The World According to Storm

[AGBF]

Date: 11/4/2005 9:27:34 AM
Author: strmrdr

What foreign policy (if any) do you think that the United States should have?

get out of the UN, stop being the worlds cop, what goes on in other countries is none of our business, someone messes with us stomp them into the dust and torch the dust then get out, end all foreign aid, recall troups from europe.

Do you believe it should have any organized armed forces?

in this day and age yes a small one but the majority of the military should be reserves and militia.

Do you think there should be any taxes at all and, if so, for what purpose?

constitutional duties only, return the rest of the power to the states where it belongs. tarrifs and duties are the only constitutional taxes, as and added bonus it protects the US manufactoring base.


Whom would you like to see as President of the United States?


not sure at this point, there is really no one that can or will save it, it is way to far gone now.

just a quick answer because a full answer would take days.

I have days (although not all at once), and I would like to pursue this. Let''s take one subject at a time, however. I''d like to start with taxes.

You said that tariffs and duties are the only "constitutional duties". Why do you feel that the Constitution forbids taxation of anything other than imports?

Also: if the federal government can only tax via duties and tarfiffs, why do states have the right to tax anything else? (I mean by whose authority do they tax? If you say that the Constitution gives them the right because the state has all rights not given to the federal government, does that mean that a state can do anything simply because it isn''t done by the federal government?) For what may they tax? Can a state tax as much as it wants? For what purposes can these tax monies be used? If you say, "for the public good", who defines that?


I am sorry if my questions are not refined. I need to get out to do errands, so I may not be posing them as carefully as I should be. I will have plenty of time to think about any response you choose to give later, however.

Deb

 

[strmrdr]

Section 8. The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises, to pay the debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States; but all duties, imposts and excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;


To borrow money on the credit of the United States;


To regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states, and with the Indian tribes;


To establish a uniform rule of naturalization, and uniform laws on the subject of bankruptcies throughout the United States;


To coin money, regulate the value thereof, and of foreign coin, and fix the standard of weights and measures;


To provide for the punishment of counterfeiting the securities and current coin of the United States;


To establish post offices and post 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 tribunals inferior to the Supreme Court;


To define and punish piracies and felonies committed on the high seas, and offenses against the law of nations;


To declare war, grant letters of marque and reprisal, and make rules concerning captures on land and water;


To raise and support armies, but no appropriation of money to that use shall be for a longer term than two years;


To provide and maintain a navy;


To make rules for the government and regulation of the land and naval forces;


To provide for calling forth the militia to execute the laws of the union, suppress insurrections and repel invasions;


To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the militia, and for governing such part of them as may be employed in the service of the United States, reserving to the states respectively, the appointment of the officers, and the authority of training the militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;


To exercise exclusive legislation in all cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten miles square) as may, by cession of particular states, and the acceptance of Congress, become the seat of the government of the United States, and to exercise like authority over all places purchased by the consent of the legislature of the state in which the same shall be, for the erection of forts, magazines, arsenals, dockyards, and other needful buildings;--And


To make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by this Constitution in the government of the United States, or in any department or officer thereof.


Section 9. The migration or importation of such persons as any of the states now existing shall think proper to admit, shall not be prohibited by the Congress prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and eight, but a tax or duty may be imposed on such importation, not exceeding ten dollars for each person.


The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may require it.


No bill of attainder or ex post facto Law shall be passed.


No capitation, or other direct, tax shall be laid, unless in proportion to the census or enumeration herein before directed to be taken.


No tax or duty shall be laid on articles exported from any state.


No preference shall be given by any regulation of commerce or revenue to the ports of one state over those of another: nor shall vessels bound to, or from, one state, be obliged to enter, clear or pay duties in another.


No money shall be drawn from the treasury, but in consequence of appropriations made by law; and a regular statement and account of receipts and expenditures of all public money shall be published from time to time.


No title of nobility shall be granted by the United States: and no person holding any office of profit or trust under them, shall, without the consent of the Congress, accept of any present, emolument, office, or title, of any kind whatever, from any king, prince, or foreign state.


Section 10. No state shall enter into any treaty, alliance, or confederation; grant letters of marque and reprisal; coin money; emit bills of credit; make anything but gold and silver coin a tender in payment of debts; pass any bill of attainder, ex post facto law, or law impairing the obligation of contracts, or grant any title of nobility.


No state shall, without the consent of the Congress, lay any imposts or duties on imports or exports, except what may be absolutely necessary for executing it''s inspection laws: and the net produce of all duties and imposts, laid by any state on imports or exports, shall be for the use of the treasury of the United States; and all such laws shall be subject to the revision and control of the Congress.


No state shall, without the consent of Congress, lay any duty of tonnage, keep troops, or ships of war in time of peace, enter into any agreement or compact with another state, or with a foreign power, or engage in war, unless actually invaded, or in such imminent danger as will not admit of delay


change by:
Amendment XVI

The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several states, and without regard to any census or enumeration.

Under the original constitution the income tax was illegal.

No admendments have been passed empowering the fed. gov. beyond those duties listed there.
therefore the duties belong to the state.

 

[strmrdr]

Amendment IV

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.



The founding fathers went to war with England over far less than we deal with today from the feds.
The irs violates the 4th amendment daily for every person who has a SS number.

 

[AGBF]

Well, a few things stand out to me.

First, you seem to feel that the XVI Amendment has less inherent authority that the Constitiution which allowed for its passage or than the IV Amendment. Why that would be so is not immediately obvious.

Second, you seem focused solely on the income tax. Even if we agreed that somehow the XVI Amendment was less "legitimate" than the Constitution or the Bill of Rights (including the IV Amendment), why does that bother you more than any other tax (e.g. the sales tax)? Is it only that you believe the original language of the Constitution, that each tax be apportioned equally ("but all duties, imposts and excises shall be uniform throughout the United States"), should have been let stand? Or do you oppose other taxes besides the income tax?

Deb

 

[strmrdr]

its mainly the invasion of privacy that bugs me about the income tax and the 4th Amendment violations by the IRS.

Im ok with state sales tax as long as it applied equally to all goods other than food and medicine and retail sales only.
Taxing one good more than another for social policy is wrong. (so called sin tax)

Property tax is wrong also.

 

[strmrdr]

"but all duties, imposts and excises shall be uniform throughout the United States"

That was to prevent the federal goverment from punishing one state by making the duties higher than for the same goods coming in another state.