Before 1913 Americans could enjoy the fruits of their labor without fear of the government confiscating a portion of their income. The 16th amendment allowed for the taxation of income which is really private property. The authors of the Declaration of Independence called this private property “the pursuit of happiness”. The personal income tax has evolved into a program that penalizes individuals for success. The “happier” a person is the more taxes they will pay. The top 50% of earners pay 100% of all income taxes while the top 25% of earners pay 86% of all income taxes. The harder a person works the more they are penalized. This creates class warfare. The top earners feel they pay more than their share of taxes while to lower income earners feel the rich can afford to help me out. If every one paid an equal percentage of their income it would create a situation that everyone felt as if they had an interest in the fiscal well being of the nation.