Congressional Duties 101

by: jason hammond | published: 08 04, 2010

In this election year many candidates will say to the voters that they will work hard for us, fight for us and represent us well.  We know all too well how that can go with most of them.  Some of the people in Congress actually take that seriously and do represent well.  However, I was thinking about what the Constitution says about the duties of Congress.  One duty in particular stands out quite obvious to me.

According to Article I, The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States. I now draw your attention to the word 'uniform' in the last part of that statement.  According to the dictionary, the word 'uniform' means identical or consistent, without variations in detail, unchanging in form, quality, quantity.  The tax code along with the structure of fees and regulatory duties that have to be paid on anything and everything are far from being uniform in the true sense of the word.  Attorneys and accountants alike have life-long occupations of helping people manage through all the loopholes, exemptions and exceptions.  Congress has not kept it uniform or consistently simple.

Why is it that everyone who goes to Congress has to pass NEW legislation and MORE regulation on top of what we have already?  I would submit to you that the statement in Article I of the Constitution allows Congress to pass legislation that can wipe away laws from the books and reduce regulations.  Which laws and regulations am I proposing to wipe away?  Some regulations are on the books that really have no meaning anymore due to changes in the country's economy, social environment and infrastructure.  There are other rules that are just plain inefficient and burdensome to all businesses and citizens alike.  As a start, the Congress possesses all the tools right now to simplify the tax code so that it is well understood and not structured to cater to different segments of the population.

I would submit to you that a good beginning for the next Congress would be to repeal Obamacare and then work hard for us by simplifying the tax and regulatory rules on the books.  This would allow for everyone within all social classes to live in greater liberty that leads to the peace and prosperity we Americans eagerly seek to preserver for us and future generations.

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