Despite our differences on another subject, my hat is off to you for the above.
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Despite our differences on another subject, my hat is off to you for the above.
You are possibly familiar with the Progressive era 16th and 17th Amendments, both ratified in 1913?
16th Amendment = Income tax.
17th Amendment = Direct election of Senators.
These are critical constitutional changes which helped cause the explosion of Federal Government, from 2% of GDP in 1913 to around 25% today.
Napolitano says that's where we should start to restore the Free Republic, as it was originally designed.
And where did the allegedly "conservative" South stand on these two amendments, in 1913?
Here is a listing of the Old Confederacy, and how eager they were to pass the Progressive era amendments.
Note that Alabama was the nation's first state to ratify the 16th Amendment, and that Texas, North Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas and Louisiana all ratified both amendments:
| Secession # | 16th Amendment | 17th Amendment |
|---|---|---|
| #1 = South Carolina: | 16th = #3 | 17th = rejected |
| #2 = Mississippi: | 16th = #5, | 17th = rejected |
| #3 = Florida: | 16th = rejected, | 17th = rejected |
| #4 =Alabama: | 16th = #1 | 17th = rejected |
| #5 = Georgia: | 16th = #8, | 17th = rejected |
| #6 = Louisiana: | 16th = #34, | 17th = #37 |
| #7 = Texas: | 16th = #9, | 17th = #16 |
| #8 = Virginia: | 16th = rejected, | 17th = rejected |
| #9 = Arkansas: | 16th = #29, | 17th = #19 |
| #10 = North Carolina: | 16th = #20, | 17th = #7 |
| #11 = Tennessee: | 16th = #28, | 17th = #34 |
Only Virginia & Florida rejected both Progressive amendments.
Pennsylvania rejected income tax, but ratified direct election of Senators.