No Taxation With Representation

The poor don't have any, anymore. Take from the poor, give to the rich. As soon as we all understand that guiding principle this country will run much smoother. According to the rich, I don't think the poor see it that way and the middle class is on the hamster wheel trying to maintain a standard of living that decreases every day.

Shameless in the Senate - New York Times:Nonetheless, the estate tax is up for a vote this week. First, Republicans will try to repeal the estate tax altogether. If that fails, they'll offer a compromise that isn't really a compromise, like a plan suggested by Senator Jon Kyl, Republican of Arizona, that would cost almost as much as full repeal, or a plan suggested by Senator Max Baucus, Democrat of Montana, that is only slightly cheaper.

In each case, the crucial vote will be procedural: if 60 senators vote to close off debate, estate tax repeal or something close to it will surely pass. Any senator who votes for cloture but against estate tax repeal — which I'm told is what John McCain may do — is simply a hypocrite, trying to have it both ways.

But will the Senate vote for cloture? The answer depends on two groups of senators: Democrats like Mr. Baucus who habitually stake out "centrist" positions that give Republicans almost everything they want, and moderate Republicans like Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island who consistently cave in to their party's right wing. Will these senators show more spine than they have in the past?

In the interest of stiffening those spines, let me remind senators that this isn't just a fiscal issue, it's also a moral issue. Congress has already declared that the budget deficit is serious enough to warrant depriving children of health care; how can it now say that it's worth enlarging the deficit to give Paris Hilton a tax break?

A simple life for a simple person. What's theirs is hers and what's ours is hers and may I have some more please? As if the rich needed more money. Paul, I hate to break it to you but morals are in short supply lately. It's more like we want more ya'lls money.

Tags: Paul Krugman, morals, estate tax