A tax on Christmas is a war on Texas

Noise Machine's latest noise: the national Christmas tree industry's program to promote itself is actually another Obama tax on something sacred.  Desired effect achieved, at least partially.

Part of the process to review and set up this program included the collection of comments on it by interested parties.  As noted by the National Christmas Tree Association (see first link), the vast majority of the comments submitted were positive.  A few were negative, and the good folks at the Ag Department were kind enough to include summaries of these in its "Christmas Tree Promotion, Research and Information Order."  One stands out, at least for me.  First, collecting taxes for that arrogant, greedy, ruthless, no-good Prince Barack (to be said in the voice of Friar Tuck).

One commenter raised concerns about a perceived unequal burden of taxation. The commenter suggested that the exemption provision could affect producers that produce 500 trees or less because this creates unequal taxation treatment of Christmas tree producers. However, the assessment provided for in this type of program is not a tax nor does it yield revenue for the Federal government. These producer and importers funds raised by producers and importers are for the benefit of producers and importers.

And then, from the same commenter, a nation under siege:

The commenter also stated that some Texas producers were not in favor of the proposed Order, that Texas is a sovereign State, and therefore Texas Christmas tree producers should not be included in the Order. The 1996 Act provides that programs under the Act would be applicable to agricultural commodities produced in the United States, which is defined as collectively the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the territories and possessions of the United States.

The dry refutal is amusing.