The 16th imposed a direct tax on income and has resulted in our current impossible system overseen by the Internal Revenue Service, which cannot itself explain the tax code.

The current tax system should be replaced by the Fair Tax. I recommend "The Fair Tax" by Neal Boortz and U.S. Rep. John Linder. The updated paperback edition is now available, and it explains the particulars of a proposed Fair Tax.

The 17th Amendment provides for the direct election of Senators. The founding fathers provided that Senators would be appointed by the state legislatures, thus giving the states representation in Congress.

The Senate could be called the states' body and the House of Representatives, the people's body. The 17th Amendment destroyed that relationship. Its repeal would restore state power in Congress, restore the principle of federalism, and greatly diminish the likelihood of federal unfunded mandates on the states.

Peyton E. Cook

Southern Pines