“Have we the courage and the will to face up to the immorality and discrimination of the progressive tax, and demand a return to traditional proportionate taxation? ... Today in our country the tax collector's share is 37 cents of every dollar earned. Freedom has never been so fragile, so close to slipping from our grasp.”

Progressive taxation is far from immoral or discriminatory... it is just the opposite. It is proportionate taxation which places undue burdon on those least able to bear it. Here he reveals his true colors, just as W has... everything for the rich, and then some more from the poor to add insult to injury.

State and Local Taxes indeed, Federally speaking it should be foreign businesses buying access to the US Market through Tariffs and Excise taxes on their imports as the constitution requires, it allows for no sales tax nor consumption tax on the American Public Nationally, and any Amendment saying so would be an expansion of power violation (Aka America's #10 Authority, in opposition to England's).

Anon, Reston is exactly on point here. Simpletons, however, seem to gravitate to the 'simple' idea of 'proportionate' taxation having never gotten their feet wet in the actual economics underlying the debate.

Taxes do not pay for ANYTHING. IF we actually tried to pay for all these unconstitutional projects, we would be bankrupt. Ooops, I forgot, we are. The system is rigged -- even when employing sound socialist policies, the game always benefits those who pull the purse-strings. If the American people ever learn that there is no such thing as a free lunch, we might have a chance to beat this Goliath.

Income taxes, whether proportionate or progressive, are immoral. As far as Reagan favoring the rich, anon is just silly. The fact is that the rich (the truly rich, not the upper middle class) much prefer a progressive tax scheme. Progressive tax schemes always have nifty shelters and tax loopholes built into them to try and favor some politicians pet constituency. People with lots of money are far better able to manipulate such a system than people without money. When's the last time you heard Bill Gates or George Soros advocating a proportionate scheme of taxation?

Thanks again to Reston and Occidental.

Re: "When's the last time you heard Bill Gates or George Soros advocating a proportionate scheme of taxation?" - Why would they? George Soros, a billionaire in his own right from dealing in the money markets, says "laissez faire capitalism has gotten so out of hand it is now the main enemy of our open society." He adds, "The cult of success has replaced a belief in principles." Soros insists we need progressive tax policies and more government regulations to correct the current obscenities in the rich-poor divide. - http://www.hpr1.com/archives/oct0903/gadfly.htm -|- "In his introductory chapter, 'The Deficiencies of Global Capitalism' ... Soros is clear in arguing for more investment in social development. He wants nations and entrepreneurs to be environmentally responsible. Considering the motives and history of entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship, Soros is also an advocate of a strong regulatory role for the state." - http://human-nature.com/nibbs/04/soros.html -|- About 120 wealthy Americans recently signed a petition to OPPOSE (my caps) Bush's proposal to eliminate the estate tax. They include George Soros, billionaire financier; Warren Buffett, an investor considered the world's fourth-richest person, and William Gates Sr., father of the world's wealthiest individual, Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft Corp. These wealthy folks understand that American democracy depends on equality of opportunity -- a meritocracy, rather than an aristocracy based on inherited wealth. -- http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2001/02/22/ED186491.DTL

Calling it "the tax-collector's share" is blatant dishonesty that is insulting to America: the tax-collector works for the Republic, and the Republic is "We The People." If America were still a monarchy, the rhetoric that equates taxes with theft might be valid, but under a republican form of government it is not. If there is a problem with how taxes are spent, the solution is to make the system more attendant to the people and the purposes of the Preamble, not to starve the people's government to death. Demonizing the funding that allows the proper functioning of the American Republic stinks of treason.

J. Nelson Leith: If the US were operating under strict republican principles, we would still have a hard currency. Instead the US has given away all its gold to the Fed and are now using Fed issued prommisary notes backed by nothing but the US government's promise to 'one day' pay. Of course, the debt now is so high that not only is it completely unpayable, our taxes merely pay the interest on this massive debt. The IRS works for the Fed directly. The treason is in the iniquitous money system that has been foisted on the American People with the intent of making us all indentured servants to the Fed/IMF. And it has been working infamously from the moment the act was passed to bankrupt the US government to the private Federal Reserve. It is not federal and there are no 'reserves'. It is the biggest con in American history. The nation has the power to issue currency interest free. Lincoln and Kennedy both issued interest-free US Notes during their terms -- each resulting in their assassination. Do your due diligence, and you will come to know the awful truth.

People said the debt was "unpayable" in 1992... I don't know whose scare-mongering is worse.

