READERS’ FORUM
We do not publish personal attacks against other readers. You are welcome to express your own religious views but not to criticize the views of others. We seek to unify, not divide. Send comments under 300 words here.

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NEED TO EXPOSE JUNK SCIENTISTS IN THE GLOBAL-WARMING SCAM
2017 Jan 31 from Marvin Herndon
You need to find a venue in which to portray the so-called climate/geoengineering scientists as the frauds and/or incompetents that they are. Science, real science, is about truth as best can be perceived. How many scientists do you know who have told the truth about the ongoing geoengineering, its warming effect on the planet, its devastating effects on biota, including humans? Those who do certainly could not get government support. Taxpayers have been supporting sham-science, which is not science at all. That should stop.

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TARIFF TAX COULD BECOME A WEAPON OF THE RICH
2017 Jan 27 from Chris
Dear Ed,
Regarding: “President-Elect Donald Trump says he will impose a heavy import tax on products from companies that move out of the US to manufacture their goods. [Regardless … the Constitution places the power of taxation on Congress, not the President.] PBS Newshour 2017 Jan 11.”

True: Congress was given the power to tax (1.8.1, 1.2.3, 1.10.1). However, “law-making” has degenerated into a DELEGATED POWER SYSTEM lacking Constitutional authority. Here’s how law-making works today (from a Lexus article):
 
1. Congress writes general laws (= ACTS). ‘Others’ (not legislators) convert them into STATUTES and then into CODES.

2. The Executive enforces the statures via his REGULATIONS, aka: “implementation”. Proposed Regs begin their life in The Federal Register before entry into the Code of Regs. Bureaucrats far removed from Congress with zero accountability create the rules that have the force of law. The Constitution does not grant authority to the Executive to “make law”, let alone to his delegates!

3. Executive ADMINISTRATIVE AGENTS (more bureaucrats) enforce the Regs. These agents operate inside agencies, such as Dept. of Treasury, etc.

4. These agencies follow ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES. Generally: US Code TITLE 5 (= APA), specifically: agency MANUALS (e.g., Internal Revenue Manual, etc.). These manuals describe the PROCEDURES to be followed during ‘enforcement’ process. It’s all about building case evidence and following the rules of administrative ‘due process’ (which is NOT Constitutional due process!). Additionally, other sources of ‘authority’ instruct bureaucrats in these duties (e.g., ‘counsel advice’, etc.).

Under this scheme, President Trump can delegate to his Executive Agents the authority to set the TARIFF LAWS into motion, per the above article. His Agents are at the Department of The Treasury, IRS, etc.

Tax history proves that tariff taxes can be troublesome, being discussed in the 45th Congressional record (1909, 16A Income Tax debates). Let’s hope Prez Trump knows his tax history, and prevents tariff abuses. Otherwise, these new taxes could become merely another weapon for the rich to guarantee their ‘gains, profits and income’ on the backs of us poor-schmuck working-class Americans.