A Billion Here, A Billion There, Pretty Soon...
Welcome to Washington, D.C., and the coming showdown, smack down, or Government Shutdown, Part Deux! I would like to share with you a few thoughts on the subject from some of my fav orite writers. Care for a gas tax? Steve Pearlstein calls for some perspectiv e on the whole budget debate. Have you ever thought of your federal government as basically a big insurance company with a standing army? Ezra Klein (how can a guy who looks so young be so smart?) explains it all in his budget breakdown ! With a handy colorful pie chart to show you the small sliver the budget hawks are talking about. And finally, patient readers, Robert Reich defends the progressive tax system . I have co-workers who want a flat tax. I asked them one day, so you don't support progressive taxation? Silence. And, sorry, that reminds me of another thoughtful take on the debate going on around here: Paul Krugman posits two moral systems colliding . And that is your reading assignment for this week. A...