Ep. 329 - The Truth About 1913

·26 min·2 clips

Congressman Thomas Massey nominates 1913 as the worst year ever for American government due to three specific creations.

The episode opens with a tweet from Congressman Thomas Massey nominating 1913 as the worst year ever for American government, citing the 16th Amendment, 17th Amendment, and Federal Reserve. The host begins by discussing the 16th Amendment and income tax, explaining that the Constitution distinguishes between direct and indirect taxes, with direct taxes requiring apportionment among states based on population. He notes that income tax is a direct tax and thus unconstitutional without apportionment, referencing the 1798 direct tax and the 1894 income tax struck down in Pollock v. Farmers Loan and Trust Company. The host argues the 16th Amendment did not truly legalize income tax because it ignores the apportionment requirement and misdefines income as wages rather than profits. Next, the episode covers the 17th Amendment, which changed Senate selection from state legislatures to popular vote. The host explains the Founding Fathers intended senators to represent state interests as a check on federal power, and this change has made senators beholden to donors and lobbyists, weakening state sovereignty. He links this to current issues like national debt and inflation. The final section addresses the Federal Reserve, established in 1913. The host contrasts outcomes with and without the Fed, such as recessions, artificial interest rates, inflation, and bailouts versus free-market corrections. He details how the Fed creates money by buying government bonds, leading to inflation, and traces historical money supply increases from the Continental Congress to modern times. The host argues the Constitution prohibits paper money, favoring coinage, and lists economic downturns overseen by the Fed. He proposes returning to a gold standard to stabilize prices, using wage comparisons in gold ounces to show declining purchasing power. The episode concludes by asking listeners if 1913 deserves the title of worst year, referencing other potential years like 1963 or 2001.

As heard by us

A forceful look at why the host treats 1913 as a break in American government.

1913 comes through as a sharp dividing line in American government, with Congressman Thomas Massey's choice of it as the worst year for American government setting the episode's provocation.

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Why you'd press play

Want a forceful case that 1913 reshaped how Washington is checked and how federal power gets funded?

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