HART: IRS is the extremist

In regard to the Feb. 2 editorial on our elected and patriotic congressman Phil Hart, at least patriotic as far as the income tax battle. Congressman Hart was willing to sacrifice his time and money for his beliefs, unlike most politicians who are more than willing to sacrifice people's time and money on things we don't believe in.

Our country was founded on extremism (the revolution) and it is my belief, if our forefathers were alive today they would be up in arms or in one of our many fine public safety buildings. Nor do I believe that the 1909 Congress who proposed the 16th Amendment would have ever dreamed that future Congresses would impose such an intrusive and confiscatory tax system. Nobody had to file or pay a dime in income taxes unless they made more than $66,000 (single) or $88,000 (married) and then only 1 percent up to $440,000.

It was never Congress' or the 16th Amendment's intent to tax the poor or middle class wage earner. Read the 44th Congressional Record. What is extreme is the arbitrary powers which the IRS supposedly possesses, such as requesting the names of those who purchased Congressman Hart's book (Constitutional Income) and then denying him legitimate business deductions for refusing to.

If you truly believe in the First Amendment you display (purchased with blood: extremism) I believe you owe an apology to Congressman Hart and all the "extremists" who reelected him (obviously more than the 40 who attended the fundraiser; maybe those who didn't attend were "afraid" of possible IRS sanctions). And maybe you should become extreme before we lose all of our unalienable rights!

GEORGE RICKS

Rathdrum

(Editor's note: Rep. Phil Hart serves in the Idaho legislature, not Congress.)