"but weren’t things more equitable in this country when we had a progressive income tax?"

The people doing all the paying aren't the ones getting anything out of it, how is that fair. I would go for a income tax based on "gross" income but not based off federal taxes. Half of Alaskans would very little if anything based on federal taxes, I don't think that's right, plus the losers in charge would see to it taxes only went up and up and up.