Posted on 11/04/2011 7:30:12 AM PDT by dervish
Edited on 11/04/2011 7:33:38 AM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
:)
Thank you for your post. It took 33 posts to get it right.
No, my candidate is much earlier. But, it's a series of events: the ones that ratified the 17th amendment.
The whole point of state legislators appointing their US Senators was that the Senators would effectively represent the state governments. If that barrier hadn't been broken, the creeping federalism since then wouldn't have been possible.
It wasn't a perfect method, but it was better than what followed.
Can I get partial credit? I posted the same thing, before I scrolled down far enough to read Jim's. :-)
March 1791
Of course, and it’s always good to explain consequences as you did in your post. Good one.
When it was ratified, then went into effect on the 26th.
Thanks for the laugh! Perhaps if they had changed it to “Cr*p” ... but NO!
LOL!
Events from March, 1791:
2nd - Long-distance communication speeds up with the unveiling of a semaphore machine in Paris.
3rd - 1st internal revenue act (taxing distilled spirits & carriages)
3rd - Congress establishes US Mint
4th - 1st Jewish member of US Congress, Israel Jacobs (PA), takes office
4th - Pres Washington calls the US Senate into its 1st special session
4th - Vermont admitted as 14th state (1st addition to the 13 colonies)
10th - John Stone, Concord, Mass, patents a pile driver
10th - Pope condemns France’s Civil Constitution of the clergy
11th - Samuel Mulliken, Phila, is 1st to obtain more than 1 US patent
21st - Capt Hopley Yeaton of NH becomes 1st commissioned officer in USN
*******************************
My guess is you’re referring to the first tax, and not the first pile-driver? I’m no history expert - but the government did need to pay the soldiers. But a tax on “spirits” was pretty harmful to a select portion of the nation - the farmers IIRC. Seems a broader tax and limited in duration would have been a better idea.
And I really wouldn’t mind paying taxes if I knew it was being spent wisely on our armed forces, highways, and other things for the “common good”. But when it is wasted, or spent on things not for the “common good”, and when I know that lots of folks aren’t paying ANY taxes - that’s what makes me mad.
But yes, the first tax sure got the ball rolling.
“But yes, the first tax sure got the ball rolling.”
I am very impressed FRiend. You have correctly answered my riddle.
In March 1791 the Whiskey Tax was passed, leading to the Whiskey Rebellion in Pennsilvania. this was the first instance in our history where the federal government used military force to impose their will on a state.
In every subsequent conflict - War of 1812, Civil War, WWI, etc. the federal government expanded their power over the states. All the federal power grabs that so many are (properly)citing on this thread stem from this tax.
President Lincoln was only following the example that President Washington set decades earlier.
That’s my contention, anyway.
I was wondering if what was worse. The passing of the tax, or the use of government force to put down the rebellion. I’m thinking that Jefferson was pretty dismayed by the government actions, and probably would have sided with the farmers.
Have there been ways in which governments have raised money that have not been taxes? Of course in the early years I don’t think the U.S. government was envisioned to have a standing army. Tolls on roads and bridges may have covered their costs. Duties and tariffs could have covered the building of ports, etc.
Amen....but Kennedy was a very immoral man, but at least he loved America......unlike the rest of the Democrats.
Amen to that TOO!! Now because of God being pushed out country, we have Abortion and Gay everything.......we are DOOMED unless we change.
Few things bother me as much as when people toss around the word "parabolic" without having a clue what it means.
"One smooth parabolic curve after another" probably looks something like this:
.
Some people think that describes "history" pretty well.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008.
hunh. it’s either circling the drain or ever-expanding, as it traverses the same territory. Yes, this is rather apt after all.
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