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By SEN. JOHN DANFORTH
Rappahannock News Contributing Writer
Taxation without representation arrived in the United States on April 18 when the Supreme Court ruled that Federal judges have the power to order higher taxes. These judges now can order tax hikes without the consent of the people, or even against their wishes. Judicial taxation should not go unchallenged. I urge that the decision be reversed by constitutional amendment.
The fatal flaw in the Court’s decision is this: If the people are sovereign, they must be sovereign with respect to taxation, because this is the most basic power of government. Judges who are elected by no one and who serve for life should not be able to direct new taxes in your community or state.
Taxation by judicial decree cannot be reconciled with American history, the Constitution, or any principles of democratic self-government. Judicial taxation creates power for one person to define a problem, decree a solution, and raise taxes as needed to pay the bills. For 200 years, such a concentration of power has been unthinkable. Government by decree is abhorrent to American values because it is inherently undemocratic. When Americans lose the right to say yes or no to taxes, they lose the basic power of self-government.
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