Taxes do not and cannot Finance a Nation, and the Federal Government Taxing Clause is not the National Revenue Clause.
Taxation is the means of financing the Nation. We must Tax the Super-rich to fund the Nation and rebuild our Infrastructure. We must tax all those earning at least $400,000 annually to finance the Nation. The rich must pay their fair share of taxes, instead of having tax cuts that only help them, while reducing government services on which lower-income individuals rely. Those are the words of Tax Advocates. On the other hand, tax-cut Advocates argue that cutting taxes on the rich allows them redirect their increased wealth into new or additional productive investments, which subsequently increase the productive capacity of the economy --- trickle-down economy. These are some of the arguments thrown around regarding Taxation to grow the economy and finance the Nation, especially our dilapidating Nationwide Infrastructure. These volatile and incongruent arguments kept me awake, reflecting and asking myself why we assume that Taxation is relevant to grow the economy and finance the Nation. The concept of Govern-ment financing of the whole Nation through Taxation or Tax Receipts made no sense to me.
When a Government finances a Nation through Taxation or Tax Receipts, the amount of money in the economic system stays the same. Only different people spend it (the money in the system) for the same amount of production. Whether people spend it, or the government spends it, the same amount of money is spent. All what Taxation does is change who is spending the money in the economic system, not how much is spent. Subsequently, Taxation or Tax Receipts have no relevance to financing a Nation. This is basic Mathematics or rather basic Arithmetic.
Assuming Individuals and Businesses in the U.S. Economy earned $1 billion in 2022, and the government taxes and spends 10% of this earned income or $100 million, and the citizens spend the rest, how much is spent in the economy in 2022? $1 billion. Assuming the government taxes 25% of this earned income or $250 million and the citizens spend the rest, how much is spent in the economy? $1 billion.
Should we continue and take it to its reductio ad absurdum? Let's give it a shot. $1 billion earned and the government taxes $0.00, how much is spent? $1 billion and Libertarians would be in Heaven drinking heavenly coffee with their tax-free money, leaving a bankrupt government. $1 billion earned and the government taxes $1 billion, how much is spent? $1 billion, and Socialists will be in Heaven rejoicing, while providing welfare and food stamps to a bankrupt populace, whose income had been taxed away by the government.
That's basic Arithmetic showing the absurdity of taxing to finance a Nation. Reminiscing further, I asked myself why we think that Taxation or Tax Receipt is the only source of Revenue for the Nation as a whole, instead of just the Federal Government? The next question I asked myself is, where in the United States Constitution is it stated that we must finance the Nation by Taxation?
To answer this latter question, I dug into, and studied, the United States Constitution for several
months trying to find where Taxation to finance the Nation is stated. I could not find any statute for funding the Nation but only statute for using Taxation to fund the Government. Yes, Taxation to fund the Government only. While still reflecting on why we are fixated on the deadly illusion of Taxation or Tax Receipts to finance the Nation instead of the Government, it dawned on me that the Constitution lucidly states the means of funding the whole Nation through the Revenue Clause which consists of the (1) Taxing Clause, (2) Borrowing Clause and (3) Money Coinage Clause. The Constitution also states clearly, the Spending Clause of the Nation as the (1) Debt Clause, (2) Common Defence Clause and (3) General Welfare Clause, shown in the tables below:
These clauses are further detailed below.
I then checked the Appropriation Clause which is an Accounting Statement to balance Revenues and Expenditures for the Nation, not just the Federal Government. The Government is not the Public. Merriam-Webster dictionary defines Public as "of, relating to, or affecting all the people or the whole area of a nation or state". Thus, the Public means all the people, the whole citizenry, and hence, "all public Money" (all the people's money) in the appropriations Clause means all Federal Tax Receipts + Borrowed Money + Coined (Created) Money for the whole Citizenry of the Nation.
Since the Federal Government can Coin or Create its own Money on behalf of We the Sovereign People of the United States, there is no need for Taxation (Tax Receipts) or Borrowed Money to finance the Nation. Federal Taxes are to fund the actual Administrative operations of the Federal Government only, and the purpose of Taxation is to reduce the over-concentration of the Credit Commons or Money in the hands of a few People, and also to increase or decrease the Money Supply in the Economy, to ensure that Production or GDP is always balanced by the Money Supply or Money in Circulation in the Main Street Economy of actual Production, or Consumer Purchasing Power, to prevent inflation or deflation or even recession. This of course excludes Money on Wall Street, the Gambling Casino.
