tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14162253.post114236156010201367..comments2024-03-17T10:49:06.420-06:00Comments on Wash Park Prophet: How Long Is The Tax Code?Andrew Oh-Willekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02537151821869153861noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14162253.post-1142640560510418452006-03-17T17:09:00.000-07:002006-03-17T17:09:00.000-07:00Screaming Freedom, look at this chart and tell me ...Screaming Freedom, look at this <A HREF="http://www.deviantart.com/view/9410862/" REL="nofollow">chart</A> and tell me where there is room to slash the federal budget by a third (and this chart includes only discretionary programs, if you want to cut entitlements instead, you can explain how you want to cut them.)Andrew Oh-Willekehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02537151821869153861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14162253.post-1142463814986361082006-03-15T16:03:00.000-07:002006-03-15T16:03:00.000-07:00Usually what happens before some idiot gets himsel...Usually what happens before some idiot gets himself shot, is that the federal government puts liens on his real estate, seizes his personal property and garnishes his wages. None of these remedies work very well against states.<BR/><BR/>Garnishing tax revenues doesn't work well, because the whole problem is that there isn't enough revenue being collected because the legislature didn't impose it.<BR/><BR/>Foreclosing on real estate doesn't work well because most state real estate is stuff that has no good non-governmental purpose or is a financial burden (e.g. roads, bridges, dams, parks established in undevelopable locations, capitol buildings, etc.).<BR/><BR/>Seizing personal property doesn't work well, because it often gums up the process of collecting taxes. Seize the department of revenue's computers and you aren't any better off.<BR/><BR/>And, arresting people for violating court orders is problematic, because there is rarely one person who can be held responsible. The entire legislature plus the Governor failed to cooperate, and none of them have the power to impose taxes unilaterally.Andrew Oh-Willekehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02537151821869153861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14162253.post-1142451478991248742006-03-15T12:37:00.000-07:002006-03-15T12:37:00.000-07:00Andrew, it sounds like you're saying that the fede...Andrew, it sounds like you're saying that the federal government won't get money from the states because the states won't pay attention to them. But the current system works because the feds are big enough to frighten individual citizens into paying. What happens if you don't pay taxes and try to live free? You eventually get shot and killed by the government (while escaping from prison). So if that's the sword hanging over our heads as we send in our checks, why couldn't the same sword be held to the throats of the states?Sotosorotohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17065491574825765076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14162253.post-1142387152399493972006-03-14T18:45:00.000-07:002006-03-14T18:45:00.000-07:00Who cares about a tax cut?I want to see Government...Who cares about a tax cut?<BR/><BR/>I want to see Government stop spending like we have money to spare.<BR/>I wouldn't mind if government was cut by a third and most of that would probably be waste.Screaming Freedomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15990068266181502046noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14162253.post-1142371703439190062006-03-14T14:28:00.000-07:002006-03-14T14:28:00.000-07:00Bad idea. This was essentially the law under the ...Bad idea. <BR/><BR/>This was essentially the law under the Articles of Confederation in effect prior to our current constitution, which was effective in 1789, well after the Revolutionary War was completed. It was also, in more or less exactly that language, the original domestic taxing mechanism provided by the 1789 constitution (Article I, Section 9, Clause 4). To my knowledge, no tax was ever imposed in that form, however, although it would clearly be constitutional if it was imposed.<BR/><BR/>Why? It doesn't work. The problem is that there was no effective remedy. <BR/><BR/>What do you do if Ohio doesn't find a legislative majority to comply with the law and cough up to pay for the Defense Budget or the interest on the national debt? Send in the Marines to take over Columbus? Send U.S. marshalls door to door asking for $5,000 checks? Sell the capitol building in Columbus to the highest bidder at a foreclosure sale?<BR/><BR/>This is not an academic matter. The Ohio Supreme Court has done precisely this at the state level in the face of legislative non-compliance with a court order to fund the public schools as required by the Ohio Constitution and repeatedly been blown off in the process.<BR/><BR/>Historically, the federal government survived principally upon customs duties and excise taxes until the Civil War. In the early American period the Congress managed to live within this narrow means.<BR/><BR/>But, when the Civil War came an income tax was imposed, because no other method to raise the funds could be devised. It was repealed after the Civil War and went through a few more iterations and court challenges until the 16th Amendment authorizing the income tax was passed. <BR/><BR/>Also, trying to delegate federal taxation to state governments would be a disaster for interstate businesses.Andrew Oh-Willekehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02537151821869153861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14162253.post-1142367863293322272006-03-14T13:24:00.000-07:002006-03-14T13:24:00.000-07:00How about revising it to one sentence: "Every stat...How about revising it to one sentence: "Every state must pay the federal government $5,000 per resident." Simple and it gets the job done. States can modify their own taxes accordingly. And you can throw in a sentence about inflation if you really want to.Sotosorotohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17065491574825765076noreply@blogger.com