"Trump floats eliminating U.S. income tax and replacing it with tariffs on imports"
Regarding Trump's suggestion for tariffs, Thomas Jefferson had noted that in the early days of the country the rich alone paid taxes (tariffs) to run the federal government.
“The rich alone use imported articles, and on these alone the whole taxes of the General Government are levied [emphasis added]. … Our revenues liberated by the discharge of the public debt, and its surplus applied to canals, roads, schools, etc., the farmer will see his government supported, his children educated, and the face of his country made a paradise by the contributions of the rich alone, without his being called on to spend a cent from his earnings.” —Thomas Jefferson to Thaddeus Kosciusko, 1811.
Also note that if patriots get hopeful Trump 47 up to speed with unconstitutional federal taxing and spending fostered by federal government abuse of its 16th Amendment powers (16A; direct taxes), then we might get rid of the income tax sooner than later.
"16th Amendment : The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived [emphasis added], without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration."
"Congress is not empowered to tax for those purposes which are within the exclusive province of the States." —Justice John Marshall, Gibbons v. Ogden, 1824.
“If the tax be not proposed for the common defence, or general welfare, but for other objects, wholly extraneous, (as for instance, for propagating Mahometanism among the Turks, or giving aids and subsidies to a foreign nation, to build palaces for its kings, or erect monuments to its heroes,) it would be wholly indefensible upon constitutional principles [emphases added].” — Justice Joseph Story, Commentaries on the Constitution 2 (1833).
The congressional record shows that Rep. John Bingham, a constitutional lawmaker, had clarified the federal government's constitutionally limited powers as follows.
”Simply this, that the care of the property, the liberty, and the life of the citizen, under the solemn sanction of an oath imposed by your Constitution, is in the States and not in the federal government [emphases added]. I have sought to effect no change in that respect in the Constitution of the country.” —John Bingham, Congressional. Globe. 1866, page 1292 (see top half of third column)
Pelosi: "We have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it." (non-FR; 6 sec.)
Democrats [and RINOs] Are Terrified Of An Educated And Informed Public (3.12.23)
Democratic and Republican Trump supporters must elect a new Constitution-respecting Congress in November, not only so that he won't be a lame duck president from the first day of his second term, but will support him to quickly finish draining the swamp.
Trump and the new Congress also need to lead the states to put a stop to federal government abuse of its 16A powers by effectively "seceding" ALL the states from the unconstitutionally big federal government by repealing that amendment.
The 17th Amendment (17A; popular voting for federal senators) needs to disappear too.
Consider the repealing of 16&17A as part of reparations for victim taxpayers of the corrupt federal government for having to pay a lifetime of unconstitutional federal taxes, taxes that Congress cannot reasonably justify under its constitutional Article I, Section 8-limited powers and a few other constitutionally enumerated expenses.
You’ve obviously put some thought into this.
RE: the 17th. I would love to go back to the original plan of Senators representing the interests of the State governments in Congress. I think it would be political poison now... it would be seen as ‘undermining democracy’ and ‘disenfranchisement.’ ... you just know ‘racist’ will be added to the adjectives.
I support the original design but can see no way to it...