I have now solved the 247-year old American economic quagmire, where the Constitution has been continuously misinterpreted, premised on the deadly error of financing the Nation only through Taxation, which has perpetuated our financial mess and economic quagmire, from the inception of this country to the present.
No wonder the First Vice President of the United States, John Adams, wrote the following excerpt in his Letter to Thomas Jefferson on August 25. 1787.
"All the Perplexities, Confusions and Distresses in America arise not from defects in their Constitutions or Confederation, not from a want of Honour or Virtue, So much as from downright Ignorance of the Nature of Coin, Credit and Circulation.—While an annual Interest of twenty, thirty and even fifty Per Cent, can be made, and a hope of augmenting Capitals in a Proportion of five hundred Per Cent is opened by Speculations in the Stocks, Commerce will not thrive. Such a State of Things would annihilate the Commerce, and overturn the Government too in any nation in Europe."
What this boils down to is that We Americans even in this 21st Century still do not understand the Nature of Money, Credit, and the Circulation of Money and Credit. This is why we still think Federal Government Tax Receipts must always match the National Expenditures. In other words,
(1) Federal Government Tax Receipts = National Expenditures,
which is the genesis of the so-called Federal Government Budget Deficit falsely touted as National Deficit, and the so-called Federal Government Debt fraudulent touted as the National
Debt. Equation (1) above is a totally false paradigmatic assumption. The correct paradigmatic assumptions are:
(2) Federal Government Tax Receipts = Federal Government Expenditures
(3) National Revenues = National Expenditures
and
(4) National Revenues = Tax Receipts + Borrowed Money + Coined (Created) Money
Subsequently,
(5) Tax Receipts + Borrowed Money + Coined (Created) Money = National Expenditures.
Furthermore, since the Nation coins or creates its own Money (Money Coinage Clause - Article
I, Section 8, Clause 5.1), the Nation does not need to Tax and/or Borrow Money, as National Revenue for National Expenditures. Rather, the Nation must create enough Money to always match its National Expenditures or National Wealth. In other words,
(6) National Wealth or GDP = Government Coined or Created Money.
These aside, the Counterfeiting Clause - Article I, Section 8, Clause 6.1, states that
"The Congress shall have Power To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities and current Coin of the United States".
This means no American Citizen or American State can coin or create Money in the United States. In other words, the Federal Government has a monopoly of legal tender to create Money for "We the Sovereign People of the United States", the United States, the States of the United States, and the Cities and Local Communities of the States of the United States. This is buttressed in
The States and Coining of Money and Emitting Bills of Credit Clauses - Article I, Section 10, Clause 1.2, and Clause 1.3, which state that
"No State shall coin Money; emit Bills of Credit; make any Thing but gold and silver Coin a Tender in Payment of Debts; pass any Bill of Attainder
What does it mean to emit Bills of Credit, and what are Bills of Credit? "Emit" means to put out, or to send forth. "Bills of Credit" are promissory notes or bills put out/sent forth exclusively on the credit of the state, and for the payment of which the faith of the state only is pledged. Now, there are three types of Bills for reciprocal exchange (1) Mortgage - a “past savings instrument” based on the Currency Principle, (2) Bill of Exchange - a “future savings instrument” based on the Banking Principle, and (3) Bill of credit - a "no savings instrument" erroneously regarded as a "past savings instrument" based on the Currency Principle. This is a special type of bill for reciprocal exchange emitted (not issued) by governments that is backed by future tax collections. The U.S. Constitution does not give Congress authority to emit bills of credit. It only does so by redefining all savings as past savings, thereby reclassifying bills of credit as bonds (mortgages) that are permitted.
The Bills of Credit (Bills, Notes and Bonds) emitted by Government that are backed by Future Tax Collections, and regarded as Past Savings, should be used only to cover the actual operations of Government.
The bottom line is that, only the Federal Government or more precisely Congress, has the legal
authority to coin or create Money into existence on behalf of each and every American Citizen and hence, for "We the Sovereign People of the United States", "We the Sovereign People of the States of the United States', and "We the Sovereign People of the Cities and Local Communities of the States of the United States".
