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It seems like the federal income tax debate is part and parcel to the old states rights debates. Just how much power should the federal government have over the individual states. I believe in the early days of our country the thinking was that the federal government should have little taxing power over the states.
Things have changed a great deal over the years. Before the Civil War most statesmen probably thought it was well within a state's rights to just quit the Union. I don't think it is even possible to consider this now.
As I understand it the first income tax was paid by the top 1% or so and most of them were wealthy people in the northeast. Most people probably figured what the hell let's tax those rich northeasterners. Like so many taxes that have been enacted since we take aim at the wealthy and hit ourselves in the process.
Is the income tax legal? Today it probably is but I am not surprised that a growing number of people will protest. The tax code is so huge and complicated with our polititians adding exceptions and favorable clauses for their campaign contributers etc.. that it has morphed into a very unfair system.
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