant colors of fireworks, please remember all of the men and women who fought and continue to fight for our freedoms that were passed down long ago and are observed on Independence Day.


Sincerely,

Congressman Tom Graves

I guess it might just be me, but although I voted for Mr. Graves (over Mr. Hawkins), I don't feel as if he is "In the Job" right now with having to vote two more times on this position. Man this whole election was a mess.

July 12, 2010 9:33 AM
It has certainly been a busy few weeks in Congress and I was very happy to get back home this week while Congress observed recess. It is important for me to share what I am doing on behalf of my constituents and I am proud to be your voice in Washington.
While back home in Ranger for the week I had the opportunity of speaking with folks about what is going on in Washington and I took on a three-day Business Advisory Council Tour of each county of Georgia’s 9th District.
During this tour I met with business leaders in communities around North Georgia in order to adequately identify ways to help boost the economy and create jobs through an expanded private sector. I am pleased with the great turnout we had and it was a great success. In fact, it was such a great success that I intend to hold monthly phone conferences and quarterly meetings with the council to advise me on economic issues important to North Georgians.
The vital solutions America needs to create jobs and get our economy moving again will not come from Washington D.C. but from hard-working job creators like the men and women I met with this week. This tour was very important to me as it is my plan to bring insight, ideas and solutions to create jobs and spur the economy back from this July recess to share with Congress.
As previously mentioned, my first few weeks as your U.S. Representative have been extremely busy. Times are tough in this economy and many in the 9th District, and nationwide, are hurting. I have been working hard to push back on the Democrat majority’s agenda as I will continue to do with your best interests in mind.
Here are a few things of mention that I have reported or worked on during the past few weeks:
●The U.S. Supreme Court upheld that McDonald v. Chicago, extended the Constitution’s Second Amendment “right to keep and bear arms” to all fifty states. This was a victory for the Second Amendment as it reaffirms those individual states cannot take away the rights afforded to every law-abiding American by the Bill of Rights. To learn more click here.
● I voted against H.R. 4173, the Democrat's Permanent Bailout Bill. This permanent bailout of Wall Street adds to the burden of the already struggling American family and small business community, as it is our citizens who have to pay for it. With the growing amount of uncertainty on Main Street rises, the relationship between big Government and Wall Street strengthens resulting in more meltdowns, more bailouts and higher costs for taxpayers. To read more on this please click here.
● I voted to increase transparency in financial markets with my vote in favor of the Motion to Recommit, which would have amended H.R. 4173 to include language that would have audited the Federal Reserve. North Georgians deserve to know what the Federal Reserve is doing with their money. To learn more please click here.
● The first tax under the Democrats health care bill was levied this week. It is a 10 percent excise tax on ultraviolet tanning services that will cost taxpayers and small business $2.7 billion. The Democrat’s health care bill is a job killer and it is loaded with out-of-control spending, borrowing and growing federal government. Congress needs to step aside and let small businesses have a chance to succeed. To read more please click here.
The above are just a few things I have been doing and I look forward to working even harder for you and your families when we return.
As always, it is my utmost honor to serve the people of Georgia’s 9th District. Please do not hesitate to call on me if I can be of service.
Sincerely,
Congressman Tom Graves

Like Rex I voted for him over Hawkins... However his voting record is suspect due to some of the votes he has cast so for. I really think there is a better person in the race than him or Hawkins..

Vote Steve Tarvin, a principled businessman who will observe the Constitution.

A Weekly Column: Congressman Tom Graves: Trouble of Big Government Taxation
July 16, 2010 12:24 PM
It has been a month now since I was sworn in to be your United States Congressman and today I want to share with you some good insight on the trouble of massive taxation.

According to the National Federation of Independent Businesses, 22% of all small businesses claim uncertainty from Washington as the immediate economic problem for their business. The inability to understand what DC will do next is a significant threat to any employer who is trying to decide whether they can afford to expand.

As your Congressman, I firmly believe that Congress should work with small businesses to create jobs. That is why I am an original co-sponsor of H.R. 301.

If the democrat leadership fails to pass H.R. 301, or legislation like it, then taxes will increase on all Americans on January 1, 2011. That’s right - just by taking no action - taxes will dramatically rise.

Congress does not have a revenue problem, they have a spending problem. Big government is destructive when it takes your money and spends it as it wishes.

The bottom line is taxes are too high. Too much of your hard-earned money goes to feed ill-conceived, poorly run, wasteful government programs. When Congress cuts taxes, it takes money away from these programs and puts it back where it belongs, in the pockets and purses of hard-working Americans. That deserved money gives us the freedom to chart our own lives. It lets us decide if we want to start our own business, or put it aside to help pay for a child’s education, or to buy a new car, or to take the family on a well-deserved vacation.

When we stop tax cuts from taking effect, or worse still, when we roll-back hard-won tax relief, we take away a piece of our own freedom and hand it over to bureaucrats in Washington.

The size of the tax bill is not the only problem; the law itself needs to change. For over 90 years now the U.S. tax code has been used to pick winners and losers. Congress regularly decides to grant tax credits to people and companies that do something Congress determines would be beneficial. While this sounds reasonable, it has created a monstrously large tax code that is easily manipulated by the tax savvy but almost impossible to penetrate for a regular citizen. That is why I am a co-sponsor of the FairTax proposal, H.R. 25.

The FairTax would shift the federal government's method of revenue collection from income to personal consumption. It would repeal all federal personal income taxes, corporate income taxes, payroll taxes, self-employment taxes, capital gains taxes and gift and estate taxes, and would replace those with a revenue-neutral personal consumption tax on all retail sales of new goods and services. Keep in mind; this country thrived for well over 100 years without an income tax.

There is no economic benefit to supporting a government sector as massive as ours. Please be assured, I will never support any attempt of Congress to raise your taxes because every nickel that Congress taxes is another nickel taken away from taxpayers.

As always, it is my utmost honor to serve the people of Georgia’s 9th District. Please do not hesitate to call on me if I can be of service.

Sincerely,
Congressman Tom Graves