Amendment Sixteen and It's Meaning

Amendment Sixteen

"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."


The 16th amendment is all about the government taking the working Americans money, sort of. It basically gives the government the right to collect taxes from us that goes to building roads, maintaining an army, and etc. They are aloud to take money from working Americans no matter where it comes from as long as it is considered to be income no matter what the census (number of people living in America) is. I personally feel two opposite ways towards this; one way being I hate seeing money I earned leave my check and I sometimes I think it is unfair that the money I am working hard for is being taken away from me, and the other way being that I think the money (for the most part) goes to a good deed.

This video gives a different light on the 16th amendment. Ron Paul claims that the 16th amendment is unconstitutional as it takes away money from working Americans and gives it to welfare and less progressive things, he also goes into detail about inflation which could become a big problem. I wouldn't say I totally agree with Ron Paul as I believe that some income taxes go to good types of welfare (Medicaid/Medicare and people who have no way of working), but also he does have a good point that us working people should be able to keep our money as paying income taxes creates a worse scenario when it comes to inflation. I am no expert on all of this so my view point for the 16th amendment lies in the middle as I don't know enough information about how income taxes truly work.

I retrieved this picture from: https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjb7PS6y4vQAhXK6yYKHUIdCxIQjRwIBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgabbypenaflor2014.blogspot.com%2F2014%2F05%2Famendment-16.html&psig=AFQjCNGjxGC51kGe50HhDnMoCV6ourcAQw&ust=1478228213844198

I chose this picture because it made me giggle; pretty much this is how I feel every time I see my $0.00 check being a waitress. I earn money in tips, and get paid very low in hourly wages, which sometimes I do need because not everyone tips.. but once I get a zero dollar check, I want to cry..