Help ratify the Liberty Amendment!

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http://www.libertyamendment.org/

Wyoming • Texas • Nevada • Louisiana • Georgia • South Carolina • Mississippi • Arizona • Indiana

Have all passed resolutions endorsing the amendment, though some were more recent than others. If your state isn't one of those, flood your state legislature's inbox.

Section 1. The Government of the United States shall not engage in any business, professional, commercial, financial or industrial enterprise except as specified in the Constitution.

Section 2. The constitution or laws of any State, or the laws of the United States shall not be subject to the terms of any foreign or domestic agreement which would abrogate this amendment.

Section 3. The activities of the United States Government which violate the intent and purpose of this amendment shall, within a period of three years from the date of the ratification of this amendment, be liquidated and the properties and facilities affected shall be sold.

Section 4. Three years after the ratification of this amendment the sixteenth article of amendments to the Constitution of the United States shall stand repealed and thereafter Congress shall not levy taxes on personal incomes, estates, and/or gifts.

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Who are the two people who voted no?

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Make that who are the five.

Please post; I'm interested in hearing why.

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Liberty sucks? Um, what?

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I disagree. If Hastret can push a good tax reform bill through the House of Reps then there's the slight but real possiblity we could eliminate the income tax.

That would set the trend for this to pass, making it permanent and secure. Plus it would end any UN-type body.

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I know, a national sales tax. But that's far better than an income tax, because it isn't a violation of basic privacy rights and would abolish the IRS.

Plus, people would get sick of the sales tax and vote for people to lower them and make spending cuts.

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Not if we provided a national rebate up to the poverty spending level through the Social Security Administration.

If you look at lifetime income, it's about as progressive as the system is now.

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The middle class pays tax on everything it buys past poverty level spending, but everyone would get a rebate.

I don't claim to be a Social Security Administration expert, or even remotely aware of how it works, but as I understand it it's already set up to make payments.

I do understand that a flat tax (with some amount exempted) would be a much less radical transition. Perhaps the best thing to do is reform the income tax for now, work to cut wasteful spending, and then switch to a federal sales tax when it wouldn't have to be so high (probably about 15%).

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^^Government already releases a "cost of living" statistic each year. The rebate would be a flat rebate payed to everyone based on the cost of living statistic.

Over the course of one's lifetime, studies have shown that it would be about as progressive as the system is now.

If the rich save their money, they aren't benefiting from it, so who cares? If they do spend it, they get taxed 15% of the, say, billion dollar cost.

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No PERSONAL income taxes. Not BUSINESS taxes.

Personal taxes are just double taxation anyway--one half is payed here, another there...but the same people pay it. It violates the 4th amendment, except for that 16th BS.

Our system is based on the supremacy of the states. The federal government is as an INSTITUTION supreme, but it derives its power from the states. If a state wishes to nullify the Constitution, it can. It just can't continue to be part of the union while doing so.

With regard to "sales taxes cause inflation" line, I suggest you think about that statement for a few minutes.

The "progressive" federal income tax is trash. Anyone who thinks its elimination would be a catastophe is un-patriotic and un-American. Please move to Europe where you'll fit in.

Liberty = Freedom
4th Amendment = Property Rights

Liberty + Property = American
Dependent + Pathetic = European

And no, I don't care about all these people who don't earn a living wage. You know, in other words, all the people LIVING who don't earn a living wage. It really is a hilarious concept.

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I meant Socialist Europe, heh

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Wrong. Any state can secede and dissolve all political ties to the union. I don't know why you made an exception for Texas, because Virginia and a handful of other states also reserved that explicit right.

The laws of reason and diplomacy would apply.

The 16th amendment repealed 4th amendment recognition of property rights. It didn't repeal those property rights.

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Amendment IV
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

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By the way, that's the amendment that magically says abortion is legal

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All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

You want to try to explain what this has to do with abortion? At least I could make a huge stretch with the 4th amendment.

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For a state to ban to abortion, it would violate a woman's liberty without due process.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Give me a break. It's not fair; I want to kill my neighbor, but the state won't let me. I WAS NOT TAKEN TO TRIAL AND TOLD I COULDN'T KILL MY NEIGHBOR!!!

Forget whether abortion is right or wrong. Saying it's legal because of the Constitution is a joke.

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The 9th amendment does not 'grant' any additional rights to the people, it only states the enumeration of some rights can not be used to discredit others.

Everything a person does is controlling his or her own body. It's a nonsense argument.

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What if I use my body to put a knife in someone's back?

I didn't say the 9th amendment says "these are our only rights." Just the opposite; it says that the Bill of Rights can't be used to discredit other rights.

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I believe states disputes are in the Supreme Court's original jurisdiction, which can't be limited by Congress.

What if the Supreme Court did hear my case and ruled that I had to give it all up? Would you follow the decision? What ifs don't happen.

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You have not shown me anywhere in the Constitution where abortion is a right.

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You have not shown me anywhere in the Constitution where abortion is a right.

The right recognized is free exerise of choice. Not specifically the choice to abort or not, but it isn't prohibited either. Thus as a choice it is covered.

Liberty = freedom = choice. So again, I guess I can put a knife in someone's back because of the 14th amendment?

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I know, but I don't consider abortion part of liberty freedom. The point is, it's been misconstrued and stretched by the courts to mean what they want it to.

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I know PHP/Perl/Javascript, so I'm used to != being not equal.

What kind of choice should be honored and what shouldn't? Yes, me blowing up my neighbor's house is denying him a choice to not have it blown up. But if I don't, then his freedom of choice is blocking mine.

We all know what that amendment means: no one can be thrown in jail or put under house arrest except as punishment for a crime.