Bert Dirschell
Centertown
Dear Editor:
Few of us have an understanding of just how out of control the federal government has become. People who had just thrown off the yoke of the British envisioned a very limited central government, one whose main focus would be the defense of our nation. Instead we got a behemoth intent on gobbling up everything in sight. The 9th and 10th Amendments were put in place to protect this from happening. Those in the federal government have chosen to ignore them, especially in the past 70 years. Can you even remember ever hearing, “The federal government was not granted that power.”?
Article I, Section 8, Clause 1 of the Constitution: “The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States:”. Giving the central government the unfettered power to tax us was a major mistake.
The following is an attempt at a primer on the growth of taxation during our early history.
One of the first actions by the new government was to pass the Tariff of 1789. It imposed a 5 percent tariff on virtually all imports, in addition to many other protectionist measures. Congress also imposed small excise taxes on “luxury” items such as whiskey, rum, tobacco, snuff and refined sugar. By 1820, tariffs averaged 40 percent; by 1875, they averaged 50 percent. Through 1860, 80-95 percent of federal revenue came from tariffs.
There is an interesting chart showing federal income by tax source at metrocosm.com/history-of-us-taxes/
In 1790, federal taxes cost a tradesman, with a wife and two children, the equivalent of 16 days wages. Of course, he only paid taxes if he purchased imported or “luxury” goods. Today, the government spends $32,000 per household. You decide how long it takes your household to pay for the “benefits” you are provided by the federal government.
Much of the above information came from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tariff_in_United_States_history#Tariff_revenues
A following LTE will discuss the blank check we gave the federal government with the 16th Amendment.