The Art Laffer / Steve Forbes rope-a-dope flat tax
When one takes the time to actually study the various versions of a flat tax, including those promoted by Art Laffer and Steve Forbes, we find a flat tax calculated from profits, gains, salaries and other lawfully earned incomes does absolutely nothing to eliminate the most notorious miseries which are connected with this patently evil tax. The time has come to seriously consider ending our nation’s experiment with this socialist inspired tax, and confront its advocates such as Art Laffer and Steve Forbes who continue to perpetuate it.
To begin with, the Laffer / Forbes flat tax proposal is a discriminatory tax in that it is laid directly upon the individual and measures the amount of tax the individual is to pay based upon their annual earnings which in effect commands our nation’s most productive businesses and hardworking citizens, especially those living in our nation’s inner cities who may work two or three jobs to lift themselves out of the “hood”, to finance the functions of government while the least productive citizen is not required to pay an equal share, or any share at all to support government! And yet, those who do not contribute an equal share to financing the functions of government are allowed to exercise a vote equal to those who do finance the functions of government. Our founding fathers adopted a rule in our Constitution, the rule of apportionment, to protect us from this very evil. That rule declares “Representatives and direct taxes shall be apportioned among the several states”, and it boils down to a very important concept __ representation with a proportional financial obligation, or, one man one vote, and one vote one dollar! The Laffer / Forbes flat tax proposal makes a mockery of the wisdom and brilliance of our founder’s rule of apportionment.
The Laffer / Forbes flat tax proposal is also arbitrary and capricious in that the definition of what is and what is not taxable “income” cannot be set in stone, and is left to never ending alterations and manipulations which are decided by a political majority in Congress. On the other hand, taxing consumption, which our founders intended to be Congress' primary source to fill our national treasury, is far less subject to abuse, and especially so because taxes paid on consumption are voluntarily paid by the manner in which one spends their money, and allows the market place to determine the limit of tax imposed upon every article chosen for taxation.
In addition, the Laffer / Forbes flat tax leaves the door wide open for government to use it as a political weapon to silence, threaten and punish political foes, while it is also used to reward the friends of big government. Have we not recently seen how this corruptible tax calculated from “incomes” has been used by political hacks in our federal government to attack freedom loving Americans and interfere with free speech? Have we forgotten how our federal government put one of our most patriotic members of Congress in jail, Congressman George Hansen, who dared to expose the criminal conduct of the IRS and its abuse of America’s taxpaying citizens?
If Laffer and Forbes were sincere about tax reform which would actually benefit the American People and restrain our out-of-control federal government, they would be working to end our nation’s experiment with this socialist inspired tax and be talking about the Fair Share Balanced Budget Amendment which is designed to bring us back to our Constitution’s original tax plan as our founders intended it to operate. Real tax reform begins with the following 32 words:
The Sixteenth Amendment is hereby repealed and Congress is henceforth forbidden to lay ``any`` tax or burden calculated from profits, gains, interest, salaries, wages, tips, inheritances or any other lawfully realized money.
JWK
“He has erected a multitude of new offices , and sent hither swarms of officers, to harass our people, and eat out their substance” ___Declaration of Independence
