Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Legal Commentary Blogs -> Althouse

Legal Commentary

: Althouse

Isn't it patriotic to pay taxes?

Let me inflict another McCain ad you. This one riffs on Joe Biden's statement that they wealthy ought pay more taxes, because "It's time to be patriotic ... time to jump in, time to be part of the deal, time to help get America out of the rut."

Of course, the McCain campaign is thoroughly justified in taking Biden's statement and running with it, but let's give Biden a chance to defend himself. I certainly think he's being honest and believes, as Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., put it "Taxes are the price we pay for civilization." I think it's is patriotic to pay our share for the civilization we get from the government that taxes us. (But let government give us civilization for the price.)

Anyway, here's what Biden is saying today:

"Catholic social doctrine as I was taught it is, you take care of people who need the help the most. Now it'd be different if you could make the case to me that by giving this tax cut to the very wealthy, everybody else was going to be better off. We saw what happened the last eight years when we gave that tax cut."

He then explained his statement, first made at a rally in Sarasota, FL, two weeks ago, that asking the wealthiest Americans to accept tax hikes would be patriotic. And he added that the tax rates would still be lower than they were under the Reagan administration.

"I tell you, Democrats,? Biden said, gritting his teeth. "Don't you step down from anybody telling you that we don't value, we don't have American values. ? I want this debate about values! I want this debate about American values."

Yes, don't you step down. Stand up! Stand up for American values.

By the way, would you want the government to adhere to Catholic social doctrine?

ADDED: Why does Biden only give 0.06 to 0.31% of his adjusted gross income to charity?

IN THE COMMENTS: campy said...

Theocracy! Wall of separation!

Oh wait, he's a dem. Never mind.

Yeah. Good point. Imagine if Sarah Palin backed up one of her political opinions with the assertion that it comported with the doctrine of her church. I will wait and wait for Andrew Sullivan to denounce Biden as a Christianist.

Palladian said....

The government is a lot like the Catholic church: an unaccountable, mystical authority that issues unquestionable edicts from a faraway domed temple ministered over by unelected robed clerics who announce their decisions by occasionally blowing smoke through their chimneys.

So maybe the dome in that "Dome" ad was St. Peter's!

Full post as published by Althouse on September 19, 2008 (boomark / email).