[BaghdadBarney]

Baloney. The 16th Amendment and Prohibition. Apples and Oranges, my friend. Everybody hates the IRS but Everybody loves their Social Security, their Medicare, their Unemployment Insurance, their Government-backed school loans, etc. etc. etc. I'm all for major reform of these programs but the fact of the matter is they do exist and anytime Republicans step foot in this quicksand they get clobbered politically and LOSE!!! Remember the 1995 budget battle. This should - and can - revisit the unfinished business of the 1986 tax reform bill. There were some good things - and some bad things - that came out of that bill that have been subsequently watered down or scrapped. Bringing the tax code down to TWO rates would be a good start. Scrapping a number of silly deductions would be another good way to go. But... the Congress should avoid RAISING the corporate tax and other crazy excise taxes to pay for these changes. I'm out. I'm getting long winded.

[Ditto]

Baloney. The 16th Amendment and Prohibition. Apples and Oranges, my friend. Everybody hates the IRS but Everybody loves their Social Security, their Medicare, their Unemployment Insurance, their Government-backed school loans, etc. etc. etc.

Who's doing apples & oranges? I'm talking about how to collect revenue and you're going on about spending. The Fair Tax bill in congress is designed to be revenue neutral (i.e. people's government handouts don't change) while the hassle and abuse we get from the IRS goes away.