In Drew Robert Winter’s column Supporting Ron Paul is a new fad (SN 11/13), Mr. Winter touches on a number of issues — too many to cover in this short letter. One I will delve into, though, is Paul’s stance on the income tax. The statement that abolishing the income tax will give “the most money back to the rich who don’t need it” just makes Mr. Winter sound bitter, and it leaves out two crucial points: The money the rich would be getting back is their own money, and the poor and middle class would be getting back all their income tax money too.
It is a win-win situation for the American taxpayer. Also, just because rich people might not need the money doesn’t mean they don’t have a right to keep it. For instance, I am sure your family has more than one TV or more than one automobile. Should the government take your extra TV, car, etc. and give them away? After all, you don’t need more than one TV, but I am sure you worked and earned it; therefore, have to right to keep it. Similarly, Paul believes people should be able to keep the fruits of their labor, and he absolutely opposes the income tax, which is based on the assumption that the government owns your money and just lets you keep a portion of it. He believes the government should stay out of our lives and abide strictly by the Constitution.