Subsequently, it is very erroneous for anyone to interpret Article I, Section 8, Clause 1, which states that
"The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States"
as the Revenue and Spending Clause for the Nation, instead of Taxing and Spending Clause for the Federal Government, where Tax Receipts are the only source of Revenue for the Federal Government. Besides, the paradigmatic assumption that Tax Receipts must always match a Nation's Expenditures, or
(1) Federal Government Tax Receipts = National Expenditures
is false and totally silly, and an impossibility. No Nation can finance itself through Taxation, and should never finance itself through Taxation. Assuming, due to Climate Catastrophe, that the United States North, South and East are devastated by Hurricane and Flood, the Midwest by Tornado and Flood, and the West by Earthquake. In short, the whole Country is devastated, and Members of Congress coming out of their safe bunkers in Washington DC, realize the enormity of the destruction. The surviving and traumatized Americans have nothing left, no food, no water, no shelter --- nothing. Since Federal Government collected no taxes or collected zero taxes because of this enormous destruction, does it mean the Nation would not be financed for lack of Tax Receipts. In other words, the surviving and traumatized Americans, and the Nation itself, should die because the Federal Government collected no Taxes or does not anticipate collecting any Taxes in the foreseeable future. This is totally absurd and silly. It makes no sense.
Again, the Purposes of Taxation are (1) to facilitate the efficient Circulation of Money in an Economy to create Wealth, (2) to punish or change behavior, and (3) to defray the actual operational costs of Government or Governance. The third purpose is to ensure Accountability of the Government to the People. Ultimately, the Purpose of our Nation's or National Revenue is to ensure the General Welfare of each and every American Citizen, and all American Citizens collectively and thus, the General Welfare of "We the Sovereign People of the United States", "We the Sovereign People of the States of the United States', and "We the Sovereign People of the Cities and Local Communities of the States of the United States". All these encompass the General Welfare of the Nation as a whole.
General Welfare
General Welfare is mentioned in the Preamble to the United States Constitution, in the General Welfare Clause, Article I, Section 8, Clause 1.2.3 of the United States Constitution, and in the Employment Act of 1946, as follows:
Preamble to the United States Constitution
We the [Sovereign] People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish [Political, Economic and Cultural] Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common [or collective force for the] defense [of We the Sovereign People of the United States, individu-ally and jointly], promote the general Welfare [of We the Sovereign People of the United States, individually and jointly], and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves [the current generation of We the Sovereign People of the United States, individually and jointly] and our Posterity [future generations of We the Sovereign People of the United States, individually and jointly], do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America [to constrain the powers and authorities We the Sovereign People of the United States delegate to our Agents (Political Officeholders) in Federal, State and Local Governments, for the execution of our Visionary Plans and Agenda].
General Welfare Clause - Article I, Section 8, Clause 1
We the[Sovereign] People of the United States, ........................, do ordain and establish this [Article I, Section 8, Clauses 1 of the] Constitution for the United States of America [and order that]
The Congress [under We the Sovereign People of the United States] shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common [or collective force for the] defense [of We the Sovereign People of the United States, individually and jointly], promote the general Welfare [of We the Sovereign People of the United States, individually and jointly]; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;
Employment Act of 1946
At the heart of the Employment Act of 1946 Congress passed, was the “Declaration of Policy”,
The Congress hereby declares that it is the continuing policy and responsibility of the federal government to use all practicable means consistent with its needs and obligations and other essential considerations of national policy with the assistance and cooperation of industry, agriculture, labor, and state and local governments, to coordinate and utilize all its plans, functions, and resources for the purpose of creating and maintaining, in a manner calculated to foster and promote free and competitive enterprise and the general welfare, conditions under which there will be afforded useful employment for those able, willing, and seeking work, and to promote maximum employment, production, and purchasing power.
The Employment Act of 1946 should be Amended as follows to meet the 21st Century Knowledge-Intensive Economy of Very Advanced Technologies
Section 2 of the Employment act of 1946 is obsolete as is, and no longer meets the needs of the 21st Century Knowledge-Intensive Economy of Very Advanced Technologies, where employ-ment or work is done by Humans (Human Capital or Labor), and Non-Humans (the Commons or Common Capital) in the form of Nature, Automation, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Computers, etc. Section 2 of the Employment act of 1946 should be corrected or amended as follows:
The Congress [under We the Sovereign People of the United States] hereby declares that it is the continuing policy and responsibility of the federal government to use all practicable means consistent with its needs and obligations and other essential considerations of national policy with the assistance and cooperation of industry, agriculture, labor, and state and local governments, to coordinate and utilize all its plans, functions, and resources for the purpose of creating and maintaining, in a manner calculated to foster and promote free and competitive enterprise and the general welfare of "We the Sovereign People of the United States, individually and jointly", conditions under which there will be afforded useful employment for those able, willing, and seeking work, and to promote maximum employment, production, and purchasing power through the full employment of our Human Capital (Labor) and our non-Human Capital (Commons or Common Capital) for Maximum Production, and Maximum Purchasing Power for each and every American Citizen.
