In the back of my mind

I've never claimed to be a "Ron Paul Guy" and I'm in no way a zealous Republiberatarian. But, objectively, Ron Paul is one of the few sound voices for logic to creep into a violently illogical political system. So, in honor of April 15th just hours away, I thought I'd share an excerpt from Rep. Paul's The Case Against the Income Tax.

Could America exist without an income tax? The idea seems radical, yet in truth America did just fine without a federal income tax for the first 126 years of its history. Prior to 1913, the government operated with revenues raised through tariffs, excise taxes, and property taxes, without ever touching a worker's paycheck....

The harmful effects of the income tax are obvious. First and foremost, it has enabled government to expand far beyond its proper constitutional limits, regulating virtually every aspect of our lives. It has given government a claim on our lives and work, destroying our privacy in the process. It takes billions of dollars out of the legitimate private economy, with most Americans giving more than a third of everything they make to the federal government. This economic drain destroys jobs and penalizes productive behavior. The ridiculous complexity of the tax laws makes compliance a nightmare for both individuals and businesses....

Is it impossible to end the income tax? I don't believe so. In fact, I believe a serious groundswell movement of disaffected taxpayers is growing in this country. Millions of Americans are fed up with the current tax system, and they will bring pressure on Congress....

And you know what's funny is that the US Federal Income tax is ultimately unconstitutional. Originally our government said that citizens were only to be taxed on gains or profit, of which income is not. And even deeper, the own IRS book on taxes only goes as far as stating that it's a citizens "responsibility" to pay income taxes. Not a federal requirement. Yet many still get hauled in each year for not paying the personal income tax. Crazy, huh?

It's worth digging deeper into.