Jesse Eisinger

I'm like, you know, among the seven people in the world who find it fascinating. and then tried to figure out why is this private? Why is it a secret? It turns out that's a policy decision and that originally in the Civil War, it wasn't secret, it was public. In the 1920s, it was public.

So at each step of the way, we were realizing, oh, there are these decisions, it's all contingent, there's a lot of accidents, and we got to a system that actually is totally wrong for the current economy.

So at each step of the way, we were realizing, oh, there are these decisions, it's all contingent, there's a lot of accidents, and we got to a system that actually is totally wrong for the current economy.

So at each step of the way, we were realizing, oh, there are these decisions, it's all contingent, there's a lot of accidents, and we got to a system that actually is totally wrong for the current economy.

So the first income tax was passed in the Civil War. And the way the government had raised money before that and then after that for a long time was through tariffs and levies, you know, fees on tobacco and alcohol largely. And that was a regressive system.

So the first income tax was passed in the Civil War. And the way the government had raised money before that and then after that for a long time was through tariffs and levies, you know, fees on tobacco and alcohol largely. And that was a regressive system.

So the first income tax was passed in the Civil War. And the way the government had raised money before that and then after that for a long time was through tariffs and levies, you know, fees on tobacco and alcohol largely. And that was a regressive system.

Right. Right. So it's a higher percentage of your overall income or wealth if you're a working person than if you're really wealthy.

Right. Right. So it's a higher percentage of your overall income or wealth if you're a working person than if you're really wealthy.

Right. Right. So it's a higher percentage of your overall income or wealth if you're a working person than if you're really wealthy.

That's the central argument. Okay. That is at the heart of it, that the wealthy are not paying their fair share, that they think they're exempt from taxes.

That's the central argument. Okay. That is at the heart of it, that the wealthy are not paying their fair share, that they think they're exempt from taxes.

That's the central argument. Okay. That is at the heart of it, that the wealthy are not paying their fair share, that they think they're exempt from taxes.

There are blockades and trade is really curtailed. The economy slows down. So everything kind of comes to a halt and we need to fund it somehow. So we passed this income tax and the express purpose of it was so that the wealthy were going to contribute to the war effort. because this was a class war and you could buy your way out of your position in the army.

There are blockades and trade is really curtailed. The economy slows down. So everything kind of comes to a halt and we need to fund it somehow. So we passed this income tax and the express purpose of it was so that the wealthy were going to contribute to the war effort. because this was a class war and you could buy your way out of your position in the army.

There are blockades and trade is really curtailed. The economy slows down. So everything kind of comes to a halt and we need to fund it somehow. So we passed this income tax and the express purpose of it was so that the wealthy were going to contribute to the war effort. because this was a class war and you could buy your way out of your position in the army.

You could buy your way out of the draft. And so there were accusations that only working men were dying. And so Lincoln said, we're going to have the wealthy contribute to this and it's going to be public so that people can see how much they're contributing to the effort. And of course, they hated it. They hated it then.

You could buy your way out of the draft. And so there were accusations that only working men were dying. And so Lincoln said, we're going to have the wealthy contribute to this and it's going to be public so that people can see how much they're contributing to the effort. And of course, they hated it. They hated it then.

You could buy your way out of the draft. And so there were accusations that only working men were dying. And so Lincoln said, we're going to have the wealthy contribute to this and it's going to be public so that people can see how much they're contributing to the effort. And of course, they hated it. They hated it then.

I think they hated it for, yeah, very similar reasons. They hated paying anything, and they hated being exposed.