Passing the Fair Tax would transfer power back to us, where it belongs

The average American is unaware of the erosion of his freedom … that same freedom for which our forefathers shed their blood to obtain and preserve. Sadly, all of our military personnel since World War II have been fighting for what has slowly come to resemble slavery more than freedom.

Post 1913 Americans have never fully experienced the freedom purchased by the American Revolution and guaranteed by our Constitution. In 1913, our Congress successfully completed a long campaign to amend the Constitution and begin depriving us of our freedom and independence. This infringement has been so gradual that changes from one generation to the next were easily digested. It would have been unthinkable for the Americans of 1913 to accept the IRS as it exists and functions today.

How were Americans who had been in full control of their lives for 137 years conned into granting Congress the power to take full control of their lives, productivity and prosperity? The sales slogan for the 16^th amendment was “Soak the rich.” Supporters campaigned on the promise that only the very wealthy would pay only a very small percentage of their income. It was a promise not kept. Once armed by the 16^th with the awesome power to confiscate our income from whatever source and without limit, Congress gradually increased the tax rate and included all citizens above the poverty level in its fleecing of America.

The founding fathers warned that if ever Congress acquired the power to tax our income, it would lead to the destruction of our Republic. They knew that giving Congress control of our income would lead to a corrupt Congress, bought and paid for by a very wealthy few, whose interests would be placed above the common welfare. It would result in the redistribution of our money to targeted blocs of voters, allowing congressmen to perpetuate themselves in power.

Since passage of the 16^th Amendment, Congress has grown into a giant parasite sucking the life blood out of our incentive to work, save and invest. They have become elitists holding themselves above the laws they impose on the rest of us. Having Congress in control of our money has put us in the position of working for Congress instead of Congress working for us. What enables Congress to ignore us with impunity on any policy issue is the fact that they have control of our money. Income taxation must go or we will become indentured servants, enslaved by insurmountable debt.

In just 97 years the tax code has grown from some four pages to nearly 70,000. It is an unfair, hopelessly complicated, broken system. It is a smoke screen that Congress uses to hide its spending in favor of selected voting blocs. Because every tax break represents money lost to our treasury, is there any wonder our national debt has exploded along with the tax code?

There is a fair, simple and transparent way to raise the same amount of revenue as income taxation: the Fair Tax – a flat sales tax on all new goods and services. The Fair Tax recognizes that Congress should stop penalizing our labor. That’s counter-productive. Why would Congress want to tax us more for working harder and smarter and earning more money? The Fair Tax taxes consumption, not productivity. In addition to raising the same amount of revenue, the Fair Tax rewards growth, reduces political corruption, eliminates loopholes and creates a much healthier and more transparent relationship between you and your government.

The Fair Tax will turn on the power and creativity of American workers and entrepreneurs and allow us to grow out of the current economic slump. The bill has a seven-year window to allow time for the repeal of the 16^th amendment. The 18^th amendment which established prohibition turned out to be a huge mistake and it was repealed after 11 years by the 21^st amendment. We must repeal in like manner the mistake that is the 16^th amendment,

By shifting taxation from productive behavior to consumption, the Fair Tax lets you take home your paycheck free of federal withholdings and eliminates the income tax and the IRS. This will be a tremendous stimulus to our economy. We will all have more money to spend, save, and invest, giving American businesses more access to capital. This, in turn, will spur greater investment in research and development and create new jobs. Passing the Fair Tax would transfer power back to us, where it belongs

For a complete explanation of the Fair Tax Bill, H.R. 25, go to FairTax.org or read “The Fair Tax Solution” by Ken Hoagland.