Kenyth, I completely agree with you about a nationwide sales tax. Aside from its regressivity, it encourages thrift in an economy driven by consumption. If I have to pay 23% higher tax rates every time I go to purchase a car or a piece of furniture, I'm gonna buy fewer cars and less furniture. Furthermore, I can't envision a scenario where a sales tax on the selected items subjected to the tax would produce enough revenue to finance government. In fact, a black market would likely develop for goods whose prices would be artificially inflated by the national sales tax. There are so many things wrong with the supersized national sales tax idea that I could go on all day listing them.

As for the current tax structure being fair, times are changing quickly. Bear in mind that from the 1950s through the 1970's, the top tax rate was never lower than 70%. Today, it's 33%....and that's on top of recent revisions to further reduce the tax burden on stock holders, heirs and heiresses. Who gets to the pay the taxes that they're not? In the short term, smokers, homeowners and college students, all of whom are seeing "sin taxes," property taxes and college tuition rates soar far faster than the rate of inflation. In the long-term, the burden will fall on future generations who will see higher income tax rates necessary to finance national debt interest.

And keep in mind that this regressive restructuring of the tax code is occurring at a time when those seeing their taxes cut are also seeing their share of the national GDP soar, a dynamic that's been in place for about 30 years now. On the other hand, those seeing their taxes increase have largely been experiencing flatlined income growth over the same period. It's a system doomed to destroy itself.