Ben Stein: So, yes, go ahead and raise my taxes

[Coexist]

http://www.tampabay.com/news/perspective/article771618.ece

...

The sad truth of the last two two-term Republican presidents is that their economic premise, the key part of their economic game plan, simply has not done what it's supposed to do.

That is, cutting taxes, especially on upper-income Americans, does not generate so much economic activity that it replaces all the lost IRS take and then some. At least those have been the results so far. When Ronald Reagan lowered taxes, personal income tax revenue stagnated from 1982 to 1984. Now, you may say that revenue rose sharply after that. So maybe that was a mixed result.

...

The question is simply this: Do we want to step up to the plate like responsible people — I hate to say this, but the last responsible people who actually did this were named Bill and Bob (Clinton and Rubin) — and shoulder our responsibilities? Or do we just kick the can down the road a bit and leave the mess for our children and their children?

And if we do raise taxes, should people who are barely getting by pay them or should people who are getting by very nicely pay them?

...

Somehow, Republicans (and I am a Republican) have forgotten this basic lesson of adulthood. Maybe McCain is grown up enough to remind us of the real urgency of personal and national responsibility. Or maybe not.

[Captain Hilts]

1. His father, Herbert Stein was VERY concerned about the income gap in this country. nt

[Deja Q]

2. Ben has been consistent for some time and even gave Bill O'Reilly a sound drubbing...

which was a couple years ago; last time I had cable and cared to watch it.

Ben's a decent guy in my book, as is Bruce Willis.

[Coexist]

3. I am less a fan of Stein, but I was pleasantly surprised by this column.

[CrispyQ]

4. I just finished Lee Iacocca's book, "Where Have All the Leaders Gone?"

Very good & highly recommended!

He, too, thinks taxes should be raised for the wealthy. He said that the repubs always call the dems "the cut & spend party." So he calls the repubs the "cut taxes & spend party." A good sound bite in my opinion.

[dorkulon]

5. Wow. Doesn't make up for "Expelled," but not bad. /nt