Amendments 16-17-18

It should tax capital assets, not income. The Federal government's duty is to "provide for the common defence." Those owning capital assets have more to lose if the nation loses a war than working people. So they should pay for national defense. Also, rich people are better at getting the government to comply with their wishes, so they have a vested interest that DOD spending be frugal and effective.

17th Amendment removed States being represented in the Senate to special interests being represented. The intent of the 17th Amendment was to reduce political corruption from Senator buying seats in State Legislatures. The unintended outcome was to reduce the cost of political corruption from buying half a state legislature to merely contributing to a Senate Campaign.

States with no oil and no car manufacturing would have wanted their Senators to prevent Federal highways that made unwalkable cities and drained their economies to buy foreign oil. Senators responding to corporate and union wishes, bound the lives of their citizens to foreign oil addiction.

Sweden and Denmark shifted away from the US Federal Highway sprawl policies following the 1973 Oil Embargo. US Senators continued to support sprawl. From the same 43 MWh per person oil use in 1973, Sweden and Denmark reduced per person oil use to 60% below the US and pedestrian/bike roadkills to 400% below the US. Had states been represented in the Senate, US states without oil/auto special interests would likely have acted similar to Sweden and Denmark.

18th Amendment granted Federal police powers over citizen commerce. It became a Federal crime to sell a beer.

Although repealed by the 21st Amendment, Federal policing of citizen commerce continues.

The War on Poverty, War on Drug, underscore the fundamental nature of the Federal government to wage war. The War on Drug resulted in the US having the highest incarceration rate in the world. Fentanyl is the excuse Mr. Trump used with wage a trade war that we are losing.

The Federal government was created in war to wage war. We need to limit it to its war making nature.

Taxes currently collected by the Federal government, such as Social Security, Welfare, Unemployment, should be collected by the State Governments to fund national programs, with the efficacy of those programs accountable to state governments. With modern communications, states can manage such programs better than Congress. State tax collection will prevent Congress from borrowing against welfare to wage undeclared wars.