Indict the United States Congress for Malfeasance
History and Logical Development Leading to this Indictment
The following is a background historical description and logical development leading up to the necessity for this action. A great deal more could be said and arguments engaged in, but not within the scope of this present web site and its purpose. This is not intended as an argument on economic policy nor ideology nor party politics in general. It is intended to show the logical inconsistencies of positions and actions taken and the sheer idiocy and lack of all logic of the total behavior of Congress in these circumstances. This is intended to show why the intransigence of Congress and individual Congressional members and their refusal to do their duty under the Constitution and their Oaths of Office must be terminated by the concerted action of the People of the United States of America.
1} A long list of Republican presidents, standing high or not so high in the Republican Party hagiology, have espoused and acted upon taxing the rich as a necessity of fairness. Here is a list of those from modern times: Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan. A balanced review of this position with additional and current information, including Democrats and their viewpoints is available here: http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Columns/2011/10/07/7-Top-Republicans-Who-Taxed-the-Super-Rich.aspx#page1 It is very difficult to fault the logic of all these past presidents, both members of the Republican and of the Democratic parties, including those not mentioned here based upon the logical truism that it is of course necessary to tax the rich more highly because by definition the rich have more money and the poor have less or none. The existence of a national government and national goals in a society that recognizes the private ownership of property and wealth requires the availability of money to do the People’s Business and therefore the requirement for taxation. This is a long established basis of our country, back to its very beginnings.
2} A history of the yearly record of income deficits and surpluses for the United States Government is available on the Internet from the fiscal years of 1789 to projected for 2011 in inflated dollars and uninflated dollars. This history is available on this link: http://www.davemanuel.com/history-of-deficits-and-surpluses-in-the-united-states.php This includes graphical data from 1940 to 2011 and also 2000 to 2011.
3} Trickle-Down Economics is the general concept that reductions in taxes on the wealthiest members of society will result in gains for all of society as those with the most wealth are induced and allowed by their increased income resulting from tax cuts and breaks to create and expand businesses and create jobs to the benefit of the majority of workers and citizens. A web site which statistically examines this concept and graphically indicates the failure of the top tax rate to correlate with Real Gross Domestic Product growth rate, Income growth rate, Hourly Wage growth rate or Change in Unemployment over a 50 year period is available here: http://www.faireconomy.org/research/TrickleDown.html This seems to be more than adequate as a basis of information to say that the concept of Trickle-Down Economics is an entirely self serving fallacy on the part of those who wish to benefit from it. Further information on historical tax rates to a later date is available here: http://www.businessinsider.com/history-of-tax-rates In general, marginal or the top tax rates, do not correlate with economic activity and the boom or bust cycle of the economy. Furthermore, there is much more to the tax rates than the degree of progressiveness with the rate of taxes on the rich. There is also the major factor of the different rate for taxes on income from employment and the rate for taxes on dividends which is much lower. This is the primary cause for the multiply noted fact that a multi billionaire frequently pays a lower tax rate than his secretary as noted for example, here: http://www.thestreet.com/story/11221086/1/buffett-tax-the-rich-mailbag.html?cm_ven=GOOGLEN It is without doubt that those who possess the greatest levels of wealth and income in the United States, inarguably receiving the greatest benefits from membership in this society, presently enjoy historically low taxation rates and there seems no real basis to argue against this as fact.
4} Paragraphs 4 and 5 of the 14 Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America:
4. The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the United States nor any State shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave; but all such debts, obligations and claims shall be held illegal and void.
5. The Congress shall have power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.
5} Senate oath of office: “ I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.
6} House oath of office: “I, AB, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and fait...