[FoRK] How Barack...

[Russell Turpin]

Jeff Bone:> Socialism = the mistaken notion that the role of government is to ensure > equality of economic outcome. This is precisely --- by his OWN ADMISSION > --- what motivates Obama to support increasing the cap gains rate..Maybe I'll have to go back and listen to that debate a bit more carefully,but it seemed to me that the fairness he was discussing had to do withtax RATE. Obama seemed to be addressing exactly the same point that Buffetthas raised, that Buffett pays mostly at the capital gains rate, while hissecretary pays mostly at the higher earned income rate. There was some other discussion on increased income inequality. Perhaps it's my memory slipping, but I think I recall GINI being explicitly referenced. That concern comes closer to Jeff's accusation. But there is a middle ground. There are quite a few people who simultaneously a) want a capitalist economy, with the innovation and incentives and disparateoutcomes that result from that, and b) want inequity and the cultural effects of that not to become too great. That's often what gets labeled"economically liberal." There are plenty of arguments against it. But tocall it socialism seems to me to be that kind of political argument thattries to do away with middle grounds by pushing them all to one of a fewpure positions, all of which are then conveniently discarded save one'sown.  Of course, it doesn't matter how Jeff and I vote in the general election.That's a side effect of living in the one state that is neither too cold,too taxing, nor too full of hicks. 
_________________________________________________________________
Pack up or back up–use SkyDrive to transfer files or keep extra copies. Learn how.
http://www.windowslive.com/skydrive/overview.html?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_Refresh_skydrive_packup_042008