Dueling Amendments - 4th vs. 16th

The 4th Amendment:

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures , shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue , but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

The framers of the constitution believed strongly in the idea of property. The concept of "Life, Liberty, and Property" is an old mantra that was one of the key stones in the formation of America. In fact, the idea of property was one of the reasons they no longer wanted to be attached to any country in Europe any longer.

Property was a particularly important one (the 3rd amendment speaks strongly to this also). America was unique because for the first time on earth, people could own something without the government having a claim to it at all. America was Tax Free for about 120 years before the first concept of Income Taxes were imposed. In Europe, and just about every other place on earth, everything was subject to taxes and property controls. Many of you have heard of the old English law of needing to pay for a permit to breed even. This type of law was completely offensive to the American framers so much that they put in the 4th Amendment.

The 4th Amendment makes the promise that Government will never have the power to take your property without due process. This means that the high level of proof system would have to find you guilty of a crime before your property could be taken. The "warrant" and "Oath of Affirmation" portions speak to the courts. A judge would have to believe the word of your inquisitor before you or anything you own could be seized.

If you are like me you are now wondering, "How the heck can they take 40% of my pay check without charging me with a crime?"

The answer is they can't. It is 100% unconstitutional. However... if you CHANGE the constitution, then you can make all sorts of crazy laws.

Many times states tried to tax people, and had many problems doing so because it was a obvious and harsh violation of rights to do so. Several times the issue went to the Supreme Court. Decision after decision said, "What are you nuts? You can't take peoples stuff! These ain't subjects, they are people!".

Too bad for you, because in 1913, the planets aligned and the 16th Amendment was passed. This Amendment literally brought the concept of Biblical "Original Sin" back. No longer did the blood of our framers mater, you are now all born criminals. How do I mean this exactly? Well, previous to 1913, the government could only take your money or property if you were a criminal. So now that they took your property from you without a violation of the law, you were in essence a criminal just for existing in this country and the government could take your stuff.

Amendment XVI
Passed by Congress July 2, 1909. Ratified February 3, 1913.
Note: Article I, section 9, of the Constitution was modified by amendment 16.
The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration.

My favorite parts of this tyrannical amendment are "from whatever source" and "without regard". This dark and evil Amendment to the greatest document ever created sprung us back into the tyrannical shackles that we fought to get out of for so long.

You once had to pay the government if you were a criminal, now you are only not a criminal if you pay the government.