A National Sales Tax: The Time is NowWritten by Nader Ghali
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Our politicians and leaders should not underestimate great groundswell of support that exists for eliminating current income tax and replacing it with a National Sales Tax. Nothing taps this nation's populist impulses like opposition to tyranny of taxation. Whether it's Boston Tea Party, or grassroots organizations like National Retail Sales Tax Alliance, Americans have always rallied against an unjustly oppressive tax burden. The idea of streamlining current tax system, of course, has always been popular with many citizens. Americans should continue to vote and voice their opinions on matter. It seems that all of our leaders are finally getting message: President, Federal Reserve Chairman and elected officials. In political thriller, "Hulagu's Web: The Presidential Pursuit of Senator Katherine Laforge" (http://www.hulagusweb.com), charismatic Senator Laforge openly embraces a National Sales Tax as part of her political platform. One of her supporters asks her an important question. "How much will that add to everything we buy?" "It probably will be around 14 to 17 percent," replies Senator Laforge. "At first glance that might sound high to you but remember, no federal tax will be taken out of your pay, so your check will be much higher." "Well, if you win, it will be like a revolution here in America," she is later told. Indeed, it would be like a revolution. Critics point out that eliminating current income tax system would require repealing 16th Amendment. That is an obstacle but its repeal should not be that difficult. Amendments have been repealed before. For example, 18th amendment was repealed by 21st Amendment. The infamous 16th Amendment reads: "The congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among several states, and without regard to any census or enumeration." Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, had already proposed such a repeal a few years ago. In short, if utilitarian taxpayers for elite would just stand up and make their plight known to their representatives, politicians would take note and likely accept will of people. Clearly, only a popular ground swell of voting public can change this broken tax system. By putting government representatives on notice that their honeymoon with a National Income Tax is no longer acceptable, we can hopefully unburden ourselves with intrusive, regressive and oppressive Income Tax system of today. "If elite and publicity seeking celebrities can muster thousands in favor of Income Tax, then you, hard working unrepresented taxpayers must come out in droves to create million man march for repeal of 16th amendment and freedom from yoke of taxation slavery." "Hulagu's Web Chapter 10" Let these words from Senator LaForge be marching orders for every American committed to a fair system of taxation under a National Sales Tax. Frank Chodorov's book, "The Income Tax: Root of All Evil," can be downloaded for free off Internet and should be required reading for all of us.
Bio for Nader Ghali A computer programmer working in the telecommunications industry for the past six years, Nader Ghali lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma and spends his free time writing on subjects ranging from computer security to economic and political issues.
| | It still doesn’t pay to be gayWritten by by Kurt St. Angelo
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Licensed professions use government as a bully to thwart unlicensed – and thus, unprivileged – competitors. All professional licenses are licenses to steal your opportunity to hire someone possibly more qualified but unwilling to do government’s bidding. Consumers have better tools than licensing to gauge professional quality. The history of marriage licensing is equally laden with obvious special interests. Marriage licenses were once used – perhaps invented – to discourage interracial relationships. Today they are used to discourage gay relationships. Heterosexuality has its privileges, and it still doesn’t pay to be gay. For disfavored singles and unlicensed couples – gay or otherwise – let’s aspire to remain unlicensed. Let’s exercise our God-given rights instead of seeking government’s permission to exercise them. Let’s work to get our own houses in order. Licensed or not, all adults can draft a will or a trust to pass their property at death to their loved one(s), regardless of gender. Nobody needs a marriage license to fulfill this important function. No couple needs legislators defining each side’s respective property rights when its relationship dissolves. This can and should be done contractually – not just by gay couples but also by husbands and wives. I sympathize with people – gay or otherwise – whose employers do not extend privilege of certain employment benefits to their live-in co-habitants, as they do their employees’ married spouses. The solutions to this are better employers, not government adding a class of people to its A list. There is only one valid justification for marriage licenses – legal convenience. They are useful to courts in determining legal relationships, duties and powers when couples break up or testify. However, common-law privilege against coerced spousal testimony predates marriage licenses. Marriage licenses were never legally necessary to prove marital status. We would be smart to get government completely out of marriage and give it back to God, where it all began and belongs. Let God, not government, administer and sanction all of our loving relationships. Make government available to preside over our material disputes. kenngividen@writersbureau.org
kenngividen@writersbureau.org
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