Putting the Federal Government In Control of Our Economy

By Douglas V. Gibbs

Barack Obama, with his disdain for Capitalism, is advocating a hyperinterventionalist approach to our economy with the Health Care Reform law, his plans for Cap and Trade, seizing control of two-thirds of the American automobile industry, and the Finance Reform Bill they are now hammering out that puts Wall Street in the federal government's cross hairs as well. Passing all of the legislation the leftists are proposing will put the federal government in control of the American economy. To maintain this kind of control, the massive centralized government will need a significant increase in revenue, of which Washington will be glad to take out of the pockets of citizens. Hence, the reason for the call on a National sales tax, a value added tax, allowing the Bush tax cuts to expire, increasing corporate taxes, increasing taxes on the wealthy (that will eventually affect everyone), higher cigarette taxes, raising fuel taxes, prohibitive tariffs on imports, going after foreign manufacturers like Toyota with punitive fines and taxes, and much much more. When Congress and the President have such a huge appetite for spending, the ability for the government to borrow and tax becomes all consuming to these people who are on a power trip that is becoming an addictive never ending need for more and more liberty killing programs.

Because of the ambitions of statism, the Founding Fathers were careful not to give the federal government expansive powers over the states, nor the unlimited ability to tax the people. In fact, in the Articles of Confederation, the federal government had no taxing power, and nearly no governing abilities, at all. Revenues were raised by the sovereign states, and nearly all laws were the responsibilities of the states. Under the Constitution, the ability to tax by the federal government was through modest revenue tariffs, and selected excise taxes. Direct taxation could not be levied until 1913 with the passage of the 16th Amendment. If you will recall, one of the reasons the colonists were so upset with the Stamp Act and the Tea Act is that those taxes not only were imposed without allowing representation in the British legislature by the colonists, but because those taxes were "direct" taxes on the colonists. The allowances of the federal government were carefully enumerated in Article I, Section 8; and to remind us of those limitations the 9th Amendment was passed. To quell any confusion as to what happened to the issues that were not given as an authority to the federal government, the 10th Amendment was written, handing all of those remaining powers over to the states.

The purpose of the federal government, as stated by Thomas Jefferson, was to protect our God-given rights to life, liberty, and property, not take them away as the federal government is trying to do with this administration.

This is why it is so important that the GOP continues to stand in opposition to "all" of the Democrat's unconstitutional proposals, such as the Finance Reform bill. I keep hearing in the media that the Republicans can be swayed on that bill. If they do sway, it will place more power in the hands of the federal government, which will ultimately take away more liberty, more freedom, and more rights. And if the Republicans waver, in November it will be more than just the Democrats we need to throw out of Washington.

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary