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."Yes, don't you step down. Stand up! Stand up for American values.
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."
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!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.
Oh wait, he's a dem. Never mind.
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!
Posts
412 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 401 – 412 of 412Troop, the Quiet Man is one of my favorite movies.
It is my favorite of all time.
trooper: WRONG, sire: the african queen
Hey I think Johnny Mathis is a great singer but we are talking movies here.
Not that there's anything wrong with that.
If you become the Ruler of South Carolina, may I be the Prince of Aiken County?
It's a Count that rules a county.
Blogger Trooper York said...
Joe Biden thinks a catechism is what you get when you give your tabby a happy ending.
Blogger dr kill said...
Joe Biden thinks MBNA stands for More Biden Nepotism Allowed.
These are the thread winners, in my judgment.
Businesses do not pay taxes.
At last an honest man.
Do they buy buy buy and buy some more until they're hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt -- and then expect somebody else (the government) to bail them out?
RWP: have you been keeping up with the news? AIG required a multibillion dollar bailout, not a few hundred thou.
The idea that volunteering to pay higher taxes is patriotic - rather than demanding that the government cut spending because that would be treasonous, evidently
Sound Republican doctrine: If Congress didn't vote to fund Bush's war, they didn't support the troops. Biden is just expanding the Republican doctrine.
Moreover, the Bush administration is currently spending huge amounts of money to bail out the capitalist system. Are you opposed to this spending? Do you want our free enterprise system (sic) to totally collapse?
the real incomes of working-poor families (at the 20th percentile of the income distribution) grew six times as fast when Democrats held the White House."
It is so nice to be a liberal and make up your facts on the spot.
Real median household income rose by $4,000 in the Reagan years--
Dude, I hate to break it to you: median income is the 50th percentile, not the 20th. The poor get richer under Democrats; the rich get richer no matter who's in office.
Before all is said and done, and on all the fronts, I think we might have a new [*]-word.
[whispered] The t-word?
Henry said...
I'll stand up and say that income taxes are absurdly low. At least mine are. House. Three kids.
But payroll taxes are absurdly high.
I don't have any problem with a progressive income tax, if coupled with reform on the others.
Except Biden and Obama would leave the most onerous tax on the working poor in place (even as the date in which it no longer pays for promised benefits creeps closer).
Most tax law doesn't even apply to the average citizen. Outside of the basic forms, stand deductions, certain schedules that are wholly conditional, most tax regulations are written for corporate interests by well paid lobbyists who trawl the halls of Congress with big fat checks being glommed into the hands of a really conscientious and patriotic Congressman or Senator to insure that their represented corporation has their taxes exempted, reduced, or in certain instances eliminated.
Your taxes are ridiculously low and yet you complain. I'm sure however, you've either sent back your return as a means to contribute more than your fair share, right?
However, the Mr. Barely and Clickety-Click Polydent Man's tax plans basically tax businesses to a much higher tune than even normally considered onerous. While the illusion that your middle-class tax cut under their plan basically says that you won't pay anymore taxes than necessary until you need to buy things or use services by those businesses that just had their taxes raised and then passed on to you. Surprise!
Besides, we all know that many Americans don't even pay taxes.
Michael said...
Speaking of being "patriotic"...
The Government Accountability Office study reported that two-thirds of American corporations didn’t pay any taxes in 2005.
[sarcasm] Well, jeez. I wonder why?[/sarcasm]
Chip Ahoy said...
Joe Biden thinks "trinity" is a multiplex theater.
Or Neo's long suffering girlfriend.
Michael said...
Are you a born conservative (or liberal?
A new study suggests that your political attitudes are wired in from the beginning.
Die-hard liberals and conservatives aren't made; they're born. It's literally in their DNA.
Well that settles it. Jesus, I'm getting really sweaty. Hey, is it hot in here?
Trooper York said...
Hey I think Johnny Mathis is a great singer but we are talking movies here.
Not that there's anything wrong with that.
I love Johnny Mathis. The velvet voice for one of the original godfathers of the velvet mafia.
[Johnny] Chances are... I just took it in the ass... but no one really has to knowwwww...
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