For your tea bagging friends

[rpannier]

When examining the different forms of taxation, Smith adheres to four maxims which a good tax should conform to:

1. "The subject of every State ought to contribute towards the support of the government, as nearly as possible, in proportion to their respective abilities; that is, in proportion to the revenue which they respectively enjoy under the protection of the State."

2. "The tax each individual is bound to pay ought to be certain, and not arbitrary. The time of payment, the manner of payment, and the quantity to be paid, ought all to be clear and plain to the contributor, and to ever other person."

3. "Every tax ought to be levied at the time, or in the manner in which it is most likely to be convenient for the contributor to pay it."

4. "Every tax ought to be so contrived as both to take out and to keep out of the pockets of the people as little as possible, over and above what it brings into the public treasury of the State."

http://www.progress.org/banneker/adam.html

The subject of the State should support in proportion to their respective abilities...
Sounds almost Socialist -- at least to Tea baggers it probably does.
But it is Adam Smith the Father of Capitalism.

He also believed in two forms of taxation,
1. A tax on ground-rents (the annual value of holding a piece of land)
2. A tax on luxury consumables
Taxes on salt, soap, etc., he harshly criticized as inequitably taking from the poorest elements of society. Taxes on luxuries, which were to include tobacco, he considered excellent in that no one is obliged to contribute to the tax: "Taxes upon luxuries have no tendency to raise the price of any other commodities except that of the commodities taxed ... Taxes upon luxuries are finally paid by the consumers of the commodities taxed, without any retribution."

So...Luxury taxes are a good thing.
But if we adhered to that above logic on luxury taxes I guess that would be similar to Hitler going through Poland, or some other analogy put forth by the wealthy

Whether you like Adam Smith or Not, It's a great way to mess with Tea Baggers

[Angry Dragon]

1. In the same frame of mind ........... I give you some Jefferson

who the teabaggers love to love


"Progressive taxation has a long history: As Jefferson said in a 1785 letter to James Madison, "Another means of silently lessening the inequality of property is to exempt all from taxation below a certain point, and to tax the higher portions of property in geometrical progression as they rise.

[Turbineguy]

2. Teabaggers don't believe

in capitalism. They believe in the opposite of communism. "To each regardless of his ability, from each regardless of his need."

[NNN0LHI]

3. An invisible hander, eh?

Adam Smith said that the purpose of government was to protect property.

In other words the only reason for the existence of government is to protect the wealthy from the poor.

Sure you want to go there?

Don

[rpannier]

4. When I'm dealing with tea baggers who spout the principles of capitalism w/o having a clue

to what they're talking about, "Yes, I do."
It throws them off their game, they resort to saying it's a lie.
You show them that it's true and then they get either
a. get pissed and walk away or
b. Shut up because they realize they had no idea what they were saying in the first place.

on edit: I realize the above is not the whole of what Adam Smith wrote.
I also know it's taking one part of his book and using only that small part.
But, so are they. They are ranting like experts and they know very little.

Keeping them off their guard is always okay in my book

[immoderate]

5. "Adam Smith is a socialist!"

That's what one of them said to me when I brought it up. :crazy:

--imm

[safeinOhio]

6. I find it fun to bring up

Ayn Rand's hate for Jesus and all religion.

[PA Democrat]

7. That is one of my favorite strategies as well.

It's amazing how many of the right wingers who brag about their "Christianity" and at the same time LOVE Ayn Rand are completely ignorant of her views on religion. I also like to mention how she ridiculed the idea of charity being a virtue.

[safeinOhio]

8. Point out how

Limbaugh, Thomas Clarence and Paul Ryan are in love with her.

[mwb970]

9. Darn. None of my friends are teabaggers. /nt