First … thanks so much to all of you who continue to send me messages and Tweets telling me how much you’re missing me on the air.  Those message are must appreciated … and I miss you folks too, just not enough to abandon my newfound freedom and tie myself to a microphone. 

 I have some established goals for my retirement, and I’m working on some new ones.  I’m re-reading the amazing book “Younger Next Year” by Chris Crowley and Henry S. Lodge, MD, and re-dedicating myself to better nutrition and an exercise program.  I’m working on getting that handicap down and, of course, bothering The Queen with my newfound freedom.   I’m also going to be doing some flying for Angel Flight, transporting people with medical needs to places where they can get the care they need.  I’m also working on a speech based on my book “Maybe I Should Just Shut Up and Go Away” designed for conventions and other gatherings where the attendees might not want to be harangued on politics. 

 Then, of course, there’s the traveling --- the primary reason I pushed back from the mic.  We already have 3,500 miles on the BoortzBus, and in March we head for the West Coast – then North – then East across the top of America – then we follow the changing leaves down  the East Coast back to Florida.  We’ll park the bus from time to time to fly back to Atlanta and get some family time (grandbaby!) and, of course, there’s our cruise from Barcelona to Venice with about 300 (former) listeners in late May! 

 There’s something else out there I care deeply about I want to work on, and that’s the FairTax.  And this is where the discouragement comes in.  Several weeks ago I started a petition to the White House.  The petition simply reads: 

 “A petition to request that the President spend one hour discussing The FairTax, the most thoroughly researched tax reform legislation in history, with Neal Boortz and former GOP Congressman John Linder, co-authors of The FairTax Book and FairTax, The Truth.”

 The rules for this petition are that if we get 25,000 signatures by February 7^th – that’s the day after tomorrow – the White House WILL respond.  Now I’m not stupid enough to believe that 0bama would actually sit down for one hour and discuss the FairTax, but it would at least be interesting to see what the White House response would be.  Sadly, I don’t think we’re going to find out.  Why?  Because we have two days left for the lifespan of this petition, and we are 5,125 signatures shy of the 25,000 that are needed.  I thought --- erroneously, obviously – that with 137,000+ followers on Twitter, and the hundreds of thousands of people who read Nealz Nuze, that we would get 25,000 signatures in 24 hours.  Didn’t work out that way. 

 The new threshold for petitions to the White House is 100,000 signatures, and a petition posted over the weekend to make the Monday after the Super Bowl a national holiday rocketed up to 80,000 by Monday.  A petition to bring the FairTax to the attention of the White House can’t get 25,000 in a freaking month.

 But … who knows.  It could still happen.  So, just in case you’re so inclined, Here’s the link to the petition.  The FairTax would be the most massive transfer of power from the rulers to the people since we ratified our Constitution.  I’m going to be working with FairTax.org to make speeches and appear at rallies to try to draw more attention to this incredible tax reform idea … but it all seems a little absurd if you can’t get 25,000 signatures on a petition.  Perhaps you will help.