Linkmeister

Class warfare

Brad DeLong derides an NYT column in which John Tierney dismisses Al Gore's new film and suggests a carbon tax to solve America's overuse of gasoline. In a comment, "Anne" makes a very good point:

These last years we have watched as the tax system has slanted away from the wealthiest even as the wealthiest have soared in income and additional wealth. We have created a structural deficit with too little revenue through tax breaks to the wealthies, while borrowing to wage a needless war and occupation. The borrowed funds will in time come to be at the expense of the middle class. No matter, the cry is we must have $5 or $10 or whatever price gasoline for the sake of the tax forgiveness for the wealthiest to add to the burden of the middle class to bear the lunacy of Iraq. Yuch.

Yup. Let's tax the lower and middle classes out of existence while maintaining the tax cuts for the rich. They can afford to pay these carbon taxes, while we lesser lights cannot. Apparently an NYT opinion columnist either has or aspires to the same level of wealth that CEOs have.