Rarely do I agree with anything printed in The Daily Cougar, but I must admit that I side with Mr. Pennell (at least partially) in his recent column "Income taxes need not apply here in Republicanland." A national sales tax is a very bad idea. Yes, the 16th Amendment is a terrible addition to our constitution. What's the solution?
I propose that we eliminate all payroll taxes, including income taxes, FICA and Medicare, and replace it with ... (drumroll, please) absolutely nothing.
And, contrary to Mr. Pennell's opinion, it would not take an amendment to do such a thing - this plan is in the original design of the constitution.
Let me explain. Before senators were chosen by popular vote, as they are today, they were chosen by state legislatures. Senators were directly responsible to the states, while members of the House were responsible to the people.
This design worked well because all federal income came from tariffs and excise taxes, and if more money was needed to run the government, the states pitched in their share of the balance. If the feds tried to spend too much money, the states could put the heat on the senators, because the states were footing the bill for the extra spending.
This was before the days of a national debt. It was also before the days of federally funded social programs. What a coincidence.
The federal government is not our mother. Neither is it the church. We should not expect the government to feed us and clothe us, to look after us when we are sick, or to instruct us. Those jobs are reserved to other spheres of government - the family and the church. God ordained civil government to serve only two purposes-defense and justice (Romans 13). If the government would stick to the basics, it wouldn't require so much money to operate.
If God only requires 10 percent of our income, what should we think of an entity that requires more than twice that? I would say that it has spit in the face of God, and tried to set itself on a higher plane than the Ruler of the universe. Lucifer tried that, too. God will not withhold his wrath forever.
Shane Gibbons, MBA student
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