Spending, not taxation, is issue

Yesterday, April 15, was the deadline date for American taxpayers to file their 2007 income tax return. The Constitution authorizes Congress "to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises," and it only allows Congress to lay and collect a direct or capitation tax (income tax) so long as it is apportioned equally among the several states based upon the population of each state.
 
The 16th amendment to the United States Constitution, though, seemingly changed that allowing Congress to collect a tax on income, no matter the source, without such apportionment.

Although required to originate in the House of Representatives, Congress is the only entity that can authorize taxes. The president can approve or veto such an authorization, but the president cannot by himself authorize any tax.
 
The point is Congress, with the approval of the president, can authorize as much in taxation as it wants only so long as it is spent in accordance with what Congress is authorized to spend by the Constitution.
 
About a third, if even that much, of today's annual federal budget of over $3 trillion accounts for spending for which Congress is authorized by the Constitution. The Constitution authorizes Congress to raise taxes to regulate commerce with foreign nations, among the 50 states, and the Indian tribes.
 
Congress is also authorized to raise imposts, duties and excises to establish rules for naturalization, bankruptcies, coin money, fix the standard of weights and measures, to provide for the punishment of counterfeiting securities and coin of the United States, to establish post offices and roads, to promote the progress of science and useful arts by securing, for limited times to authors and inventors, the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries, to constitute courts inferior to the Supreme Court, and to raise armies and support them and a navy.
 
There is no mention in the Constitution of taxes being raised to support specific welfare such as Medicare, Social Security, housing, food, clothing and health care for any one person or group of individuals.
 
Government spending dictates the amount of tax to be raised. If kept within constitutional limits, the amount taken from individuals does not severely impact the individual economically.
 
Presidential and congressional candidates harp about the cause and what must be done to address the current economic plight of many Americans. Much discussion centers on tax rebates and tax cuts, but very little is mentioned about what to do about the massive amount of expense the federal government incurs.
 
Any decision about taxes must include the reduction and elimination of all federal government spending, leaving only that which the Constitution authorizes. All other discussion is meaningless if Americans are to truly be helped with their current economic situation.
 
Currently, federal government expenditures are on automatic pilot, increasing at increasing rates, raiding every American's paycheck to an ever more severe level - almost to the point of every American becoming a slave to the state.
 
If congressional and presidential candidates really care about the plight of all Americans they will discuss and implement massive reductions and elimination of federal government spending to within those confined to what is authorized by the Constitution.
 
When government authorities print money to pay for all federal government expenditures outside of those constitutionally ordained, it is nothing more than another tax upon the American taxpayer by virtue of the decreased value of his hard-earned paycheck.
 
Because of the out of control spending not authorized by the Constitution, Americans have learned and become accustomed to living at the expense of other Americans and that is the primary reason that members of Congress have such a tough time eliminating and/or reducing such expenses. It is also the reason why extremely few candidates suggest such action.
 
It is rather difficult for Americans to give up their dependence on government funding. Only when  Americans understand that it is wrong for anyone to be forced to pay the expenses of another will there be a change in the expenditure habits of government officials.
 
The Mount Rushmore presidents will be at the Historic Yuma Theater April 29 for a discussion about this very subject and many others. Doors open at 6 p.m.. Tickets are $5 for adults, $2 for students and they can be purchased at the theater downtown, the UPS store in the Fry's Foothills Center or The Freedom Library.

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The public is invited free of charge to visit with Dr. Lee Hieb, M.D. at the Yuma Community Food Bank Thursday at 7 p.m. Her topic is "Universal Health Care - What it is and its implications for all Americans."


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Howard J. Blitz is a local libertarian and
president of The Freedom Library Inc.,
2435 S. 8th Ave. His e-mail address is
info@freedomlibrary.org