"Biden is right: It's patriotic for the wealthy to pay more." - Joe Klein

[WheelWalker]

And Biden's right: in a system of progressive taxation, it is the patriotic duty of the wealthy to pay more than the middle class or the poor...and furthermore, since we're all going to be paying for the mess the Wall Street sharks made, I'd go Biden a step further: there probably should be a confiscatory shark tax for any and all executives whose companies have gone belly up and required a federal bailout.

* * *

Jonathan Cohn over at TNR adds the important point that paying higher taxes during a time of war has been considered a form of patriotism throughout U.S. history. One might even argue that George W. Bush has been downright unpatriotic laying off the costs of his foolish war on our children.

http://www.time-blog.com/swampland/2008/09/patriotism.html

[Eric J in MN]

1. In the past six months, I've agreed with Joe Klein more often...

...than I did in the entire time before.

[justgamma]

2. Freedom isn't free. n/t

[WheelWalker]

3. Find the cost of freedom....buried in the ground. Mother Earth will

swallow you...lay your bodies down.