The mere mention of redistributing national wealth is considered un-American. In fact, every fiscal policy---conservative or liberal---does just that. If the distribution favors the rich, it's hailed as "tax-relief" and "economic stimulus." If it moves the other direction, it's denounced as "welfare" and "socialism."
The tax-cut frenzy, initiated by an economic elite, is a concerted and covert effort to redistribute wealth to a privileged minority.
Taxes are not simply a matter of raising revenue; they can promote the kind of society we want to be: one that provides opportunity and improves the lot of the vast majority, or one that caters to the selfish interests of a wealthy few.
Fiscal policies reflect democratic values, or undermine them.
In the past, extraordinary steps have been taken to redress glaring inequities:
At the of end of the Gilded Age, the income tax---along with child labor laws, the estate tax, and other reforms---was instituted to redistribute wealth, counter injustice, and share the national burden.
During the Great Depression, Social Security, along with an array of safety nets, was legislated to cushion the economic crisis brought about by greed and speculation.
These programs weren't simply philanthropic: they were democratic.
As long as wealth buys unequal influence and drives policy, our Constitutional guarantees are unfulfilled. Economic policies that close the gap between the very rich and everyone else strengthen democracy.
Forget the posturing and pretense; forget the relentless effort to inequitably redistribute wealth---Bush "tax relief" bought by the rich. Let's have a substantive national debate:
Are representation, opportunity, and justice guaranteed only to those who have the money to buy them?
