Posted by
Andrews on Wednesday, October 29, 2008 2:23:05 AM
I know many of my positions are note supported by even a small minority of conservatives, and even some libertarians shy away form my thoroughly consistent beliefs. I know I have a hard time convincing people the government should do absolutely nothing but provide police, only to protect against force and fraud, an army, civil courts, and criminal courts. I know many think I am extreme to eliminate all federal criminal enforcement outside of military police, relying on interstate compacts for crime fighting. And certainly many object to my elimination of all licensing in all professions and elimination of drug laws, including prescription laws. Even my rather mild position that we should repeal the 16th and 17th amendments and return funding of the federal government to contributions from the individual states meets with limited success. (Mainly due to the FairTax PR machine, I think.) My beliefs are consistent, but I know I am in a very small minority.
However, there is one belief I hold that I thought was relatively popular. That is the belief that "progressive" taxation is horribly unfair. That just because I earn twice as much as Joe, I should not have to pay THREE time as much in taxes. I know soem differ with me on eliminating all deductions and requiring taxes be paid on even $1 earned. And some do not agree with my idea of eliminating withholding so tax payers feel every dime they pay. But I thought the idea of a flat tax was relatively popular, at least acceptable to a significant minority.
But now, I find that a commenter
on another blog has said the following:
Progressive
taxation is a long-standing major characteristic of our political
system, supported by both parties. Only the fringe loonies think that
rich people should pay at the same tax rate as the poor.
Now, granted, this is Bob Munck, with whom I rarely agree. But then again, not one person I saw challenged his assertion that only fringe loonies oppose progressive taxation?
So, let me ask you, is a flat tax yet another position on which I am in a minute minority? Have we veered so far to the left that we do not even challenge the idea that rich man should pay a higher percentage of his income than a poor man?
I really do want to know. I can accept being in a minority, I just want to know how small a minority it is.