PlantSuccess Newsletter

Volume II, Issue 27

13 November 2002

Dear Subscriber:

In August 1999, I attended a Town Hall meeting in Atlanta, conducted by John Linder (R-Ga 7^th) and Collin Peterson (D-Minn 7^th) to discuss their bill HR2525, also known as the FairTax Initiative. I left this meeting impressed by the simplicity, uniformity and apparent fairness of this approach. It seemed to me that a tax in this form would be good for our country and a great legacy for our children. The skeptic in me took the all-too-common position, “Not in my lifetime,” and I have done little with this great idea.

Last weekend, I joined 200 others who came to Atlanta from across the country for the first annual convention of Americans For Fair Taxation, a not-for-profit organization promoting the FairTax Initiative. Fortunately, there are lots of people who believe the IRS can be replaced “in their lifetime;” I am now one of them.

A negative view of taxes is common, an extremely negative view of the IRS is pervasive; the current system is universally viewed as being beyond repair. According to one analyst, the major reasons to reform the tax system include:

The current system is too complex.
It is too easily exploited for political reasons.
It creates a poor economic impact.
It is a bureaucracy out of control.
It requires a large number of professionals in the private sector, like tax accountants, lawyers, and even entire corporate departments, to advise, interpret and prepare tax returns.
It forces business managers to make decisions based on tax implications rather than good business.
It is inefficient. For an expanded version …

The FairTax Initiative, the Americans For Fair Taxation organization, and much of the progress over the past seven years is the product of Leo Linbeck, a creative, energetic, successful Houston businessman (not a politician) who understands leadership and believes in “grass roots” organizations. A few months ago, Linbeck recruited Herman Cain to manage the organization, lead this immense challenge, and support the tireless efforts of Congressmen Linder and Peterson. Cain WILL make a difference; he is knowledgeable, convinced and convincing – it’s just a matter of time.

HR2525, the FairTax will:

Repeal the federal income tax.
Repeal all payroll taxes including taxes on Social Security and Medicare.
Protect and ensure the funding of Social Security and Medicare.
Repeal corporate and self-employment taxes.
Repeal all estate, gift, and capital gains taxes.
Make taxation of income unconstitutional by repealing the 16th amendment.
Allow you to keep 100 percent of your paycheck, pension, and social security payment.
Dramatically reduce the cost of goods and services by 20 to 30 percent.
Raise the same amount of money for the federal government, i.e. "revenue neutral."
Eliminate the Internal Revenue Service.
- No more taxpayer time wasted on filling out cumbersome IRS forms.
- No more IRS audits of individual taxpayers, no more IRS intimidation, no more levies, liens or home seizures by the IRS.
Substantially reduce tax rates for lower and middle-income Americans. Allow families to save more for home ownership, education and retirement.
Provide a universal rebate (based on family size, not income) equal to the sales tax paid on essential goods and services to ensure that no American pays taxes on necessities
Apply a 23 percent tax-inclusive rate sales tax on the purchase of New Goods and services in the U.S. Used Goods are not subject to the FairTax.
Make American products more competitive at home and overseas. Encourage job-creation in America. Help reduce America's Trade Deficit.
Stimulate economic growth in the U.S. by a far greater amount than the government's "tax-cuts" and "stimulus package" will ever do... and enable the economy to continue to grow year-after-year.

There is no shortage of information regarding the FairTax Initiative on the web; among others, visit a site developed by Cliff Cofer, a staunch supporter and advocate of the FairTax. READ MORE.

Taxes should be neutral, non-partisan and fair; HR2525 is gaining support in Washington from Democrats and Republicans. The opposition seems to be primarily political and inertia; every once in a while, our Congressmen are reminded that they are elected to serve us.

Imagine, no more IRS in our lifetime. I can see PlantSuccess taking on a whole new perspective. Please join me in learning more about this unique opportunity.

Downloading presentations from PlantSuccess 2002 continues at a great clip. If you have problems, questions or need the information in another form, please let us know.

The date for PlantSuccess Gulf Coast 2003 has been changed from 2-3 April to 9-10 April; the venue – Hilton Houston NASA Clear Lake – remains the same. We are working on the agenda; if you have an interest in participating as a sponsor, speaker or moderator, please let me know.

Best regards, Carl Howk.

Chairman

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PlantSuccess at Work

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The genesis of PlantSuccess is my participation, as a technology provider and editor, at numerous tradeshows, seminars and user group meetings, and my concern that the emphasis of these events was on technology rather than on the problems solved and solutions provided.

PlantSuccess focuses on the successful implementation of engineering IT by the owner/operators of our complex process manufacturing facilities. Innovative managers from industry leaders discuss the business drivers for important technologies, the work processes involved, the integration requirements and even the impact on company culture. In a short period of time, PlantSuccess has built an enviable reputation for content, high-level speakers and attendees, leading sponsors, senior editors from the industry press and actively moderated sessions.

Based on numerous reports, speakers value PlantSuccess because of the opportunity to present their activities and to discuss similar projects with managers from other companies. Contractors attend PlantSuccess because their customers are there. The press appreciates being a moderator and having access to stories important to their readers – the successful implementation of current technology.

It also is important that technology providers value PlantSuccess. Ivara Corp, a first-time sponsor, has achieved that goal. I was introduced to Ivara Corp, of Burlington, Canada, at an OSIsoft User Conference. We worked together to recruit Randy Grant, Maintenance Reliability Specialist, for Molson Canada as a speaker at PlantSuccess 2002. Grant’s presentation “Canadian Institution Achieves Improved Asset Reliability” was well received and is available for downloading at www.PlantSuccess.com.

The testimonial from Molson Canada helped Ivara personnel succeed at PlantSuccess. Ivara identified and is following-up with four potential strategic partners, met senior managers from four organizations new to them and have editors from three major industry publications who want to speak to them.

The chemicals industry is large and diverse. Managers with responsibility for the work processes and the budgets to make them more productive are extremely busy and difficult to reach. “Meeting new potential customers and partners plus media contacts, means that PlantSuccess was very good for us,” says Gino Palarchio, director of business development for Ivara Corporation.

We want every sponsor, speaker, editor and attendee to report on PlantSuccess in this way and will continue to work to reach this goal.

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Current Links

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· Chief Process Improvement Officer--Catalyst for Services-Oriented Architecture

AMR Research poses the question, “Who is responsible for process improvement?” and answers it. “While it is the responsibility of everyone from the CEO on down, cross-organizational process improvement demands having someone in charge. Introducing the Chief Process Improvement Officer (CPIO), an individual that’s been popping up in industry-leading companies.” Companies with a CPIO are familiar to most Newsletter readers and include: Air Products & Chemicals, ITT Industries, Ashland Inc, 3M, Honeywell and others. READ MORE

· Optimizing Global Asset Management

Houghton LeRoy, director of consulting, ARC Advisory Group claims, “Optimizing asset utilization is one approach to cutting costs and increasing profitability in tough economic times. Today’s Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) solutions satisfy individual plant optimization requirements, but are inadequate for multinational organizations. Global visibility of asset utilization and best practices promotes better asset optimization for multinationals.” READ MORE

The PlantSuccess Newsletter generates a substantial number of visits to our website, we welcome the interest and the access to previous issues of the Newsletter which are available there. If you'd like to share this newsletter with a colleague, just forward a copy. Subscribe or cancel by sending a request to Carl.Howk@PlantSuccess.com

Full links to Volume II, Issue 27 Newsletter articles: