Elizabeth Warren is about to announce a new wealth tax supported by (imho) two excellent economists. The right wing is already out claiming it is unconstitutional. I see right wing and traditional media do this constantly to set the narrative. Kevin Drum who never met a tax he thought was fair is already on the case.

Here is the central clause from the sixteenth amendment,

No Capitation, or other direct, Tax shall be laid, unless in proportion to the Census or Enumeration herein before directed to be taken.

People are claiming means direct taxes on property must be directly apportioned to the state. There are clauses about rules directly taxing states in other clauses. But I don’t read this clause as speaking to that. It seems they are saying that you have to say exactly what you are taxing and why before you actually tax. It has to be based on real data (this many people have this type of income) and specified. But it seems to me this would support Warren’s proposal.

It is important the unconstitutional meme does not get set in the narrative before this is fully explored.