I'm with Golok, Archer, and Eric on this one. The thumbs down is on what Reagan's concept of a traditional proportionate tax might be that we would 'return' to. A progressive tax is blatantly immoral because by its very implementation is larceny and makes a slave class of each and every once individual sovereign. To be a slave to the state, no matter how much or, what percentage of your labors you must render to the master is immoral. To believe that slavery is moral, has to be some sort of mental illness.

Taxation is a lot worse that .37 cents...add in every item you need and the ax placed on it. Every tax placed on every step of production and transport. So much more is taken than is necessary. Its a method of control...its a tool of communism. Search the "5th plank" see what you find...

To the thumbs down socialists above, Karl Marx in was strongly in favor of the progressive income tax. Workers of the world arise, you have nothing to lose but your freedom.

He speaks of freedom? The whole will and means of the debt he saddled a whole generation with was to enslave the common man. Now in 2009 it has been exponetially exaserbated. What a joke.

I have never seen such great honesty and wisdom expressed by others on these pages. It has obviously not occurred to some that there are people who care about something other than self. Carlton, Jim K, Mike, Archer why is it I am never surprised by your non thinking robotic answers.

We did not appreciate Ronald Reagan when we had him as our President. Now we can only wonder how bad things will get under our current boy wonder and boy, do I wonder!

Waffler why is I'm never surprised by your complete inability to have an original thought? You are without a doubt the most Un- America blogger here. Real Americans, you see, are capable of critical thinking. Able to discern the American way from the BS we live with today. You are not, you are a conformist. A sheep.

In 2007, the richest 1% or Americans accounted for (or controlled) about 19% of the money in the economy and paid about 37% of the federal income tax. By contrast, the lowest 50% of Americans got about 13% of the money and paid 3% of the taxes. When you consider the investment that the "top 1%" represent -- in new jobs or increased salaries -- they have pulled more than their "fair share" and those of you calling for more taxation ought to be careful. There does come a time when people will quit paying taxes (by leaving the country, or just plain skirting the law) and then the lower 50% will really suffer....

Progressive taxation is NOT unfair. It places the burden of taxation on those who can afford it. It doesn't go on forever either, it stops and at that point you can make infinite dollars and pay the same rate. There are plenty of people with millions and many with billions of dollars in this country and if they invest their money they pay a 15% capital gains tax. Rich people don't complain about our progressive tax system because they know how to make money. It is only greedy and envious trolls that bitch about it.

Anonymous from the midwest, if you seriously think that taxing people more because they work harder and EARN more money and taxing the sluts on the streets less is fair, then you're about as retarded as Obama himself. You are basically saying that if someone decides to get a job and EARN their living instead of living off of unemployment benefits, the person with the job should be punished for making money (AKA ENVIOUS TROLL) and the person without a job (AKA model citizen in the president's eyes) should get rewarded for slacking off, putting no effort into caring for themselves, and (in some, but not all cases) using what little money they earn and get from the Government for drugs. You are sick, and I bet you probably live off of unemployment benefits. You are a joke!

1) How many here embrace their Declaration of Independence ?
2) How many here have read or even seen the Legal instrument given in defense before the Court, on behalf of the said Individual Sovereign Free Born.
3) How many have filed an AFFIDAVIT OF REVOCATION AND RESCISSION and Won their case ?
Before anyone spouts garbage from their lips, consider the garbage instilled within the mind of individuals, complying with chains of slavery for a little so-called liberty and freedom.
Just a note, Page 3, paragraph 12) That at no time was I ever notified or informed by the IRS, by any of its agents, or employees, nor by any lawyer, C.P.A., or tax preparer of the fact that the 16th Amendment to the United States Constitution , as Correctly Interpreted by the U.S. Supreme Court in such cases as .......identified the income tax as an indirect excise tax in accordance with Article 1,Section 8, Clause 1 of the United States Constitution, and that the 16th Amendment does not authorize a tax on individuals but is applicable to nonresident aliens as stated in T, D. 2313. Whether a progressive or proportional tax, both are levied through Constructive Fraud by Congress and the IRS. Handed down, practiced by the state and local withholding agents. publicans doing the bidding of rome seeking to tax the world once again. Time to grow some Balls Patriots. DON"T FILE. stop sucking the tit of promised return. Rather, Stand Your Ground as Independent sovereigns. Though they steal from me, I play not their game of groveling before the little "g" gods and their house of so-called government. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.