In the early 1900s, there was no income tax in America. A dollar was redeemable in gold or silver and would buy ten loaves of bread — three dollars, a quality pair of shoes. There was one federal employee for every 290 people. Freedom flourished. America was a glowing beacon for the entire world as the land of boundless opportunity.

Now, a hundred years later, a progressive federal income tax can take up to forty percent of the fruits of our labor. The dollar has no precious-metal backing and will buy less than a 1940 nickel. One of every eight American workers directly or indirectly toils for the federal government. And our freedoms are under relentless attack by a growing army of regulatory bureaucrats. Yes, immigrants still flock to our shores, but many now do so not for the freedom and opportunity, but for the "government benefits" that await them just for the taking.

During this period, the understanding of and appreciation for the Constitutional Republic given us by America’s Founders has steadily slipped away. Today, few high-schoolers can name even half of our ten Bill of Rights. Some do not even know from what country we won independence! Can we pull out of this deadly downward spiral and restore America to its former greatness? Yes, we can.

The great American experiment

The patriots that were America’s Founders had experienced firsthand the oppression of unlimited government. Their victory over King George in the War for Independence forged a determination to prevent such tyrannical rule from ever coming to power here again. The Constitution they created in 1787 was designed expressly to limit government and, in so doing, to maximize individual liberty. Anyone reading the writings of key authors of that inspired document, such as James Madison, cannot doubt that these men fervently believed that the essence of freedom is the limitation of government.

For over a century, the limiting chains of the Constitution bound the federal government to only the powers enumerated in it. It’s no coincidence that for well over a hundred years, America grew and prospered to become the envy of the entire world. But ... liberty requires great vigilance.

By the early 1900s, those looking for an excuse to wield more power over their fellow citizens began to promote hitherto rejected broad interpretations of the Constitution. Suddenly, a reference in the Preamble to "promoting the general welfare" was touted as justifying federal involvement in a myriad of areas previously off limits. Politicians were quick to propose federal legislation in these new areas. And, in the decades that followed, an increasingly politicized Supreme Court failed to strike down the growing list of usurped powers — even though these powers were obviously contrary to the original intent of the Founders.

The costly new programs took their toll. No longer could one paycheck keep a family afloat. Combined federal, state, and local taxes now cost a household, on average, more than food, clothing, and shelter combined. All government programs are borne by taxpayers — it’s not "federal money" or "state money" or even "local money." Some taxes are cleverly hidden in the price of goods and services. At the federal level, the most clever hidden tax — and the cruelest of all — is inflation.

The TRIM strategy

Faced with the growing tax burden and the regulatory attack on our freedoms, the leadership of The John Birch Society launched TRIM in 1974. It was to be a nationwide educational organization with the specific mission of slowing down and then reversing the growth of BIG Government. The JBS recognized that it is money that fuels the growing bureaucracy that threatens ever greater control over our lives. And if the goal of less government was ever to be achieved, the flow of money to Washington would have to be greatly reduced.

This reality gave rise to the key TRIM strategy of focusing on the U.S. House of Representatives to which the Constitution grants control of America’s purse strings: Article I, Section 7 states:

Thus, a simple majority of the House — 218 members — can turn off the tax-dollar spigot simply by refusing to appropriate funds for wasteful or unConstitutional programs. And, since the House must stand for re-election every two years, it is very sensitive to constituent concerns.

It will amaze most Americans to realize that, when proper Constitutional limitations are fully restored in Washington, at least two-thirds of all federal activities, plus their bureaucracy — and related costs — will be eliminated. But, before moving toward that goal, some major obstacles must be recognized: most Americans today do not understand the proper limited role of the federal government; and most also do not even know who their congressman is, much less how he is currently voting on major spending bills.

A powerful tool: the TRIM Bulletin

In response to this need for reliable information, TRIM three times a year publishes a four-page Bulletin for each of the 435 congressional districts of the House of Representatives. The Bulletin contains short, easy-to-read articles on taxes, government waste, Constitutional principles, and related issues. The back page is a "report card" on recent major spending votes by the local congressman. His votes are each rated either with a star for lower taxes and less government or with an "X" for high taxes and big government. To make the votes even more meaningful, their average cost per household is also listed. (The exact same votes are used on all 435 versions — TRIM plays no favorites.)

It’s not uncommon for congressmen to tell their constituents one thing while voting the opposite way back in Washington. They get away with it because their votes are buried in the pages of the Congressional Record. But, wide distribution of TRIM Bulletin report cards allows constituents to compare the rhetoric with the record — they’re then able to hold their representative accountable.

The impact of TRIM Bulletins is documented by letters and calls from members of Congress and their staff who are either pleased or outraged to see the congressman’s voting record made public. Time and time again it’s been demonstrated that large distributions of TRIM Bulletins over a multi-year period are hazardous to the careers of big spenders. One such study of 33 congressional districts found that TRIM-informed electorates in two out of three districts decided not to send their big-spending incumbent back to Washington.

TRIM Bulletins are available for all districts in packs of 100. In many districts, a local TRIM committee prints Bulletins and then oversees large distributions. When circulated widely on a regular basis, they can create the informed electorate that is so critically lacking in America today.

TRIM: nonpartisan and educational

TRIM is an educational organization. It neither endorses nor opposes candidates for any office. Nor does it contribute to any political campaign or committee. TRIM’s purpose is not to elect or defeat candidates, but to inform the American people — including those holding or running for office — about the virtues and blessings of limited government. And, a key part of this educational campaign is to build citizen awareness of the responsibility they have to preserve their freedom.

It is adherence to Constitutional principles, not partisan politics, with which TRIM is concerned. The TRIM vision is long range, looking to the next generation, not to the next election. Some of the improvements TRIM seeks may occur as a result of the electorate choosing a new representative. But, in the long run, most positive change will result not from turnover, but from the adjusted voting habits of many incumbents — congressmen who decide that it’s in their best interest to heed the new Constitutional winds blowing in their district.

At the conclusion of his award-winning 1967 book, The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution, noted historian Bernard Bailyn stated that the Founders "never abandoned the belief that only an informed, alert, intelligent, and uncorrupted electorate would preserve the freedoms of a republican state..." Was such concern appropriate? Yes, indeed. It is not alarmist to conclude that our representative government cannot long endure in this 21st century amid an increasingly confused, discouraged, and dumbed-down electorate.

How you can help!

Unless enough good citizens get involved, BIG Government will continue its march until, as history teaches, it will ultimately trample and then extinguish individual liberty. Many Americans sense this growing web of control being woven around them, but don’t know what to do about it.

The reality: no individual acting alone can hope to stem the tide. Only an organized nationwide movement can be successful in cutting BIG Government down to size. TRIM is the best — perhaps the only — national organization equipped to do the job. By working to inform the electorate in your congressional district, you will be working in concert with thousands of TRIMmers from Maine to Hawaii, from Alaska to Florida.

Start by setting up a voter-household route in your neighborhood and then delivering the latest TRIM Bulletin three times per year. (Be sure to send a copy to your congressman along with your comments on his spending votes.) Give a Bulletin to everyone in your personal circle of influence, too. They may then also become inspired to join in this growing movement to restore our Republic.

TRIM also has other pamphlets, videotapes, and audiotapes available to reinforce the call for "lower taxes through less government." Join the TRIM crusade today ... the freedom that you save may be your own — and it most certainly will be that of your children and grandchildren.

Help spread the word by distributing TRIM Bulletins in your congressional district.