Federal Reserve Reform Act of 1977
"GENERAL P O L I C Y: CONGRESSIONAL REVIEW
"SEC.2A: T h e Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Federal Open Market Committee shall maintain long run growth of the monetary and credit aggregates commensurate with the economy's long run potential to increase production, so as to promote effectively the goals of maximum employment, stable prices, and moderate long-term interest rates. The Board of Governors shall consult with Congress at semiannual hearings before the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs of the House of Representatives about the Board of Governors' and the Federal Open Market Committee's objectives and plans with respect to the ranges of growth or diminution of monetary and credit aggregates for the upcoming twelve months, taking account of past and prospective developments in production, employment, and prices. Nothing in this Act shall be interpreted to require t h a t such ranges of growth or diminution be achieved if the Board of Governors and the Federal Open Market Committee determine t h a t they cannot or should not be achieved because of changing conditions."
The Federal Reserve Reform Act of 1977 should also be Amended as follows to meet the 21st Century Knowledge-Intensive Economy of Very Advanced Technologies
"SEC.2A: The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Federal Open Market
Committee shall maintain long run growth of the monetary and credit aggregates commensurate with the economy's long run potential to increase production, so as to promote effectively the goals of maximum employment of our Human Capital (Labor) and our non-Human Capital (Commons or Common Capital), stable prices, and moderate long-term interest rates. The Board of Governors shall consult with Congress at semiannual hearings before the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs of the House of Representatives about the Board of Governors' and the Federal Open Market Committee's objectives and plans with respect to the ranges of growth or diminu-tion of monetary and credit aggregates for the upcoming twelve months, taking account of past and prospective developments in production, employment of our Human Capital (Labor) and our non-Human Capital (Commons or Common Capital), and prices. Nothing in this Act shall be interpreted to require that such ranges of growth or diminution be achieved if the Board of Governors and the Federal Open Market Committee determine that they cannot or should not be achieved because of changing conditions."
Through the above Amendments, each and every American Citizen will have Dual Income, Income from his or her Labor (Labor Income or LI), and Income from his or her Equal Share of the Commons or Common Capital (Common Income or CI) by Right of Birth or Citizenship. In other words, the
Dual Income of each and every American Citizen = LI + CI
Consequently, the more we automate away all our Human Capital (Labor) by shifting to our Commons or Common Capital in the form of Financial Capital, Intellectual/Knowledge Capital (Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Computers, Software Algorithms, etc), Natural Capital, Cultural Capital, Institutional/Structural Capital, and Social Capital, the more the Common Income (CI) or Income each and every American receives from his or her equal share (1 Person 1 Share) of our Commons or Common Capital we equally own together by Right of Birth or Citizenship increases for each and every American, thereby increasing the Purchasing Power of each and every American. More Purchasing Power for each and every American leads to maximum production of goods and services for consumption, enhancement of Life and the environment, elimination of homelessness and poverty, and the drastic reduction or even total elimination of Inequality. In short, the more the Purchasing Power of each and every American, the more Wealth for each and every American and thus, more Wealth for the whole Nation. There will still be rich, middle-class and comparatively poor Americans because of the differences in Labor Income (LI), but there will be no destitute and homeless Americans
The result of this Dual Income is Justice, Domestic Tranquility, Provision for the Common Defense, Promotion of the General Welfare of each and every American Citizen and hence "We the Sovereign People" of the United States, and subsequently, securing the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity or Future Generations of Americans, which ultimately lead to our continuous innovation, transformation and rejuvenation or renewal of ourselves and our Nation, to continually "form a more Perfect Union", satisfying the Ultimate Purpose of the United States, as succinctly stated in the Preamble to the United States Constitution. It all starts with financing the Nation through the National Revenue Clause instead of the erroneous Federal Government Taxing Clause meant to defray the actual cost of Administration of the Federal Government.
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Bright Harry is the author of America, Wake Up!, where he debunks the National Budget Deficit and National Debt as mere illusions, albeit extremely deadly ones, with facts, logic and history. His follow-up book called “The deadliest Formula in the world”, further expands on this phony Government Budget Deficit and Phantom National Debt.
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