“Today, of course, the redistributive powers of Congress are everywhere -- except in the Constitution. The result is the feeding frenzy that is modern Washington, the Hobbesian war of all against all as each tries to get his share and more of the common pot the tax system fills. ... It is unseemly and wrong. More than that, it is unconstitutional, whatever the slim and cowed majority on the New Deal Court may have said.”

Editor, thanks for all your efforts in pursuit of finding these great quotes. The vast majority of people I've ask have no clue who Hobbes, Locke or any of the other profound influences on the founders were or how their philosophies have been either so drastically warped or completely gone against. On the other hand, concepts such as Hobbes social contract, as disagreed with by most of the founders, have found their place in the modern mobs' killing of freedom. This Pilon quote is right on and extremely relevant.

I second Mikes kudos for the editor. Ever since politicians found out that they could steal your money and buy your vote with it, things have been going to hell in a hand basket, starting around 1913 if not long before. For the youngsters in the crowd, 1913 was the year of the Fed and the income tax. I doubt that even Frank Sinatra would have called 1913 "A Very Good Year".

In my perception of history, the International Banksters (Rothschilds) made their first inroads into America while the ink was still drying on the Constitution. Alexander Hamilton was the pathway in for them with the inception of the Bank of the United States that he and his cronies were making huge profits from while handing the bill to Americans. Washington himself was the first President to give in to these criminals and that is eveidenced by his leading an army into Pennsylvania to enforce taxation and put down the Whisky Rebellion....Then Lincoln and his War of Northern Aggression...then Wilson and the Federal Reserve. The only President that ever had any real integrity was Andrew Jackson.

Excellent supposition!

Cato Institute is an unintelligent co-conspirator of the Koch Brothers. Their quotes are biased and not worth of being spread on the internet. Interestingly enough jim k, the income tax was hated for being to high when enacted (it was like 2%) and was only on the rich. Can you name a time when it was not to high!

...Waffler, You really are on a demented little roll today...been putting Scotch on your Corn Flakes again? Tell us what you know about the Soros / Kenyan Deity connection and its march towards world slavery....

J what if anything does your last comment have to do with what I said about the Koch Bros and their Cato front org.

Waffler, what if anything does your comment have to do with the veracity of the quote? Nothing. Obama is a front for Goldman Sachs. The Democrats AND GOP are fronts for the CFR, IMF, Fed, and the World Bank. It seems to me that when you don't agree with a quote you simply try and misdirect. How about addressing the points in the quote for a change instead of ad hominem retorts and attempts at misinformation and changing topics. You are beginning to sound like a 'conspiracy theorist' yourself. Waffler never explains where American government gets it authority and the limits set by the People.