Requirement to Vote: Pay Income Taxes

President Obama and other Democrats have called paying higher income taxes the Patriotic thing to do for wealthier Americans. We can only assume that this means paying any income tax is a Patriotic thing to do and therefore essential to the American way (Even Warren Buffett has volunteered his billions). Let me make a proposal to those elected leaders who believe paying taxes, and especially more taxes, is a very Patriotic thing. Let us come together in a bipartisan way and compromise.

Liberals love their taxes. Go ahead. Raise those income tax rates as high as you want on the those you consider wealthy. I will argue though that someone making $250,000 even without taxes deducted cannot afford a private jet. But I digress, facts don’t matter to you so tax away.

We can even go a few steps further and lower income taxes on all those Americans making less than $250,000 a year. I know you will do this because you want as many votes as possible. Votes in the next election drive your policies today.

But here’s my proposition. For the ability to impose income tax rates at your will, we must also pass the most patriotic of Amendments. Beyond pushing taxes as Patriotic, Liberals also (and rightly so) refer to the right to vote as the most Patriotic of all. The right to vote is a wonderful thing, but we need an Amendment to the Constitution that limits the right to vote with the ability to be so Patriotic in paying taxes. If you pay taxes you can vote. Since around 51% of Americans don’t pay an income tax our electorate will be cut in half. Why should that be a bad thing, Mr. Liberal. After all, they aren’t Patriotic.

That’s my compromise. Those who participate in the ability of our government to function in their most Patriotic act of working to fund it get to participate in electing its leaders who run the government they fund. Those who don’t pay taxes and aren’t Patriotic don’t participate in a government they have no ties to.

Sure, you will lose most of your votes because those you have enslaved to the State will no longer have a voice, but that’s the point. The ability for corrupt policies to pass will be reduced. We may even begin to see fair taxation. Only when all Americans pay

Tagged with

Amendment, voting

Bulldog

I am military retired, 20 years service, and did work and pay taxes after retirement from the military. Now that I am to old to work, or as most tell me when I try to apply for work, "YOUR OVER QUALIFIED". I will be 80 on my next birthday, and after all these years I am hearing that I should not be allowed to vote? because I don't pay taxes anymore. I do not believe that would in anyway shape or form be right!!!
Paul

Flat tax of 5% on every penny made, for everyone, and no right-off's for anything. This will bring in more money needed and will eliminate the need for the IRS. Great start for less Government and a balanced budget.
msbetz

Yeah, only taxpayers should vote!
Cliff

Why are liberals solely blamed for the hole politicians have allowed this situation to become? Republicans did their fair share. One could never pay enough to create equilibrium. They just spend more and more. We will follow the same footsteps of great conquering countries like Greece, Rome, Italy and Spain. We are taught history to both prevent blunders and learn the right way. Our constitution does need some rework. We the people need public lynching of corrupt self serving politicians as a deterrent. In my opinion harsh treatment of those on the front lines would prevent deals like NAFTA.
Marty

I have been toying with and kicking around the following for a couple of decades now: (1) Anyone who receives government (i.e., taxpayer) money as a major source of their income(e.g., elected persons, city and other government employees, etc.), should be unable to vote in any election. The fact that their income hinges on who is elected represents a clear conflict of interest. (2) Regarding bond issues (e.g., school bonds), anyone who votes should, to the extent that the bond is financed through the taxation of property, also be a property owner in addition to the restrictions per #1, above, and for the same reason: only those who are actually paying for the issue should be deciding that issue's fate.
Transaction7

Apart from the reality that you could never get any of this past Congress, and the Supreme Court would strike it down f you somehow did, you overlook the original legislative history of the Income Tax Amendment and the Internal Revenue Code, when the supporters of the graduated income tax promised that it would never apply to most people and never exceed 2% for those rich enough to have to file and pay. When I was a child much later in the forties, you didn't have to file a federal income ax return until you made $10,000.00 a year, which was way, way above the average income, you could buy a new car for $750.00 and a palatial home for $10,000.00, and the adjusted equivalent today would be way into six figures. The poll tax in Texas was $1.75 and the minimum wage was about $1.00 per hour the last time I paid one, and you could buy a nice small steak dinner at a nice restaurant in downtown Dallas for $1.75 then. You still had to own land to vote on some bond issues etc. funded by property taxes. Interestingly, I think a higher percentage of black voters than Republicans made some, m small, political contributions then.

Too many conservatives waste too much time, money, and effort on lost causes like this one, antagonizing half the potential voters, including the young college grads and the retired who have tended to vote Republican, because they don't understand the benefits of conservative policies for anyone but the rich and haven't figured out how to reach out beyond a "base" that is too small and exclusionist, not to mention divided against itself, to win elections. What we should have been, and should be, doing is organizing and uniting various conflicting factions that have made up the Republican party, picking a eallly good person for President and then uniting behind him or her, and mobilizing voters to recapture the White House and Senate, adn icasing our lead in the House. The way we're going, we're on track to hand reelection to Obama.
Twitch

There is a certain logic to this. It reminds me of Robert Heinlein's novel 'Starship Troopers' where you could only vote if you had served, either in the military or some kind of civil service. The idea was that if voting was something that had to be earned, it would have more value and result in complete or nearly complete voter turnout.
Trust me, the novel is way better than the movies.