Chicago PM Wednesday 20 October 2010


Editors, The Wall Street Journal


Gentlepeople:


The Wall Street Journal article “GOP House Leaders Seek to Avoid Past Mistakes” of Tuesday 19 October quotes leaders saying “... they recognize they may have to compromise with Democrats in tackling broader problems.” The article further describes potential new Repiblican members of congress, with special emphasis on some who “boast of their record of working with Democrats. The article closes referring to a candidate openly bragging of having “worked with legislators of both parties to solve problems."


The US Congress just recessed a session where Democrats passed a 2400 page piece of legislation they claim will make everyone healthier, but even the briefest reading shows it will worsen everyone's health while bankrunpting us on top of that. Even worse, it is absolutely unconstitutional (anyone who thinks it is justified by the 'general welfare' clause, should read James Madison's Federalist number 41.) This legislation was passed completely by Democrats, with no Republican assistance at all.


But it is no more unconsttutional than Medicare, passed 45 years ago, nor Social Security, in 1935, both also passed buy Democrats. How many times can you ignore the Constitution before you wake up some morning and find you're ignoring it all the time?


The only thing the Republicans should do in the 112th Congress is avoid anything remotely resembling cooperating with Democrats. If this causes a government shut down, it can't happen too soon. We can survive for a long time just by firing the entire staffs of various government bureaucracies, such as The Departments of Health, Education, and Welfare, Environmental protection, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, etc.


The article has four references to GOP leaders' recognition of voters' concerns over federal spending. This problem could be fixed by changing paragraph 3402 of USC Title 26 — 'Internal Revenue Code' Subtitle C 'Employment taxes' Chapter 24 'Collection Of Income Tax At Source On Wages'... from "every employer making payment of wages shall deduct and withhold upon such wages a tax..." to "every employer making payment of wages shall pay all of those wages to the employee...." The employer would still calculate the tax, replacing the reassuring (but thoroly misleading) note "you earned and your employer paid" with "here is how much the feds are expecting you personally to send in within 30 days"


Would this be inefficient? Certainly for an insatiable federal bureaucracy. But after a few months writing checks to the Federal Government for 20% of their take-home pay, American voter/tax payers would quickly see to it that the people they elect to Congress would realize, and react to, their deep concern over federal spending.


Arnold H Nelson in

Chicago

ah_nelson@yahoo.com