Tom,

There is no reason tax cuts have to be across the board. That line of argument abdicates any question of what tax levels are appropriate. I don't feel the rich should pay taxes because they are rich or that they should pay more simply because they can. I simply look at how the system has worked and ask if we are going to change it what is the fairest way to change it.

Should the people have benefited the most from our system of laws, national defense, and government supplied infrastructure (big benefits the anti-government crowd ignores) pay the most or pay simply in proportion to their income. I'd favor the later as you do and I used too if I hadn't seen over the past 2 decades how the income gap keeps growing and the wealthy abuse the power money provides. I firmly believe in capitalism and that a system that creates a distribution of wealth by rewarding the industrious is a good thing. I also realize that too big a distribution of wealth results in inefficient crony capitalism. This is a concept you seem to lack or deny. Warren Buffet and Bill Gates get it. Perhaps as an admirer of capitalism you should listen to two of it's most successful participants.

Whether Bush's tax cuts make a dent or not matter far less than the attitude of fiscal irresponsibility it implies. You don't start on a path to fiscal responsibility by being irresponsible. It's that simple Tom. Republican's used to get it. It's why I've voted for more Republicans than democrats despite disagreeing with many on other issues. My Republican bias is fast dissapperaing with their reliance on the bad math and gimics which you keep repeating.

Your Robinhood comments show a consistent lack of understanding of the issues of fairness I raise. You justify the Rich taking advantage of the poor by saying the alternative is the reverse. We do live in a democracy Tom and the poor outnumber the rich. When it comes to mirror image issues I think the majority wins in a democracy. Sometimes the majority simply votes in self interest even when the issues are not morally equivalent. We can only hope that a moral sense pervades most people to prevent blatant self interest from ruling, but that seems not to be tyhe case for America's wealthy. Does capitalism outrank democracy in your mind?

Regards,
Mark